Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume II, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs

50. Memorandum for the Record¹

Washington, May 24, 1977

SUBJECT

• Initial Meeting of Interagency Working Group for PRM–28 (Human Rights), 24 May 1977

1. Cord Meyer, SA/DDCI, and [less than 1 line not declassified] represented CIA at a 24 May meeting at EOB of an Interagency Working Group to prepare PRM–28 (Human Rights). The meeting was temporarily chaired by Ms. Jessica Tuchman, Chief of NSC’s Office of Global Issues, until the arrival of the permanent Chairperson, Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher.

2. Ms. Tuchman organized the meeting to consider the suitability of her draft outline for the PRM, dated 20 May, and already “approved” by President Carter. (copy attached)²

3. Ms. Tuchman delivered an illuminating sketch of the previous history of the PRM. Apparently, a draft outline that she prepared in February was rejected by the NSC in March.³ Because the Human Rights aspect of US approval of loan decisions of International Financial Institutions (IFIs) required immediate attention, an Interagency Working Group on Economic Assistance and Human Rights was set up. NSC, State, Treasury, Commerce (?), and later DOD, were members. This group is now replaced by the larger group invited to the meeting (which in addition to CIA, now also includes Justice, USIA, AID and a representative of the Ambassador to the UN). State has the larg-est representation: the Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator for Human Rights (Ms. Derian, Mr. Schneider) and Policy Plans (Ms. Vogelgesang).

4. Early in the meeting, each member was asked to list the papers on human rights of his unit that could be made available to the group. In the course of the discussion, Ms. Tuchman praised the usefulness of CIA’s 11 May Memorandum “Impact of the US Stand on Human Rights,”⁴ and indicated that President Carter continues to read CIA’s weekly report on human rights.

5. Ms. Derian referred to Secretary Vance’s 30 April speech on Human Rights Policy⁵ as a major policy directive. Ms. Tuchman, however, characterized it as a great speech, but not a policy, and said that this was the President’s view of it as well.

6. Ms. Derian talked about the activities of her expanding office, in terms of Action Plans on Human Rights for each country and for International Organizations (including IFIs) as well. She apparently indicated that there was a need to move quickly to stay ahead of Congress’s measures restricting loans and military sales to poor performers in the human rights area. She indicated that many decisions were already being made with the human rights criteria in mind.

7. The actual discussion of the 20 May outline was brief and somewhat confused. Most participants wanted to discuss the means at hand to implement US policy. [name not declassified] indicated that it would be helpful if the objectives of the policy were discussed first, so that means and implications (the section of greatest concern to CIA) would be placed in a more meaningful perspective.

8. Deputy Secretary Christopher seemed to endorse this suggestion, as he adjourned the meeting more or less in midstream. The next meeting will discuss specific tasking for the PRM. It appears that the bulk, if not all, of the PRM will be drafted by State.

[name not declassified]

1. Source: Central Intelligence Agency, National Intelligence Council, Job 91M00696R: Subject Policy Files Box 1, Folder 3: Presidential Review Memoranda (PRM/NSC) 1977. Confidential; CIA internal use only. Prepared in the Office of Regional and Political Analysis on May 25.
2. Attached but not printed. PRM–28 is printed as Document 46.
3. See footnote 1, Document 22.
4. See Document 42.
5. See Document 39.