202. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter1
SUBJECT
- Message from Yasir Arafat
During a meeting with Congressman Findley on January 5, Arafat asked that a personal message be conveyed to you.2 Findley has already publicly spoken of such a message,3 and State has been emphasizing that there has been no change in our policy of avoiding official contacts with the PLO.
Arafat goes to some lengths to argue that the PLO has taken moderate positions, over considerable opposition, and that his ability to maintain a moderate stance depends upon his position as a “fighting and trustworthy” leader. This is very self-serving, of course, but may also contain a grain of truth. In any event, our current posture of ignoring the PLO while concentrating on the Palestinian issue and encouraging moderate Palestinian voices to make themselves heard is the appropriate position for now.
The full text of Arafat’s message is as follows: “In all modesty I would like to say that I was the first Palestinian leader to express support and confidence in you following your statement on a homeland for the Palestinians.4
“What makes my statements significant was that they were made while the Palestine National Council was in session, where criticism of U.S. policy was at its height. More so, because we were just witnessing the last painful steps of Kissinger’s step-by-step diplomacy, and its effects on the Palestinian people. When the joint U.S.-Soviet statement was made in October,5 we were the first official voice to say that it contained positive indications and we were criticised for that.
[Page 964]“Most recently our PLO colleague in London, Said Hammani, paid with his life for these moderate positions.6 This is just one such example of how much it costs us to adopt moderate positions here in our Arab area.
“In spite of this, our Palestine National Council, which is the highest legislative body in the Palestinian body politic, decided last year to participate in all political and diplomatic activities and peace talks which aim at a just peace and solution in the area. Of course, this includes the Geneva Conference. Meanwhile, our Council, in the same session, decided to contact Jewish progressive and democratic forces inside and outside of Israel, and we have already done this. This moderate approach to the problem was pursued, not only at the level of the Palestinian leadership, but also among the rank-and-file of the Palestinians and we faced challenges which we managed to overcome.
“Had we not seen a fighting and a trustworthy leadership we would not have been able to maintain our moderate stance. This is why I feel bitter about our [your?] recent statements asserting that the PLO is completely negative and has removed itself from the negotiating process.
“However, we are trying to stress positive views so we see that your most recent statement made in Aswan7 carried a slightly conciliatory tone, although you did not mention self-determination for the Palestinian people, or independence, or the PLO for that matter. I see in this statement a very slight change coming on the heels of the rapid deterioration in American policy following the positive joint U.S.-Soviet statement.
“I most sincerely hope that you will not further push me into a corner because I would like to maintain my moderate balance. Otherwise, I have nothing to lose but my Kufiyah (Arab headdress).”
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Middle East File, Chronological File, Box 134, Quandt, 1/78 (2). Secret. Outside the System. Sent for information.↩
- See Document 187.↩
- On January 19, Findley’s office announced that Findley would deliver Arafat’s personal message to Carter.↩
- Carter first made this statement at a March 16, 1977, town hall meeting in Clinton, Massachusetts. See Document 23.↩
- See Document 120.↩
- See footnote 8, Document 187.↩
- See footnote 5, Document 187.↩