Office of the Historian

231. Summary of Conclusions of a Mini-Special Coordination Committee Meeting1

Washington, March 24, 1979, 10:04–10:52 a.m.

SUBJECT

  • Security Assistance for Egypt and Israel (U)

PARTICIPANTS

  • State

    • Daniel O’Donahue, Deputy Director, Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs
    • David Zweifel, Office of Near Eastern/South Asian Affairs

  • OSD

    • Robert Murray, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Near Eastern, African and South Asian Affairs

  • JCS

    • Lt. General William Y. Smith, Assistant to the Chairman
    • Major William H. Cook, Mid East/African Expert

  • CIA

    • [name not declassified], Office of Economic Research
    • [name not declassified], Assistant NIO, Near East and South Asia

  • ACDA

    • Deputy Director Spurgeon Keeney
    • Dr. Barry Blechman, Assistant Director, Weapons Evaluation and Control Bureau

  • OMB

    • Dr. John White, Deputy Director
    • Edward Sanders, Deputy Associate Director for International Affairs

  • White House

    • David Aaron (Chairman)

  • NSC

    • Leslie G. Denend

A mini-SCC meeting was called to review issues surrounding the security assistance which will be extended to Israel and Egypt in the context of a peace treaty. (C)

1. Congressional strategy: There was agreement that the entire $1.17 billion in budget authority required to support $4.5 billion in military [Page 798] assistance should be sought in a single FY 1979 supplemental budget request. (C)

2. Negev airbase construction: DOD and OMB will develop options for alternative sources of financing to begin construction should final Congressional action be delayed until July. (C)

3. Deliveries of military equipment to Egypt: DOD will review options for the prompt delivery of some of the items on the Egyptian list which we feel Egypt is sure to ask for. (C)

4. Further review of sales to Egypt and Israel: As specific sales contained in the lists for Israel and Egypt move forward, agency comments on timing and the U.S. view of Egyptian and Israeli priorities (e.g., submarines for Egypt) will be sought through the normal arms transfer review process. (C)

5. All approved the scope and composition of the proposed military assistance package being considered by the President. ACDA added that the proposal seemed modest when compared to what had been expected. (C)

  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Council, Institutional Files, Box 119, SCM 059, 3/24/79, Mini SCC, Security Assistance for Egypt and Israel. Confidential. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room. The summary was found attached to a March 26 covering memorandum from Denend to Aaron, upon which Aaron initialed his approval of the summary and added the handwritten notation, “Circulate!” (Ibid.) Dodson forwarded the summary and Denend’s covering memorandum to Vance, Brown, McIntyre, Seignious, Jones, and Turner under a separate covering memorandum dated April 2. (Ibid.)↩