Office of the Historian

282. Telegram From the Embassy in the People’s Republic of China to the Department of State1

Beijing, August 16, 1979, 0844Z

5526. Literally Eyes Only for Tarnoff from Maynes for delivery COB. Subject: Statement by Ambassador Young.

1. S-entire text.

2. I do not recall Andy ever using the phrase “official version” as a preface to his account to me of his meeting with Terzi.2

3. During our conversation Andy was initially fuzzy about the circumstances of the meeting. At the beginning of the conversation he made some reference to being “set up.” When I asked him whether Bishara acted in bad faith, he replied that on reflection he did not think so. He mentioned that he was out walking with his boy and decided to drop in on Bishara. On the basis of my conversation with Andy, I concluded that he thought that Bishara might try to set up a meeting with Terzi but that Andy honestly did not know Terzi would be there in part because Andy, not Bishara, according to the account I received decided when he would visit Bishara’s apartment. Moreover, Terzi was not there when he arrived.

4. I specifically asked what was discussed. There was no mention of any discussion with Terzi about postponing the Security Council meeting.3 Andy initially told me that Terzi was largely silent during the meeting. He subsequently mentioned that Terzi when he did speak, denounced our vote on the settlements resolution and contended that the [Page 913] assassination in France of a top PLO leader4 was evidence that the U.S. was working to wipe out the PLO. I asked whether we could definitely say that Andy had not “negotiated” with the PLO. The answer was yes. I then reviewed with Andy the account of the meeting which the Department subsequently put out5 and said that this would be the official version.

5. I took notes6 on this conversation. I would have to refer to them to give you a fuller account.

Woodcock
  1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, [no film number]. Secret; Cherokee; Immediate; Nodis.↩
  2. Maynes’s message was produced in response to an August 16 request from Tarnoff, in which the latter asked Maynes to clarify Young’s account of his meeting with Terzi in his resignation press conference. Tarnoff relayed Young’s answer to a member of the press, who questioned Young on his “failure to report accurately to the Department on what you [Young] had done—in effect, lied to the Department—and then went to another government before you leveled with your own government.” Young responded: “All of those things I did deliberately, but I did not lie. I didn’t tell all of the truth. I prefaced my remark: ‘I’m going to give you an official version,’ and I gave an official version which did not in any way lie.” Tarnoff asked Maynes to give his recollection of what Young told him about the Terzi meeting and to clarify Young’s reference to an “official version” of that meeting. (Telegram 213991 to Beijing, August 16; National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P840176–0117)↩
  3. See Document 281. Earlier on July 26, Young hosted Bishara and Syrian UN representative El-Choufi for a luncheon meeting on the Kuwaiti-sponsored resolution on Palestinian rights, which was scheduled to be considered by the Security Council on July 27. During the meeting, the Arab representatives “gave no undertakings about the probable decision of the Arabs concerning the scheduled reopening of the Palestinian debate.” (Telegram 3150 from USUN, July 27; National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P840137–2476)↩
  4. Reference is presumably to Zuhayr Mushin, head of the PLO’s Military Department. Mushin was killed on July 26, 1979, while vacationing in France. (“PLO Official Dies of Gunshot Wound,” The Washington Post, July 27, 1979, p. A23)↩

  5. On August 11, the Department issued a press guidance stating that Young did not hold a “secret meeting” with Terzi. “What happened in this case was the following:

    “Kuwaiti ambassador Bishara on July 23 [sic] suggested that Ambassador Young drop by sometime that evening at Ambassador Young’s convenience for a talk about Security Council issues. Ambassador Young went for a walk that evening with his son, and decided to drop in on Ambassador Bishara.

    “During their talk, Mr. Terzi arrived unexpectedly at the Bishara home. Ambassador Young did not know he was coming. The Ambassador, in accord with our policy on inadvertent social contacts with the PLO, observed the social amenities and departed as soon as convenient approximately fifteen minutes later.”

    The guidance stressed that this was an “accidental meeting. Ambassador Young did not have a negotiating or substantive discussion with Terzi, and the Ambassador behaved exactly in accord with standing policy of the United States Government.” (Telegram Tosec 70012/209859 to the Secretary’s Aircraft and all Near Eastern and South Asian posts, August 11; National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790365–0226) The same day, Maynes telephoned Evron to inform him that this guidance had been issued. (Telegram 209867 to Tel Aviv, August 11; National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790365–0346)

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  6. Not found.↩