297. Memorandum From Director of Central Intelligence Turner to President Carter1
SUBJECT
- Report on My Recent Trip Through Four African Countries and Saudi Arabia
[Omitted here is information unrelated to Afghanistan.]
2. Additionally, on 22 June I paid a quick visit to Jidda, Saudi Arabia. I had an excellent two-hour session with Crown Prince Fahd. I reviewed [less than 1 line not declassified] the covert action [less than 1 line not declassified] on which we are working jointly with the Saudis. Fahd gave his unstinting support [less than 1 line not declassified].
The fact of getting him to do that in front of Prince Turki, the intelligence chief, should impart new momentum to these programs. Fahd was particularly strong in his support of our joint program to provide weapons to the Afghan insurgents [3 lines not declassified] and to have us provide regular intelligence briefings to him personally.2 (S)
- Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 81B00112R: Subject Files, Box 16, 80 Saudi Arabia. Secret; [handling restriction not declassified].↩
- In a memorandum for the record, July 7, Turner reported that he briefed Brzezinski, July 3, that [text not declassified] had decided to support arms shipments to Afghan rebels. (Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 81B00112R: Subject Files, Box 15, DCI/DDCI Memrecs/Memos, Agendas of Brzezinski/Aaron Meetings, January–December 1980) In a memorandum for the record, September 4, Turner noted that he briefed Brzezinski that the CIA had a prospect to supply arms to the Afghan rebels through Iranian Baluchis. The supply would come clandestinely [text not declassified] through the Straits of Hormuz. Turner added: “this seemed all right” to Brzezinski. (Ibid.)↩
- Turner signed “Stan Turner” above his typed signature.↩