September 1977–May 1978
85. Memorandum From Michel Oksenberg of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 8, China (People’s Republic of): 2–5/78. Confidential. Sent for action.
86. Note From President Carter to Vice President Mondale and Secretary of State Vance
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office, Outside the System File, Box 46, China: Brzezinski, May, 1978, Trip: 11/77–5/17/78. Confidential. The note is handwritten by the President on White House stationery. At the bottom of the page, Carter wrote, “bcc: Dr. Brzezinski.”
87. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Far East, Oksenberg Subject File, Box 56, Policy Process: 1–4/78. Top Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place in the White House. Oksenberg drafted a cable for Woodcock and Vance summarizing the meeting. In a covering memorandum to Brzezinski, Oksenberg wrote, “When you give a copy of this cable to Cy, if you think it appropriate, you might ascertain Cy’s disposition to inform Dick [Holbrooke]. My own preference would be for Cy to keep Dick informed and for us to know that Dick has been informed. Mike [Armacost] and I have worked effectively with Dick over the past year because we shared information. I would like to minimize any potential strains in the relationship as we begin to plan for your trip. Certainly Dick drew me fully into the planning for the Vance trip last fall. I think it will be easier to get him to accept his not being included on the final trip if he has been made part of the process at an earlier stage.” (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 8, China (People’s Republic of): 2–5/78)
88. Memorandum From Michel Oksenberg of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Far East, Oksenberg Subject File, Box 26, Brzezinski: 1–3/78. Secret; Outside the System. Sent for action.
89. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Far East, Oksenberg Subject File, Box 56, Policy Process: 1–4/78. Top Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place in the White House.
90. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (McGiffert) to Secretary of Defense Brown
Source: Washington National Records Center, OSD Files: FRC 330–81–0202, China (Reds) 092. Secret; Eyes Only. This memorandum was stamped “SecDef has seen” on April 4 and again on April 10. At the top of the page, Brown wrote, “4/4. Save for 4/10 meeting on Asian issues. HB.” The meeting took place on April 11; see Document 94.
91. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Far East, Oksenberg Subject File, Box 56, Policy Process: 1–4/78. Top Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place at the PRC Liaison Office.
92. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (Holbrooke), the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (Abramowitz), and Michael Armacost and Michel Oksenberg of the National Security Council Staff to Secretary of State Vance, Secretary of Defense Brown, and the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Far East, Oksenberg Subject File, Box 56, Policy Process: 1–4/78. Secret. Printed from an uninitialed copy.
93. Telegram From the Embassy in the Republic of China to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D780155–0511. Secret; Priority; Exdis.
94. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Far East, Oksenberg Subject File, Box 43, Meetings: 1–3/78. Secret. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room.
95. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Far East, Oksenberg Subject File, Box 56, Policy Process: 1–4/78. Secret. Sent for action. The date is handwritten. At the top of the first page, Carter expressed his approval for the proposed studies (on Korea, China normalization, and arms sales to Taiwan) by writing, “First 3 studies ok—needed. J.” In the margin next to the paragraphs summarizing each of these topics, Carter wrote, “OK.”
96. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Far East, Oksenberg Subject File, Box 56, Policy Process: 1-4/78. Top Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place in the White House.
97. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter
Source: Carter Library, Brzezinski Donated Material, Geographic File, Box 9, China, (People’s Republic of), Brzezinski’s Trip: 11/19/77–5/14/78. Secret.
98. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Far East, Oksenberg Subject File, Box 28, Brzezinski 5/78 Trip to China: 5/10–12/78. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. Sent for information. A May 9 covering memorandum from Oksenberg to Brzezinski reads, “Rick Inderfurth requested that I summarize in memorandum form from you to the President China’s three conditions and Nixon’s five points.” Brzezinski did not initial the memorandum, and it is not clear that he or Carter saw it.
99. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance, Secretary of Defense Brown, and the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office, Outside the System File, Box 50, Chron: 5/78. Secret; Nodis; Sensitive. Printed from a copy that does not bear Brown’s initials. Attached but not printed is an “illustrative and tentative” calendar that lays out various steps that might occur, month by month, as the United States and China normalized relations. The calendar anticipated that during June “COCOM approval obtained to differentiate in technology transfers to USSR–PRC: sale to one does not set precedent of sale to other.” In the margin next to this point, Carter wrote, “Doubt advisability of PRC preference over SU [Soviet Union].”
100. Memorandum From Samuel Huntington of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Trip File, Box 39, Brzezinski, Asia, 5/18–25/78: Memos. Confidential; Outside the System. Sent for information. A copy was sent to Oksenberg. The initials “RI” at the top of the page indicate that Inderfurth saw the memorandum, but there is no indication that Brzezinski did.
101. Memorandum From Paul B. Henze of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)
Source: Carter Library, Brzezinski Donated Material, Geographic File, Box 9, China, (People’s Republic of), Brzezinski’s Trip, 11/19/77–5/14/78. Confidential. Sent for information. Copies were sent to Samuel Huntington, William Quandt/Gary Sick, and Thomas Thornton of the NSC Staff. Henze sent this memorandum and papers on the Horn of Africa and Soviet Minorities (attached but not printed) to Oksenberg under a May 11 covering memorandum, which stated that they were “for Zbig’s use in planning his discussions in Peking.” (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Far East, Oksenberg Subject File, Box 28, Brzezinski 5/78 Trip to China: 5/10–12/78)
102. Telegram From the Liaison Office in China to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D780201–1102. Confidential; Priority. Repeated to Hong Kong, Moscow, Seoul, Taipei, and Tokyo.
103. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to Secretary of Defense Brown
Source: Washington National Records Center, OSD Files: FRC 330–81–0202, China (Nats) 320.2. Secret. Brown initialed the memorandum on May 15.
104. Memorandum From the Vice President’s Chief of Staff (Moe) to Vice President Mondale, the President’s Assistant (Jordan), the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski), and the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Aaron)
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 8, China (People’s Republic of): 6–8/78. Secret.
105. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office, Outside the System File, Box 50, Chron: 5/78. Secret. The meeting took place in the White House.
106. Paper Prepared by the National Security Council Staff
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Trip File, Box 38, Brzezinski, Asia, 5/18–25/78, China, Volume I [II]. Secret. Oksenberg sent an earlier version of this paper to Brzezinski under a May 16 covering memorandum that noted, “I am circulating it to members of the delegation for their comments before casting it in final draft for your book. You may wish to show it to Secretary Vance and Secretary Brown for their comments.” (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Far East, Oksenberg Subject File, Box 29, Brzezinski 5/78 Trip to China: 5/13–19/78)
107. Memorandum From Jessica Tuchman Mathews of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Trip File, Box 39, Brzezinski, Asia: 5/18–25/78: Memos. Secret. According to the attached correspondence profile, this memorandum accompanied Brzezinski on his trip.
108. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office, Outside the System File, Box 46, China: Brzezinski, May, 1978, Trip: 5/25/78–6/78. Top Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place in the Shanghai Room of the Great Hall of the People. Brzezinski and his party, including his wife, arrived in Beijing on May 20. He recalled that he was “given a formal but very cordial greeting at the airport by Foreign Minister Huang Hua, his wife, and a host of Chinese officials. While on board the plane we had speculated about what kind of greeting I would receive from the very protocol-conscious Chinese, and this greeting by the Foreign Minister himself was a signal that the Chinese had decided to treat the visit on the same level as one by the Secretary of State.” (Power and Principle, p. 209)
109. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Far East, Oksenberg Subject File, Box 56, Policy Process: 5/16–31/78. Top Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place in the Great Hall of the People. On May 21, Brzezinski cabled accounts of his initial two meetings with Huang to Carter. (Backchannel message 8 from Beijing to the White House Situation Room, May 21; Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Far East, Oksenberg Subject File, Box 56, Policy Process: 5/16–31/78.)
110. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office, Outside the System File, Box 46, China: Brzezinski, May, 1978, Trip: 5/28/78–6/78. Top Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. Prepared on May 25. The meeting took place in the Great Hall of the People. At the top of the page, Carter wrote, “Good. J.” Brzezinski cabled an account of this meeting to Carter and Vance, which reads, “I discussed with Teng our need to make a unilateral statement expressing our hopes for a peaceful resolution of the Taiwan issue that will not be contradicted by the Chinese side.” He also recounted, “We did not talk about arms sales directly. However, indirectly the subject came up. I had earlier raised the danger that an insecure Taiwan, after normalization, might turn to the Soviet Union. Teng said the Chinese had thought about this, but since the United States would maintain economic relations, this would be less of a problem.” (Backchannel message 7 from Beijing to the White House Situation Room, May 21; Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Far East, Oksenberg Subject File, Box 56, Policy Process: 5/16–31/78)
111. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office, Outside the System File, Box 46, China: Brzezinski, May, 1978, Trip: 5/18–24/78. Top Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place in the Great Hall of the People. At the top of the page, the President wrote, “He’s impressive. JC.” On May 23, Brzezinski cabled an account of his meeting with Hua to Carter and Vance. In it, he noted that Hua “said that for the Chinese to renounce the use of force to solve the Taiwan issue while the U.S. continues to supply arms to Taiwan would be tantamount to the creation of two China’s. This was unacceptable.” Brzezinski then observed, “Seemingly implicit in Hua’s remarks, though the subject merits further study, is that we have a choice as to the formula for normalization. Either we can continue to supply arms to Taiwan after normalization without obtaining a Chinese statement of peaceful intent, or we can obtain the statement while terminating arms sales.” Carter initialed this telegram. (Backchannel message 12 from Tokyo to the White House Situation Room, May 23; Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office, Outside the System File, Box 46, China: Brzezinski, May, 1978, Trip: 5/18–24/78.)
112. Memorandum From Michel Oksenberg of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Far East, Oksenberg Subject File, Box 56, Policy Process: 5/16–31/78. Secret; Sensitive. Sent for information.
113. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office, Outside the System File, Box 46, China: Brzezinski, May, 1978, Trip: 5/25/78–6/78. Top Secret; Sensitive. A handwritten “C” at the top of the page indicates Carter saw the memorandum.
114. Telegram From the Embassy in the Republic of China to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D780225–0434. Confidential; Priority; Exdis. Repeated to Beijing.