274. Letter From President Carter to Secretary of State Vance, Secretary of Defense Brown, and the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)1

To Cy, Harold, Zbig,

Acting on my instructions, the V.P. suggested to the Chinese that Harold might visit the P.R.C. this fall. Deng accepted immediately and Fritz accepted the resulting invitation. I see no reason now to reverse this agreement.

My suggestion is that Cy remind the Soviets of our long-standing offer of an exchange of defense minister visits with the Soviet Union and inform them that Harold will be accepting such an invitation from the Chinese.

Fritz announced publicly in Peking that we would have no substantive military relationship with China.

Proceed accordingly.

J.C.
  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Far East, Oksenberg Subject File, Box 25, Brown (Harold) 1/80 Trip, 8–9/79. No classification marking. The letter is handwritten.