402. Memorandum From Vice President Mondale to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)1
I have been noticing with growing concern the intelligence reports of Cuban covert activities including the supplying of arms to the radicals in El Salvador leading to the destabilization of that government. I don’t believe it’s enough to simply disclose Cuban activities there, although I think that’s important. And I would hope that we could assemble immediately a small staff to consider what activities, both in the intelligence collection and perhaps even in the covert field, we might pursue to help defend the El Salvadorian government. I have always opposed American covert activity to destabilize another government, but it seems to me this is the other side of the coin, where it’s not just enough to use words in the defense of a legitimate government which is being destabilized, in this case by the Cubans, and I’m sure with the help of the Russians. I’m not sure, nor am I recommending that we take any steps, but I think it ought to be thoroughly explored and quickly.
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, North/South, Pastor Files, Country Files, Box 20, El Salvador: 11–12/79. Top Secret.↩