Office of the Historian

419. Summary of Conclusions of a Special Coordination Committee Meeting1

Washington, February 27, 1980, 5:15–6 p.m.

SUBJECT

  • US Policy to El Salvador (U)

PARTICIPANTS

  • State

    • Secretary Cyrus Vance
    • Deputy Secretary Warren Christopher
    • Ambassador William Bowdler, Assistant Secretary for Inter-American Affairs
    • Ambassador Robert White, U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador

  • OSD

    • Deputy Secretary W. Graham Claytor, Jr.
    • Frank Kramer, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, International Security Affairs

  • JCS

    • Lt General John Pustay, Assistant to the Chairman

  • DCI

    • Admiral Stansfield Turner
    • Jack Davis, NIO for Latin America

  • OMB

    • Deputy Director John White
    • Randy Jayne, Associate Director for National Security and International Affairs

  • White House

    • Zbigniew Brzezinski
    • David Aaron

  • NSC

    • Robert Pastor

Summary of Conclusions

Situation in El Salvador. The weekend assassination of a leading Christian Democrat2 and the near coup has apparently galvanized the [Page 1062] Junta to try to reach final agreement on the agrarian and banking reforms and the security package by this weekend. Our Embassy in San Salvador is following the negotiations within the Junta closely and is using its influence to help the Junta work together and resolve any remaining internal problems. We are also encouraging the Venezuelans to assist the Junta to develop an effective presentation for its reforms. (S)

After Announcement of Reforms. The reforms will hopefully isolate the oligarchy from the progressive business sector, who are now worried about how far the reforms will extend. The military will need to be tough with the right-wing para-military organizations if it is to gain any credibility in dealing with the left. State will brief sympathetic leaders and governments and encourage them to issue an endorsement of the reforms after they are promulgated, as we will do. The SCC recommends that at that time, we inform the Venezuelans that we deferred sending in the 3-man advance team for the MTT’s until the reforms were promulgated. We will urge the Venezuelans and other nations (Spain, Colombia, Peru) to step up their support. The advance team will then go, but in a very low-profile way. We will also suggest that OAS Secretary General Orfila go to El Salvador after the announcement of the reforms, and we will work in the U.S. to try to identify and neutralize potential supporters of the far right. Privately, but at a high and very credible level, we will warn the right in strong terms not to interfere with the reform process. On the left, we will urge the Church to endorse the reforms, and we will ask Father Healey of Georgetown whether he would be willing to deliver a message to the Archbishop from Secretary Vance on your behalf. (S)

Contingencies. If the Junta should fail to reach agreement, we will seek the help of the leaders of Costa Rica, Venezuela, and perhaps Peru to help bring the sides together to negotiate a truce. If the reforms are announced, and violence from the extremes threaten their implementation, then possibly we could ask the OAS for a truce and a dialogue, along the lines sketched in the plan developed by Bowdler and Pastor. The SCC agreed that we should not deal with Torrijos at this time. (S)

Economic and Security Assistance to El Salvador. Secretary Vance said he would prefer to seek additional PL–480 funds for El Salvador by reprogramming from Latin America and elsewhere, but the SCC agreed that Henry Owen would review the PL–480 proposals, with the participation of AID and USDA, and make recommendations to the SCC. CIA, State, and DOD are still working on a proposal for a multinational intelligence center, but no decision will be made until the proposal is completed and transmitted to the NSC. An advance team will be sent to the Gulf of Fonseca soon to develop a plan for cooperating with the Navies of El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua for interdicting illegal [Page 1063] arms shipments. This team will go only after we consult with the three governments, and after the team has been fully briefed by State. (S)

[Omitted here is material unrelated to El Salvador.]

  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Council, Institutional Files, Box 109, SCC 279, El Salvador, 2/27/80. Secret. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room. The minutes of the meeting have not been found. Pastor sent the summary to Brzezinski under a February 27 memorandum, requesting that Brzezinski send the minutes to Carter for approval under cover of a February 28 memorandum from Brzezinski to Carter. According to the February 28 memorandum, Carter approved the minutes. Brzezinski sent a copy of the minutes to Vance, Brown, McIntyre, Jones, and Helms under a March 3 memorandum, noting that the Department’s task force should follow up on the items discussed during the meeting and provide a report by March 7. (Carter Library, Brzezinski Donated Material, Subject File, Box 32, Meetings—SCC 282, 2/28/80)↩
  2. See footnote 2, Document 417.↩