Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume XVI, Southern Africa

142. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance to President Carter¹

Washington, February 22, 1977

[Omitted here is material unrelated to Rhodesia.]

4. Southern Africa: Discussions with the British: Yesterday we began discussions in Washington with the British on Southern Africa. Unfortunately we learned that they had not made significant progress in their review of Rhodesia and had not come up with very many new suggestions on how to pursue a settlement. We found them:

—still shaken by the failure of the Richard mission to Africa;

—disoriented by the death of Tony Crosland² who had been the strategist for the Rhodesian negotiations; and

—concerned that the new administration’s opposition to apartheid could cause Vorster to withhold endorsement for a peaceful transition to majority rule in Rhodesia.

We are telling the British that we will not go out of our way to unduly provoke South Africa although from time to time it may be necessary for us to express our views on its racial policies in public and in the United Nations.³

We and the British delegation will meet with Botha tomorrow here to explore how the South Africans see the negotiations with Smith and to discuss what settlement terms Pretoria favors. The South Africans want these issues discussed at a high-level meeting with us and the British but we will tell Botha that we do not yet see any useful purpose served by such a meeting at this time. Meanwhile we will be keeping the key Africans informed of our talks with the South Africans, and continue to remind Botha how much importance we attach to maintaining parallel consultations with the Africans as well as avoiding an approach which excludes any of the nationalist parties.

[Omitted here is material unrelated to Rhodesia.]

1. Source: Carter Library, Plains File, Subject File, Box 37, State Department Evening Reports, 1–2/77. Secret. Carter initialed the memorandum and wrote at the top of the page: “Cy.”
2. Crosland died February 19 from a cerebral hemorrhage.
3. Carter wrote in the right-hand margin: “We are going to have to be forceful soon.”