Office of the Historian

243. Letter From President Carter to Senator Stennis1

Washington, September 25, 1979
To Chairman John Stennis.2

I am deeply concerned about the attempt to legislate the immediate lifting of sanctions against Zimbabwe-Rhodesia by accepting the Senate version of the Defense Authorization Bill.3 The acceptance of the Byrd amendment would do serious harm to the conduct of our nation’s foreign policy.

The British, with the unanimous endorsement of the Commonwealth nations, convened the Lancaster House Conference in which all the parties to the Rhodesian conflict are participating.4 Some important first steps have been taken there, but many difficult negotiations lie ahead.

The Congress has already expressed its views on the Rhodesian issue with the recently passed State Department Authorization,5 and it [Page 713] would be a great mistake for the United States to disrupt the negotiating process at this time with new legislation mandating an immediate lifting of sanctions.

It is not in our national interest to lift sanctions immediately. Therefore, I must reemphasize my firm opposition to any legislation directing me to do so. I urge that the Conference strike Section 802 of the Defense Authorization Bill.

Sincerely,

Jimmy Carter
  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Brzezinski Office File, Country Chron File, Box 44, Rhodesia: 7–12/79. No classification marking.↩
  2. An identical letter was sent to Representative Melvin Price, Chairman of the House Committee on Armed Services. (Ibid.)↩
  3. The Helms Amendment to the 1980 Defense Department authorization bill (S 428) required Carter to lift the trade ban immediately. (Congress and the Nation, vol. 5, 1977–1980, p. 77)↩
  4. The conference convened on September 10.↩
  5. H.R. 3363, Section 408, recognized the power of the President to make the decision regarding the continuation of sanctions. The law directed Carter to promote a speedy end to the Rhodesian conflict and terminate sanctions against Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, unless Carter reported to Congress that termination was not in the national interest. The law also stipulated that sanctions were to be terminated by Congress on November 15, if it did not agree with the President’s determination. On August 15, the bill became Public Law 96–60. (Congress and the Nation, vol. 5, 1977–1980, pp. 75–78)↩