94. Letter From President Carter to South African Prime Minister Botha1
Now that you have assumed your high office, I want to address frankly and in a constructive spirit the problems which have been deterring an improvement in relations between our countries.
The emphasis you placed in your recent letter2 on peace and cooperation in dealing with some of the grave problems which face southern Africa accords with my own view. I note particularly your desire to discuss problems that have arisen between South Africa and the rest of the family of nations.
With respect to Namibia, we worked diligently with the other Western nations to achieve international approval for a settlement that preserves the rights of all the parties and offers the only real opportunity that we can see of ending violence and achieving a stable, lasting solution fair to all. Loss of this opportunity will make it infinitely more [Page 251] difficult in the future to build the support necessary to bring about and sustain a peaceful solution. I earnestly request that you personally give your support for a resolution of this problem, and move toward an election on a specific date, and with United Nations forces to be present as recommended by the Western nations. Secretary Vance can discuss these matters with you in more detail.
It is also my hope that you can be helpful in resolving the increasingly critical Rhodesian situation. We are gravely concerned that the refusal of the Executive Council in Salisbury to meet and negotiate realistically with the other parties means that nothing will be done to arrest the accelerating deterioration of the situation there.
I am asking Cy Vance to deliver this letter to you, and your meeting with him will provide an opportunity for a fuller discussion of these matters.
If progress can be made on current problems in southern Africa, I believe it would be useful for the two of us to discuss these matters personally.
Sincerely,
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, President’s Correspondence with Foreign Leaders File, Box 18, South Africa: Prime Minister Pieter Wilem Botha, 9/78–2/80. No classification marking. Vance delivered this letter to Botha on October 16. See Document 95.↩
- In telegram 5929 from Pretoria, October 5, the Embassy transmitted the text of Botha’s letter. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D780408–0366)↩