Office of the Historian

110. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter1

Washington, June 2, 1978

SUBJECT

  • Mini-SCC Meeting on Zaire.

A Mini-SCC met this morning2 prior to David Newsom’s weekend mission to Paris on the Zaire operation.3 Newsom will meet with the French on Sunday to discuss our backstopping of the Shaba operation. The Monday meeting, to include other allies, is less well defined.4 The French want to discuss the idea of a Pan-African force for general purpose duty. We will avoid commitments in this area, not the least because we do not want to offend English-speaking friends such as Nigeria and Tanzania who will probably be opposed. Newsom will try to get the Monday meeting to focus more on the Shaba operation [Page 296] and the preparation for the economic meeting to be held on Zaire later this month.

Newsom is going with guidance reflecting your desire to keep the Europeans in the lead, rely on African troops, and keep us in a backstopping role not including troops. He will emphasize the limits on our involvement in the current operation (30 sorties) and make no commitments at this point with regard to US supply of equipment. However, with your approval, he would indicate that we are prepared to consider on a case-by-case basis some limited replacement of US items used in Shaba (as previously recommended by the SCC).5 At the same time, we will be pointing out to the French our concern that their evacuation not proceed so rapidly that it creates panic among the Europeans in Shaba.

On the economic front, Newsom will be equally cautious and make no commitments about future US aid levels. He will encourage maximum contribution by the Europeans, coordination among the donors to effect reform in Zaire,6 and indicate that we will use our influence with the IFI’s and the private lenders to be helpful to Zaire. However, he will make clear we shall remain “junior partners” in this effort. This issue will be discussed more extensively at the Brussels meeting June 13–14.7

Does the above approach meet with your approval?8

  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 87, Zaire: 6–12/78. Secret; Sensitive. Sent for action.↩
  2. No meeting minutes have been found.↩
  3. See Document 111.↩
  4. Sunday and Monday were June 4 and 5.↩
  5. See Document 109.↩
  6. Carter underlined “effect reform in Zaire” and wrote “Very important” in the left margin.↩
  7. See footnote 5, Document 109.↩
  8. Carter checked the “Yes” option.↩