114. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance to President Carter1
Zaire. The western ambassadors have begun meetings with Mobutu to urge that he undertake serious reform in Zaire. Giscard called Mobutu to stress the importance of the five-power demarche, and Mobutu received the French Ambassador yesterday. We understand that Mobutu told the French that he agreed with the points made in the five-power memorandum.2 In response to the French Ambassador’s suggestion that relations with Angola be improved, Mobutu said that he was willing to try to reach an understanding with Neto but was skeptical about what could be achieved. Kaunda, he said, has offered to mediate.
Our Ambassador made his demarche today and delivered your letter.3 Mobutu read the letter carefully and bristled momentarily at references to corruption, arrests, and executions. His comments were defensive, but he asked that we be assured that he is aware of the need to expedite reform.
[Omitted here are items unrelated to Central Africa.]
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 20, Evening Reports (State) 6/78. Secret. Carter initialed “C” in the upper right corner.↩
- See footnote 7, Document 112.↩
- See Document 112. Cutler reported on his meeting with Mobutu in telegram 6429 from Kinshasa, June 20. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D780256–1242)↩