Office of the Historian

151. Minutes of a Policy Review Committee Meeting1

Washington, July 5, 1978, 4–5:30 p.m.

SUBJECT

  • Arms Transfer Policy for Iran and Security Assistance for Kenya

PARTICIPANTS

  • State

    • Secretary Cyrus Vance
    • Mr. David Newsom, Under Secretary for Political Affairs
    • Ms. Lucy Benson, Under Secretary for Security Assistance, Science and Technology
    • Mr. Leslie Gelb, Director, Politico-Military Affairs

  • Defense

    • Deputy Secretary Charles W. Duncan
    • Mr. Robert Murray, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern, African and South Asian Affairs

  • JCS

    • Lt. General William Y. Smith, Assistant to the Chairman

  • CIA

    • Dr. Sayre Stevens, Deputy Director, National Foreign Assessment Center
    • Mr. John Helgerson, Assistant NIO Near Eastern Affairs and South Asian Affairs

  • ACDA

    • Deputy Director Spurgeon M. Keeny
    • Dr. Barry Blechman, Assistant Director, Weapons Evaluation and Control Bureau

  • OMB

    • Director James McIntyre
    • Mr. Edward G. Sanders, Deputy Associate Director, International Affairs Division

  • White House

    • Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski

  • NSC

    • Dr. Jessica Tuchman Mathews
    • Gary Sick
    • Leslie G. Denend

[Omitted here is discussion unrelated to East Africa.]

KENYA

Secretary Vance keyed the discussion on Kenya to the three questions posed in the agenda.2 On the question of whether the helicopter/TOW system would require an exception to PD–13,3 Vance said that State has said that it would. Sayre Stevens said that Ethiopia has the TOW. Dr. Brzezinski said that we should grant the exception but point out that others in the area may have a similar capability. General Smith asked whether PD–13 implied that we could not supply a country to respond to an increased threat. Secretary Vance said grant the exception but footnote it as stated by Dr. Brzezinski.

On the second question, of whether FMS credit might be reprogrammed, Secretary Vance pointed out that the Kenyans will have $6.0 million in FY 1979. Dr. Brzezinski pointed out that the President had said we would help and asked if there were other countries we might look at. He suggested Jordan. Vance said he thought Jordan would not be appropriate since we may need Jordan’s help in the near future, and suggested we provide the credit in FY 1980. Charles Duncan said that we really need to help Kenya now, and was it not possible to find $10 million? Jim McIntyre said that he was concerned about our promising assistance in future budget years and suggested we look at FY 1978 and 1979. Dr. Brzezinski suggested that the working group review the situation in time to consider the question at the Monday SCC meeting. He also stressed the importance of providing the assistance teams and that they should also be part of the discussion on Monday. Duncan said that if we just present the report to the Kenyans without additional commitments, our response will be viewed as insufficient. Secretary Vance said that we would delay presenting the report until we have had a chance to review the credit question.

The meeting adjourned at 5:30 p.m.

  1. Source: Carter Library, NSC Institutional Files, Box 69, PRC 064 Arms Transfer Policy 7/5/78 [1]. Secret. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room.↩
  2. Not found.↩
  3. Carter signed Presidential Directive/NSC–13, “U.S. Conventional Arms Transfer Policy,” on May 13, 1977. See Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, vol. XXVI, Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Document 271.↩