Office of the Historian

172. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to Secretary of State Vance1

Washington, May 3, 1979

SUBJECT

  • Morocco (U)

I would like to be sure that we are doing all that we reasonably can to help Morocco in the present difficult circumstances. In particular, you might consider the following steps:

—Additional PL–480 for Morocco. This would have an immediate positive impact on the Moroccan budget.

—Consultations with Saudi Arabia on the situation in Morocco. By expressing our concern and our own willingness to do more, we may encourage the Saudis to resume some of their aid.

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—Case-by-case consideration of Moroccan military requests. While an abrupt shift in our policy is probably not called for, we should look for opportunities to continue making approvals of appropriate individual cases.

—Continue to encourage efforts to bring the Sahara conflict to a peaceful negotiated solution.

In addition, it might be worth asking Ambassador Parker for his views on whether it would be useful and feasible to raise with the King the problems of corruption and economic stagnation. Perhaps the necessary points can be made by sharing our assessment of the underlying factors that led to instability in Iran. (S)

Please keep me posted on the measures that can be taken to help Morocco.2 (S)

Zbigniew Brzezinski
  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 55, Morocco: 1–8/79. Secret.↩
  2. Brzezinski wrote at the end of this sentence: “I gather the situation is steadily deteriorating.”↩