292. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter1
SUBJECT
- F–5 Es for Pakistan
The attached memo from Cy (Tab A)2 seeks your approval for one element of the package that David Newsom will be carrying to Pakistan—sale of F–5 Es. The rest of the package is reinstitution of a modest aid and PL 480 relationship, (probably less than Pakistan would have gotten had the reprocessing issue not cut off our aid) and some military equipment including four old destroyers, a destroyer tender, some howitzers and perhaps a small HAWK system. The F–5 Es are [Page 693] the only significant element in the whole package and even they are of much less interest to Pakistan than would be A–7s. None of this can move, of course, until the reprocessing issue is settled to our satisfaction.
Cy’s memo sets forth the pros and cons and the recommendation is modest enough. In fact, I would recommend that Newsom not be restricted to the 40–50 figure. That has not really been staffed out and would be an unnecessary affront to the Pakistanis, who are probably expecting something much more impressive to assuage their fears of Afghanistan and make up for time lost during the reprocessing imbroglio.
Attached at Tab B3 for your information is the statement of our South Asian arms supply policy developed under the previous administration and reaffirmed last year by you.
RECOMMENDATION:
That you approve Cy’s recommendation, but remove any reference to specific numbers. Cy’s memo has been cleared with DoD.
Approve
Retain 40–50 limitation4
No F–5 Es at all
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 59, Pakistan: 1–12/78. Secret. Sent for action. Carter initialed at the top of the memorandum.↩
- Printed as Document 291.↩
- Not attached. Presumably a reference to PD/NSC–13. See footnote 2, Document 5.↩
- Carter checked this option and initialed in the right-hand margin next to it.↩