Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume XIX, South Asia

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

Washington, December 28, 1979

SUBJECT

• Daily Report

NSC Activities

SCC on Pakistan, India and Developments in Afghanistan

The PRC met last evening to discuss our relations with Pakistan and India, and the implications of recent events in Afghanistan.² The recommendations of the meeting will have significant impact on our arms sales and non-proliferation policies. With regard to Pakistan, we agreed to substantially liberalize our arms supply policy, provide more refugee assistance through the UN, press forward with a PL 480 agreement, and dispatch a high-level mission to Pakistan to reduce Pakistan’s sense of isolation and strengthen our relationship. The mission would also discuss expansion of covert cooperation in Afghanistan—a matter that will be discussed at an SCC today.³ We agreed that something should be done to remove the nuclear impediment in our relationship—including perhaps changes in existing legislation. We agreed with regard to India to liberalize our military sales policy, send a high-level mission following their elections and (pending ACDA concurrence) recommend that you authorize the first pending shipment for Tarapur and send the second to the NRC. (S)

State will act on your instruction to get other countries to weigh in with the Soviets on Afghanistan. We will not raise the matter in the UN, however, lest it distract attention from the hostage issue. We did not come to any other conclusions on dealing with the Soviets on Afghanistan; those questions will be pursued further at today’s NSC.⁴ (S)

[Omitted here is material unrelated to Pakistan.]

1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, President’s Daily [less than 1 line not declassified] File, Box 24, 12/26/79–12/31/1979. Secret; Sensitive. Printed from an uninitialed copy. Carter initialed “C” in the upper right-hand corner of the memorandum.
2. See Document 161.
3. The minutes of the December 28 SCC meeting were not found.
4. The minutes of the NSC meeting are printed in Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, vol. XII, Afghanistan, Document 107. The decision to send Christopher to Pakistan was affirmed.