464. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter1
SUBJECT
- Your Decision on F–16’s for Pakistan
Attached is a memorandum from Harold Brown urging you to reconsider your decision not to sell F–16’s to Pakistan.2 (S)
Warren Christopher has seen the memo and supports it. It corresponds, of course, to the unanimous recommendation of the PRC.3 (C)
I support Harold on this on the grounds that the F–16 is all that we have to put in the pot with Zia. (C)
Since there is a real risk of refusal, however, I think that you should not make your final decision until you see how the drift of your conversation with Zia is going. (S)
If you want, we could still activate Ambassador Hummel to take some preliminary soundings with Zia before the meeting. (C)
RECOMMENDATION:
That you favorably consider the sale of F–16’s to Pakistan.4 (S)
If you do so decide, should Hummel take soundings?5 (C)
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, VIP Visit File, Box 11, Pakistan: President Zia-ul-Haq, 10/3/80: Briefing Book. Secret. Sent for action.↩
- Brown’s memorandum is printed as Document 463. On Carter’s decision not to sell F–16s to Pakistan, see footnote 4, Document 462.↩
- See Document 460.↩
- Carter checked neither the Yes nor the No option. In the right-hand margin next to these choices, Carter wrote: “I will decide.”↩
- Carter checked the No option, below which he initialed “J.”↩