330. Letter From President Carter to Representative Lester Wolff1
As you are aware, an integral part of the amendment of our Military Bases Agreement with the Philippines in January was my commitment to seek Congressional approval of $500 million in Security Supporting Assistance, Foreign Military Sales credits and grant Military Assistance during the next five years. Of that total, $50 million is to be in MAP, $25 million in Fiscal Year 1980 and the remainder in Fiscal 1981.
I made that commitment without hestitation, following careful consultation with many members of Congress, because I consider the amounts relatively modest in relation to the value which we derive from continued, unhampered operation use of those facilities. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs, you know and [Page 1062] appreciate the importance of those facilities in the Philippines—an importance which is not limited to the Western Pacific but which extends, as events of recent days have demonstrated, to much wider areas of the Indian Ocean and the entire Middle East.
Recent events in Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean and the Middle East have raised doubts about the willingness of the United States to sustain support for its friends and to honor its obligations. I am determined to dispel such unwarranted doubts. This applies to the Philippines, with whom we not only have a newly revised agreement on use of military facilities but also a longstanding Mutual Defense Treaty and an unusually close relationship.
I know the Congress continues to be concerned about the Philippine human rights situation. I share that concern. During the base negotiations we maintained a continuing dialogue on human rights with the Philippine leadership including President Marcos and his Defense Minister. We have stressed the necessity of improvement in areas of the most serious concern such as mistreatment of detainees. Our position is well understood, and we see some modest improvement. We do not believe a cut in grant MAP would serve overall U.S. interests in the present circumstances.
Accordingly, I would appreciate your support for the authorization and eventual appropriation of the full amounts of security assistance for the Philippines, including $25 million in grant Military Assistance—perhaps the most important component—which I have requested in the FY 1980 budget.
Sincerely,
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 64, Philippines, 1/77–12/79. No classification marking.↩