Office of the Historian

45. Summary of Conclusions of a Special Coordination Committee Meeting1

Washington, February 21, 1979, 4:05–4:50 p.m.

PARTICIPANTS

  • White House

    • Zbigniew Brzezinski (Asst to the Pres for National Security Affairs)

  • State

    • Warren Christopher (Asst Sec of State)
    • Richard Holbrooke (Asst Sec of State for EA & Pacific Affairs)

  • Treasury

    • Secretary Blumenthal
    • Asst Sec Tony Solomon

  • DOD

    • Secretary Brown
    • David McGiffert (Asst Sec of Defense)

  • JCS

    • General Allen
    • General Smith

  • NSC

    • David Aaron
    • Michel Oksenberg
    • William Odom

  • CIA

    • Admiral Stansfield Turner
    • Robert Bowie

SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS

The meeting received a situation report from Admiral Turner. The Chinese are bringing in additional forces and the Vietnamese may be [Page 170] moving main force units north. The Soviets are sending a VIP plane to Hanoi and two aircraft are ferrying equipment. (C)

Brzezinski reported on the President’s acceptance of the SCC February 19 recommendation on U.S. goals in the conflict, his endorsement of eight additional reconnaissance flights, his approval of our U.N. activity, and his decision to have Blumenthal proceed.2 (C)

The group discussed the general situation. All agreed it would not be in our interest to see China become mired in a protracted conflict. (C)

The group reached the following tentative decisions:

—The U.S. should now actively seek a Security Council meeting, based on the favorable responses to our informal consultations thus far. Our effort should be given higher visibility through briefings by Hodding Carter at State. State will send a message to the U.N. on February 22 on this;3 its text will be cleared through the NSC. (C)

—Blumenthal should express both publicly and privately our opposition to the conflict. His toast at his welcoming banquet should be carefully crafted to indicate our displeasure with the turn of events in Southeast Asia. His toast will be cleared by the NSC. (C)

—The group agreed that if Blumenthal can reach a claims/assets settlement and/or establish a Joint Economic Commission, he should announce these accomplishments upon his departure. Christopher thought a claims/assets settlement would help on the Hill. (C)

—State is sending a recommendation for additional FMS for Pakistan, Thailand, and others in the light of recent events. The group endorsed this recommendation. (C)

  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office, Meetings File, Box 15, SCC Meeting #143, Held 2/21/1979, 2/79. Confidential. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room. Carter initialed the top of the page.↩
  2. See Document 44. See also, Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, vol. XIII, China, Document 220.↩
  3. Reference is to telegram 43803 to USUN, February 22. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790082–0993) For a description of the Security Council meetings February 23–28, see Yearbook of the United Nations, 1979, pp. 281–283.↩