Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980 Volume XXIV, South America; Latin America Region

10. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to Multiple Recipients¹

Washington, April 23, 1977

SUBJECT

• Follow-up of the President’s Latin America Speech on April 14, 1977

The President wants the State Department to coordinate with appropriate agencies a report which contains proposals to follow-up on his speech of April 14, 1977, before the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States.² Proposals for implementing action need not be limited to the items mentioned in this memorandum. With the exception of the first two items—American Convention on Human Rights and Protocol I, both of which should be forwarded to the White House by April 29—please provide a combined status report of no more than ten pages by COB May 2, 1977, covering the following items:

1. The American Convention on Human Rights should be forwarded for signature by the President and transmittal to the Senate.³ Appropriate reservations should be submitted in two forms: a single general reservation and specific reservations.

2. In coordination with the Defense Department and the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, the State Department should forward Protocol I of the Treaty of Tlatelolco with interpretative statements, reservations, or whatever is considered necessary for Presidential signature and Senate ratification.⁴

3. Please provide proposals for implementing the following pledges, initiatives, or concepts mentioned in the President’s speech:

a. To consult with Latin American governments in advance of major decisions on global policies made by the United States and in the formulation of “a wider and more flexible approach” in North-South economic relations, in conventional arms transfers, and in peaceful uses of the atom. (State should coordinate with Defense, Treasury, ACDA, and STR.)

b. To increase support for the Inter-American Human Rights Commission and for other multilateral approaches to promote human rights and democratic values.

c. To support, in cooperation with international agencies, broadened programs for aiding, protecting, and resettling political refugees. (State should coordinate with the Justice Department.)

d. To devise and/or expand programs for training technicians for remote sensing and for using space communications technology for helping national television systems to promote educational and cultural objectives. (State should coordinate with NASA, AID, and OMB.)

e. To develop proposals by which other nations can deal more effectively with the problems of the needy through institutional, human development, and technological approaches. (State should coordinate with AID, Treasury, and OMB.)

f. To avoid differences and misunderstandings in problems related to U.S. foreign direct investment and Latin American governments. (State should coordinate with Treasury.)

g. To contribute to the implementation of the Ayacucho Agreement. (State should coordinate with DOD and ACDA.)

h. To support the peacekeeping efforts of the OAS Secretary General on an individual case basis. (State should coordinate with DOD and ACDA.)

i. To support regional and subregional integration efforts.

j. To increase the number and kind of people-to-people programs, bilaterally and through the OAS, to increase professional, cultural and scientific exchanges.⁵

Zbigniew Brzezinski

1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Agency File, Box 4, Defense Department, 4–5/77. No classification marking. Brzezinski sent the memorandum to Vance, Blumenthal, Brown, Bell, Lance, Warnke, and Strauss.
2. See footnote 3, Document 5.
3. Carter signed the American Convention on Human Rights on June 1, 1977, and sent the Convention to the Senate for ratification on February 23, 1978. (Public Papers: Carter, 1977, Book I, pp. 1050–1051; Public Papers: Carter, 1978, Book I, pp. 395–396)
4. Carter signed Protocol I of the Treaty of Tlatelolco on May 26 and sent it to the Senate for ratification on May 24, 1978. See Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, vol. XXVI, Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Document 437. Humphrey signed Protocol II of the Treaty on behalf of the United States in 1968. See Foreign Relations, 1964–1968, vol. XI, Arms Control and Disarmament, Document 226.
5. For a response to this memorandum, see Document 21.