156. Memorandum From Secretary of State Muskie to President Carter1
1. Bolivia: The Bolivian armed forces have launched their long-expected coup against the government of President Lydia Gueiler. It is not clear whether effective civilian resistence can or will be mounted to thwart this military takeover. We have no reports of injury or other harm to U.S. citizens. Our Embassy is operating on a 24-hour skeleton staff basis, and taking pre-planned security measures. We will have twenty-four hour task force coverage in the Department of State. Our response to a successful coup would include suspension of all military assistance, and a careful review of all existing economic assistance commitments. This is the action we took when the military staged a coup last November.2 We should also consider recalling Ambassador Weissman on consultation to forestall his being declared persona non grata—a likely possibility given the military efforts to kick him out last month.3
[Omitted here are portions of the memorandum unrelated to Bolivia]
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Evening Reports (State): 7/80. Secret. In the top right-hand corner of the memorandum, Carter wrote “Ed J.”↩
- See Document 152.↩
- Carter highlighted this sentence with a vertical line in the left-hand margin and wrote: “discuss Fri. A.M.” According to the President’s Daily Diary, the President held a breakfast meeting from 7:30-9:11 a.m. on July 18 to discuss foreign policy issues. (Carter Library, Presidential Materials, President’s Daily Diary) In a July 18 memorandum to Carter, Christopher reported that Garcia Meza had been sworn in as president, and that the Department had announced that Weissman was being recalled to Washington for consultations. (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Evening Reports (State): 7/80)↩