19. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter1
SUBJECT
- Follow-up of Mrs. Carter’s Trip2
We have compiled a set of checklists on those specific items raised in each country which Mrs. Carter visited.3 I have sent follow-up memoranda on all those items with an asterisk beside them.
The Venezuela checklist (pages 10 and 11) is of particular importance because it represents a concise agenda of the items which Perez will want to discuss during his State Visit. I will send follow-up memoranda on all the items in the checklist, but if you could examine the list first and suggest some direction that we might take in providing you with a good response to these issues, we can ensure that your dialogue with Perez will be as productive as possible.4
The discussions with Perez will be of great importance to our overall policy in the hemisphere since he is currently the most outstanding leader in the hemisphere, and more importantly, because his position on the major issues which we care about in the hemisphere—human rights, nonproliferation, and arms control—are identical with our own. He wants to play a leadership role on these issues, and we should probably encourage him and provide some direction. Furthermore, we may need his help again on the Canal Treaty if we are going to be able to complete it this summer.
We are presently working on the drafts of letters for you to send to the seven countries which Mrs. Carter visited, but we thought we would wait until Secretary Vance returns from the OAS so as to take [Page 75] into account his follow-up efforts before we forward the letters to you.5 We have not yet heard from Colombian President Lopez Michelsen on when or whether he will meet with Peter Bourne or Mathea Falco, and we may not receive a response for a while. Perhaps, we should draft a letter from you to him to reiterate your interest in this and other matters, and later when Peter Bourne goes to Colombia, he could bring a separate letter.6
There were several issues which were discussed in almost every country Mrs. Carter visited. I have just asked State for a report which includes options for your consideration on ways the United States can effectively contribute to the peaceful resolution of both the Belizean problem and the problem of the Andes. Other multilateral issues which we are examining in the context of a report being prepared for you by State and NSC on the follow-up of your Pan American Day speech include: human rights, nonproliferation (Treaty of Tlatelolco), and political refugees.7
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Trip File, Box 29, Mrs. Carter, Latin America and the Caribbean, 5/30–6/13/77: 3/24/77–6/16/77. Confidential. Sent for information. In the top right-hand corner of the memorandum, Carter wrote, “To Zbig, Cy. C.” Pastor sent this memorandum to Brzezinski under a June 16 covering memorandum in which he recommended that Brzezinski sign the memorandum to Carter. (Ibid.)↩
- Underneath the subject line, Brzezinski wrote, “Only for quick scanning because of your interest.”↩
- Attached but not printed are checklists dated June 15 regarding Jamaica, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. Rosalynn Carter visited those seven countries May 30–June 12. For more on Mrs. Carter’s visit to Costa Rica, see Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, vol. XV, Central America, Document 330, footnote 3.↩
- For Carter’s June 28–29 discussions with Perez, see Documents 336 and 337.↩
- The OAS General Assembly meeting was in Grenada. Carter underlined the phrase “forward the letters” and wrote “Expedite” in the right-hand margin.↩
- In the right-hand margin next to this paragraph, Carter wrote: “After DEA mtg—I’ll write a personal ltr to López for Peter to deliver—Draft same.” See Document 242.↩
- In the margin next to this paragraph, Carter wrote, “good.” For more on the speech, see Documents 10 and 18.↩