Office of the Historian

128. Memorandum From Acting Secretary of State Christopher to Vice President Mondale1

Washington, January 4, 1978

[Omitted here is information unrelated to Panama.]

Panama Canal Treaties. I met today with senior staff members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to discuss the Panama Canal treaties. Norvill Jones, Staff Director, indicated that the Committee will hold hearings on the treaties January 19, 20 and 25 and that mark-up will take place on January 26. He thinks it is quite possible that the treaties could be considered on the floor of the Senate in early February.

Jones expressed the view that it will be difficult to prevent amendments from being attached to the treaties, since amendments, as opposed to reservations or understandings, would be necessary to enable certain Senators to justify their vote for the treaties. As a minimum, Jones indicated he thought that the Senate would seek to amend the terms of the October 14 Statement of Understanding into the Panama Neutrality Treaty. Throughout the meeting I stressed the Administration’s desire to constructively work with the Senate to secure ratification of the treaty but our opposition to the attachment of any amendment or other provision which would open up the treaties and create the need for a further plebicite in Panama.2 The fact that Jones (who is friendly to the treaties) holds these views underscores the importance of early contacts with key Senators to point out the pitfalls of another vote in Panama.

[Omitted here is information unrelated to Panama.]

  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 19, Evening Reports (State), 1/78. Secret. Vance was with Carter in Riyadh from January 3–4.↩
  2. In an October 15, 1977 report, Vance reported that Byrd and others on the SFRC wanted to add the language of the October 14 Joint Statement of Understanding to the treaties as an understanding or reservation. Vance advocated pressing the line that the joint clarification made such an amendment unnecessary and Carter wrote: “I agree” in response. (Carter Library, Chief of Staff, Landon Butler Files, Box 9, Panama, 5/26/77–5/12/78 (CF, O/A 740))↩