Office of the Historian

166. Memorandum From Michel Oksenberg of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)1

Washington, March 8, 1979

SUBJECT

  • Implementation of Our Cultural Agreement with the PRC (U)

You will recall that during Deng Xiaoping’s visit to the U.S., we signed a broad Cultural Agreement with the PRC.2 We now face the task of giving that agreement specific meaning. The Agreement assigns responsibility on our side to ICA and on the Chinese side to the Ministry of Culture as the main implementing agency. (U)

We are fortunate that the Minister of Culture in China is the former head of the Liaison Office here, Huang Chen. I believe we should strike while the iron is hot, making use of Huang Chen and his knowledge of American society. (C)

I would also observe that our bilateral relations with China can now be divided into three categories: economic relations, where we are moving ahead under Mike Blumenthal’s leadership; science and technology, where we are moving ahead under Frank Press, and culture. Clearly, the latter, as far as governmental contacts are concerned, is the laggard among the three. (C)

I have been in contact with the working levels at ICA, where it is believed that the attached memorandum from you to John Reinhardt would be a helpful way of crystallizing program planning already underway at ICA.3 John Reinhardt, by the way, is very supportive of our new China relationship. He has already approved substantial funding by ICA for the Student Exchange Program, for current and [Page 490] expanded ICA activities in China, and for funding of major cultural exchanges. (C)

A report from ICA concerning their planning for cultural exchanges with the PRC would be useful so that we could see how it fits in with both the Frank Press and Mike Blumenthal efforts. That would give us a comprehensive view of our bilateral relations with China. I got the sense during the President’s meeting with Mike Blumenthal that the President would appreciate having such an overall view conveyed to him.4 (C)

RECOMMENDATION

That you sign the memorandum at Tab A to John Reinhardt.5 (U)

  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Agency File, Box 9, International Communication Agency: 1–5/79. Confidential. Sent for action. Inderfurth initialed the top right-hand corner of the memorandum. Notations in an unknown hand read: “Retyped 3/9” and “see fixer.”↩
  2. Deng Xiaoping visited the United States January 29–February 25. For information about his meetings with U.S. officials, see Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, vol. XIII, China, Documents 201–209. At a January 31 White House ceremony, Deng and the President signed the cultural agreement and an agreement on cooperation in science and technology. At the same ceremony, Vance and Huang Hua also signed an agreement on the establishment of consular relations and opening of Consulates General. For the text of these agreements and the remarks made by Deng and Carter at the ceremony, see Public Papers: Carter, 1979, Book I, pp. 200–211.↩
  3. Attached and printed as Document 167.↩
  4. Reference is presumably to Blumenthal’s March 6 meeting with the President, Aaron, Owen, and Oksenberg. During the course of the meeting, the participants discussed Blumenthal’s recent trip to China. For the memorandum of conversation, see Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, vol. XIII, China, Document 225.↩
  5. Below this recommendation, Inderfurth added the following handwritten notation: “David, I suggest you go ahead & sign this memo—as Mike say, the ‛iron is hot.’ Rick.” For the signed version of the memorandum, see Document 167.↩