Office of the Historian

108. Telegram From the Embassy in Romania to the Department of State1

2864.
Bucharest, March 31, 1983, 1504Z

SUBJECT

  • Technology Transfer to Romania; Landsat.

REFERENCE

  • [less than 1 line not declassified] Report (IR 2 350 0009 83) (2202–00).2
1.
Secret—Entire text.
2.
Embassy recommends that Landsat not be transferred to Romania.3 Based on the “Western technology transfer in Romania” report and our studied view, we consider that the export of American high technology to Romania would likely result in its transfer to the Soviet Union when either needed or required by the Soviets.4 Consequently before making a final decision on the sale of Landsat, we recommend that Landsat and other examples of sensitive technology transfer items not be sold to Romania.5
3.
Aside from the evidence [less than 1 line not declassified] that the GOR does transfer Western technology to the Soviets, the Embassy suggests that the Landsat equipment not be sold to Romania for the following additional reasons:
A.
Romania is a strict Marxist state and a member of the Warsaw Pact.
B.
Romania has serious economic problems and the Soviet Union is in a position to exert considerable economic pressure on Romania.6
C.
President Ceausescu is sympathetic to Soviet requests because of his background training in Moscow and ideological inclinations.
4.
In as much as the computer/tape recording devices on the Landsat are of intense interest to the Romanians and could have military application which would be of interest to the Soviets it would not be prudent or in the best security interest of the United States to risk such equipment becoming available to the Soviets via Romania.7
Funderburk8
  1. Source: Reagan Library, Donald Fortier Files, Subject File, Technology Transfer: Romania Landsat Case 1981–1982. Secret; Niact Immediate; Nodis.↩
  2. Not found.↩
  3. An unknown hand underlined this sentence and circled the word “not.”↩
  4. An unknown hand underlined the portion of the sentence beginning with “we consider that” until the end.↩
  5. An unknown hand underlined the portion of the sentence beginning with “we recommend that” until the end.↩
  6. An unknown hand underlined this sentence.↩
  7. An unknown hand underlined this paragraph.↩
  8. An unknown hand underlined Funderburk’s name twice.↩