16. Memorandum From Richard Pipes of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Clark)1

SUBJECT

  • NSSD on Eastern Europe

This is to bring you up to date on my negotiations with State, Commerce, and Defense on a mutually satisfactory language to define our policy on Technology Transfer in the NSSD on Eastern Europe. On August 16, I met with Lawrence Brady and Richard Perle to discuss the subject. With Norman Bailey’s assistance we found a formula that satisfied them both. I then checked with State and it found this formula unacceptable. At present, State (John Scanlan) is negotiating with Commerce (Brady). If a mutually agreeable formula is found, we will be out of the woods. If not, NSC staff will have to make a decision between the original text, as accepted by the National Security Council, and the Commerce version, because the agencies involved are split evenly (5:5) between the two.2

  1. Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC National Security Decision Directives (NSDD) Files, NSDD 54 9/2/1982. Secret. Sent for information. Copies were sent to Bailey and Stearman.
  2. At the bottom of the memorandum, Clark wrote “8/21/82 let’s decide—WPC.” An unknown hand wrote in response, “8/23—Did you discuss w/ Pipes when you returned his call? [initials illegible].” A different unknown hand wrote below this, “8/26 yes, per WC.”