317. Letter From President Carter to South African Prime Minister Vorster1
Because of the gravity of our concern over recent events in your country, we asked Ambassador Bowdler to come to Washington for a close review of our relations. I am taking advantage of his return to Pretoria to send you this letter.
I hoped that Vice President Mondale’s meeting with you in Vienna last May would lead toward amelioration of those conditions which prevent better relations between our countries. I did not mean to dictate solutions to southern Africa’s problems, but rather to explore how we might cooperate to avoid racial conflict in Rhodesia, Namibia and South Africa.
I appreciate your constructive role in the search for fair and workable settlements in Rhodesia and Namibia. While serious obstacles remain, I look forward to our continuing cooperation. But I had hoped, Mr. Prime Minister, that parallel progress might also be made on resolving those issues which hinder development of a viable and just relationship among the people of South Africa.
However, your government’s October 19 actions detaining or banning those who work toward black identity and an end to discrimination have shocked the American people. The government and people of the United States hope those actions will be reconsidered and reversed. I therefore urge you to lead your government toward a political and social system in which all your people may take part fully and freely. Such a move would be in keeping with the many values our two peoples hold in common.
Your government’s actions of October 19 have understandably produced strong adverse reaction elsewhere in the world, too—and not only in states hostile to South Africa. Those affected include South Africa’s most important trading partners, as well as other governments which might prefer closer relations but now find it more and more difficult to justify even the maintenance of normal ties. I am concerned that further actions similar to those of October 19 would only speed this process.
Already these events have produced the kinds of pressure in the United Nations and other international fora which may lead to South [Page 956] Africa’s growing isolation in the world. I am also concerned that the actions of October 19, if not corrected, will increase the danger of serious confrontations between the white and black citizens of your country.
The spirit in which I have written the foregoing, Mr. Prime Minister, is a constructive one. We do not seek the destruction or punishment of any group in South Africa, but rather we hope for a way to bring all groups into full participation in your rich society. If this can be done, through a dialogue among all South Africans, there is no reason why our countries should drift apart.
Because of the gravity of the issues which face our respective nations in southern Africa, it is particularly important that we continue to be able to communicate with candor and understanding. I feel certain that we can do so.
Sincerely,
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Brzezinski Office File, Country Chron File, Box 48, South Africa: 11–12/77. No classification marking.↩