January–June 1979


169. Letter From President Carter to Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev

Source: Carter Library, Brzezinski Donated Material, Geographic File, Box 18, U.S.S.R.—Carter/Brezhnev Correspondence: (1/79–6/79). No classification marking. Sent under a January 17 covering memorandum from Brzezinski to Vance, via the Alpha Channel. According to Brzezinski’s memorandum, the letter was to be delivered by Toon to Gromyko “and/or other appropriate senior Soviet official.” (Ibid.)


170. Memorandum Prepared in the Central Intelligence Agency

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Global Issues, Bloomfield Subject File, Box 17, Human Rights: USSR: 7/77–5/79. Confidential. Prepared in the CIA’s National Foreign Assessment Center.


171. Telegram From the Department of State to Secretary of State Vance in Mexico and the Embassies in Afghanistan and the Soviet Union

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Cables File, State Department Out, Box 115, 2/14–28/79. Sensitive; Niact Immediate; Nodis. Sent for information Immediate to the White House. Printed from a copy that indicates the original was received in the White House Situation Room. Drafted by Shinn; cleared by Stanislaus R.P. Valerga (S/S–O); approved by Christopher. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P840176–0105) Vance was in Mexico with Carter on a state visit, February 14–16.


172. Message From President Carter to Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev

Source: Department of State, Office of the Secretariat Staff,Special Adviser to the Secretary (S/MS) on Soviet Affairs Marshall Shulman—Jan 21, 77–Jan 19, 81, Lot 81D109, Box 4, MDS/Dobrynin, 1/31/79. Secret; Sensitive. Sent under a covering memorandum from Brzezinski to Vance. Message was sent via Molink (Moscow–Washington direct communications link). Brzezinski wrote in the upper right-hand corner of the message, “OK to send out. ZB.”


173. Backchannel Message From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office, Outside the System File, Box 47, China: Sino-Vietnamese Conflict—Heads of State Exchanges: 2/79. Top Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only; Specat. Carter initialed the message. Sent from the White House Situation Room. President Carter traveled to Mexico, February 14–16. Shortly after his return, he went to Camp David, February 16–19.


174. Message From the Soviet Leadership

Source: Department of State, Office of the Secretariat Staff, Special Adviser to the Secretary (S/MS) on Soviet Affairs Marshall Shulman—Jan 21, 77–Jan 19, 81, Lot 81D109, Box 4, CV–Dobrynin, 2/19/79. No classification marking. In the upper right-hand corner, an unknown hand wrote, “AD to CV 2/19/79.”


175. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Office of the Secretariat Staff, Special Adviser to the Secretary (S/MS) on Soviet Affairs Marshall Shulman—Jan 21, 77–Jan 19, 81, Lot 81D109, Box 4, WMC/Dobrynin, 2/24/79. Secret; Nodis. Drafted by Curtis Kamman (S/MS). The meeting took place in Christopher’s office at the Department of State


176. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Carter Library, Plains File, President’s Personal Foreign Affairs File, Box 5, USSR (General), 9/77–12/80. Secret. The meeting took place in the White House. Carter wrote, “ok J” in the upper right-hand corner of the memorandum.


177. Telegram From the Department of State to the Liaison Office in Saudi Arabia and the Embassy in the Soviet Union

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Cables File, State Department Out, Box 115, 2/14–28/79. Secret; Sensitive; Niact Immediate; Exdis; Distributed as Nodis. Sent for information Immediate to Sana, Jidda and the White House. Printed from a copy that indicates the original was received in the White House Situation Room.


178. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 81, USSR, 3–4/77. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Drafted by Shulman; cleared by Leo Wollemberg (S/S–O) and for information in EA; approved by Shulman.


179. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassies in the Soviet Union and Saudi Arabia

Source: Department of State, Office of the Secretariat Staff, Special Adviser to the Secretary (S/MS) on Soviet Affairs Marshall Shulman—Jan 21, 77–Jan 19, 81, Lot 81D109, Box 4, CV/Dobrynin, 3/6/79. Secret; Niact Immediate; Nodis. Drafted by Barbara Bodine (NEA/ARP) and McCall; cleared by Barry, Shulman, William Crawford (NEA) and Frank Wisner (S/S); approved by Newsom. Sent for information Immediate to Sana, Paris, London, and the White House. The White House was instructed to pass the cable to Brzezinski aboard the aircraft en route Egypt. President Carter and Brzezinski traveled to Egypt to meet with President Sadat, March 7–10.


180. Letter From President Carter to Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev

Source: Carter Library, Brzezinski Donated Material, Geographic File, Box 19, U.S.S.R.—(Vienna Summit Briefing Book, 6/79) (1). No classification marking.


181. Letter From Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev to President Carter

Source: Carter Library, Brzezinski Donated Material, Geographic File, Box 19, U.S.S.R.—(Vienna Summit Briefing Book, 6/79) (1). No classification marking. Printed from an unofficial translation.


182. Letter From Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev to President Carter

Source: Carter Library, Plains File, President’s Personal Foreign Affairs File, Box 4, USSR (Brezhnev Drafts/Letters), 4/77–9/80. No classification marking. Printed from an unofficial translation. Carter’s first initial is written in the upper right-hand corner of the letter with the request “Susan [Clough] file.”


183. Memorandum From Jerry Funk of the National Security Council Staff to Paul Henze of the National Security Council Staff

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Horn/Special, Box 2, Chron File: 3/79. Secret.


184. Letter From President Carter to Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev

Source: Carter Library, Brzezinski Donated Material, Geographic File, Box 19, U.S.S.R.—(Vienna Summit Briefing Book, 6/79) (1). No classification marking.


185. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union

Source: Department of State, Office of the Secretariat Staff, Cyrus R. Vance, Secretary of State—1977–1980, Lot 84D241, Box 9, Vance NODIS MemCons, 1979. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Drafted by Robert Perito (EUR/SOV); cleared by Gary Matthews (EUR/SOV), James Collins (NEA), Ronald Lorton (NEA/PAB), Jack Perry (S), Jack Miklos (NEA) and Curtis Kamman (S); approved by Barry. Sent for information Immediate to London, Beijing, Jidda, New Delhi, Kabul, Islamabad, and Tehran.


186. Letter From Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev to President Carter

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office, Outside the System File, Box 70, USSR: BrezhnevCarter Correspondence: 1–6/79. No classification marking. Printed from an official U.S. translation. Bartholomew forwarded the letter to Carter under an April 14 covering memorandum. (Ibid.)


187. Letter From President Carter to Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office, Outside the System File, Box 70, USSR: BrezhnevCarter Correspondence: 1–6/79. No classification marking.


188. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Carter Library, Brzezinski Donated Material, Geographic File, Box 19, U.S.S.R.—Prisoner Exchanges: (8/78–5/79). Secret. The meeting took place at the White House.


189. Letter From Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev to President Carter

Source: Department of State, Office of the Secretariat Staff, Special Adviser to the Secretary (S/MS) on Soviet Affairs Marshall Shulman—Jan 21, 77–Jan 19, 81, Lot 81D109, Box 4, Brezhnev Letter to JEC on SALT & Summit, 4/25/79. No classification marking. Printed from the U.S. translation.


190. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Cables File, State Department Out, Box 116, 4/14–30/79. Confidential; Sensitive; Priority; Nodis. Sent for information Priority to the White House. Printed from a copy that indicates the original was received in the White House Situation Room.


191. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Europe, USSR and East/West, Western Europe Country File, Box 4, Chron: 5/1–7/79. Confidential. Sent for information to the Consulate in Leningrad. Sent under a covering memorandum, May 4, from Stephen Larrabee (NSC) to Brzezinski. (Ibid.)


192. Memorandum From Secretary of Defense Brown to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, General Odom File, Box 19, Cuba: USSR Military Relations: 8/78–5/79. Secret. A copy was sent to Vance.


193. Oral Note From the Soviet Leadership

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office, Outside the System File, Box 53, Chron: 5/19–31/79. Secret. Sent under a May 19 covering memorandum from Aaron to Carter, in which Aaron stated that the Soviet response was “quite negative, stopping short only of outright rejection of our ‘proposal.’” (Ibid.) Carter wrote in the upper right-hand corner of the covering memorandum, “Zbig—To hell with them. J.”


194. Background Paper Prepared in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs

Source: Carter Library, NSC Institutional Files, Box 104, SCC 185, 7/20/79, Cuba after Summit. Secret. Sent under a March 16 covering memorandum from Carl Smith, the Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, to Robert Gates, the Special Assistant to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs.


195. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Brzezinski Office File, Country Chron File, Box 53, USSR: 5/79. Secret. Sent for information. Carter initialed the upper right-hand corner of the memorandum.


196. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Trip File, Box 21, President, US–USSR Summit in Vienna, 9/16–18/79: Aaron Briefing Book. Secret. Sent for action. Brzezinski handwrote the date on the memorandum. Carter wrote in the upper right-hand corner of the memorandum: “Zbig, CC Warren [Christopher]. J.” Carter checked “yes” for each option, unless otherwise indicated.


197. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter

Source: Carter Library, Brzezinski Donated Material, Geographic File, Box 19, U.S.S.R.—(Vienna Summit Briefing Book, 6/79) (1). Secret. Carter wrote the following names in the upper right-hand corner of the memorandum: Zbig [Brzezinski], David [Aaron], Warren [Christopher], and Marshall [Shulman].


198. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Office of the Secretariat Staff, Special Adviser to the Secretary (S/MS) on Soviet Affairs Marshall Shulman—Jan 21, 77–Jan 19, 81, Lot 81D109, Box 4, CV–AD, 6/5/79. Secret; Sensitive. Drafted by Shulman. Vance’s stamped initials appear on the memorandum.