Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume IX, Arab-Israeli Dispute, August 1978–December 1980, Second, Revised Edition

195. Handwritten Note by President Carter ¹

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(1) Israel prepared to delay. Privately describe their motives in doing so.²

(2) Emphasize need to shift Egypt’s attention from Israel to more real threats—Libya, Ethiopia, etc. toward Egypt, Sudan & others.³

(3) Need for U.S. to have a strong & free Egypt. (Let me make any commitments)

(4) Give strategic briefing—PRC, India, NATO, etc.—Emphasize U.S. gains and resolves. Friendship with Sadat one of most important assets of U.S. & me personally.⁴

(5) Use of PRC, Egypt & others to recruit doubtful nations away from Soviet influence.⁵

(6) Listen to Sadat & forward directly to me his views & concerns so I’ll be prepared.

(7) Describe U.S. political situation re SALT, Israel, Taiwan, etc.⁶

(8) Emphasize administration’s harmony & unified purpose.⁷

(9) Israel-Egypt peace blow to USSR & victory for me & U.S. Arab opposition—will it fade? Can Sadat handle it?⁸

(10) Threats from any spread of radicalism in the Mid East.

(11) Get Sadat’s ideas on the concept of a broad security consultative arrangement in Mid East/N Africa region.⁹

(12) Post-treaty steps re Saudis & Jordanians? Syrians? Iraqis?¹⁰

(13) Post-treaty steps re Palestinian problem?¹¹

(14) Cautiously seek Sadat’s assessment of U.S. military and/or monitoring presence in Sinai (Etzion).¹²

Zbig: Your assumption & demeanor should reflect absolute conviction that proposals on peace treaty are in Egypt’s interests. Do not acknowledge any doubt about this.

We must implement Camp David accords together.

Sadat should not insist on speaking for W Bank Palestinians.¹³

1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office, Outside the System File, Box 66, Middle East: President Carter’s Trip to Jerusalem and Cairo: 2–4/79. No classification marking. Another version of Carter’s note, bearing Carter’s handwritten title, “Instructions for Zbig. 3/5–79,” is in the Carter Library, Plains File, President’s Personal Foreign Affairs File, Box 3, Mid East, 12/78–3/79. Brzezinski wrote in his memoirs that he was given these instructions during a “last minute meeting” with Carter, Vance, and Mondale, “shortly after 5 p.m.” on March 5. (Brzezinski, Power and Principle, p. 282) According to the President’s Daily Diary, Carter met with Mondale, Vance, Brown, Jordan, and Powell in the Oval Office from 5 p.m. to 5:47 p.m.; Brzezinski joined them from 5:25 p.m. to 5:47 p.m. (Carter Library, Presidential Materials) No memorandum of conversation for this meeting has been found. Brzezinski met with Sadat in Cairo the afternoon of March 6; the memorandum of conversation of this meeting is printed as Document 198.
2. In the margin above this sentence, Brzezinski wrote: “ZB summary of Begin’s [motive?]” Below this sentence, Brzezinski wrote: “Begin diff. but [Arab Israel][unclear], US people want peace—JC.”
3. In the left-hand margin next to this sentence, Brzezinski wrote: “also Begin anti-Soviet.”
4. In the left-hand margin next to this sentence, Brzezinski wrote: “positive trends.”
5. In the left-hand margin next to this sentence, Brzezinski wrote: “NAM.”
6. In the left-hand margin next to this sentence, Brzezinski wrote: “President stood up vs. Israel.” In the right-hand margin next to this sentence, Brzezinski wrote: “our internal difficulties. 1980 problems. How he can help.”
7. In the right-hand margin next to this sentence, Brzezinski wrote: “complete [unit?] on ME. Cy; Vance-[unclear]–JC reports concerns on.”
8. In the left-hand margin next to this sentence, Brzezinski wrote: “Begin anti-Soviet.”
9. Under this sentence, Brzezinski wrote: “(Brown visit)” and “broad strategic initiative needed. US-Egypt—his ideas needed.”
10. In the right-hand margin next to this sentence, Brzezinski wrote: “how to widen the scope of our relations.”
11. Below this sentence, Brzezinski wrote: “West Bank.”
12. In the right-hand margin next to this sentence, Brzezinski wrote: “peace related.” Below this sentence, Brzezinski wrote “(15) Need your assessment. Tell him what you’re doing.” In the right-hand margin, next to this 15th point, Brzezinski drew a box within which he wrote: “The beginning of a strategically [important?] relationship.”
13. In the left-hand margin next to this sentence, Brzezinski wrote: “you prevailed.” Under this sentence, Brzezinski added two separate notes. In the first, he wrote: “broader strategic perspective which [only?] a President can have—not a legalistic approach.” In the second, Brzezinski wrote: “Presidential level—[ignore?]” In the right-hand margin, Brzezinski wrote: “he had to have: 2 things.—[target?] date.—no previous treaty.—Begin? will never [interpret this?] language on 6.” Next to this last point, Brzezinski added, “this [draft?] does not prevail.”