Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume XVII, Part 3, North Africa

86. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance to President Carter¹

Washington, March 18, 1977

[Omitted here is material unrelated to Libya.]

3. Libyan Assassination Attempt: As you know, Phil Habib called in the Libyan Ambassador to the UN Kikha on Wednesday to strongly protest the fact that elements of the Libyan intelligence service in collaboration with “Carlos” were plotting to assassinate our Ambassador to Cairo, Herman Eilts.² Late this afternoon, the Libyan Chargé in Washington came in to deliver his government’s denial of any knowledge of the alleged operation against Eilts. I am enclosing a copy of the Libyan note. You can see that the Libyan reply is unsatisfactory. [2 lines not declassified] I may authorize supplying the Libyans with more specific details of the assassination operation. I will be back in touch with you on this case.³

[Omitted here is material unrelated to Libya.]

Enclosure

Note From the Libyan Government⁴

Washington, March 17, 1977

Note by the Libyan Government in response to our demarche concerning the Threat to Ambassador Eilts. (In English and Arabic)

We are completely unaware of, we have no intention, and it is not from our behaviour nor of our (Islamic) characters to do this and we have no information. If you have information, we request you to provide us with it. Maybe, there are those who want to do something and they want to ascribe it to the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. The Jamahiriya is not responsible for the imaginations and unbased fallacies directed to her. We have a rule in Islamic religion that says “a plaintiff must support his case with evidence, and a denying defendant is obligated to clear himself by an oath.”

1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 18, Evening Reports (State): 3/77. Secret. Carter initialed the memorandum. An unknown hand wrote at the top of the first page of the memorandum: “Copy sent to Vance 3/19.”
2. See Document 87.
3. Carter wrote in the left-hand margin: [text not declassified].
4. No classification marking. A typed note at the bottom of the page reads: “Delivered by Libyan Charge Gashut to Under Secretary Habib March 17, 1977.”