Nuclear Non-Proliferation in Latin America
398. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Brazil
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, North/South, Pastor Country File, Box 2, Brazil, 1–2/77. Confidential; Immediate; Nodis. Sent for information Immediate to Bonn and Rome. Drafted by Charles W. Bray III (ARA), Regina Eltz (ARA/ECA), and John Kalicki (ARA/ECA); cleared by W.H. Luers (ARA); and approved by Vance. The telegram number “Tovip 22” is handwritten.
399. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, North/South, Pastor Country File, Box 2, Brazil, 1–2/77. Secret. Sent for information. Carter initialed the upper right-hand of the memorandum.
400. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Office of the Secretariat Staff, Cyrus R. Vance, Secretary of State—1977–1980, Lot 84D241, Box 10, EXDIS Memcons, 1977. Confidential; Exdis. Drafted by Robert Zimmerman (ARA/ECA); cleared by Bray and Terence A. Todman, (ARA); and approved by William Twaddell on February 4. The meeting took place in the Secretary’s Office.
401. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 24, German Federal Republic, 1–3/77. Secret. Carter initialed the upper right-hand corner of the memorandum.
402. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Mexico
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D770051–0353. Confidential; Immediate. Sent Immediate for information to USUN and the Mission in Geneva. Sent for information to all American Republic diplomatic posts. Drafted by Robert Einhorn (ACDA/NTB); cleared by Oplinger, Tuchman, Michael Congdon (ACDA/IR), John King (ARA/RPP), George Falk (ARA/MEX), Giles Harlow (DOD), David Macuk (IO/UNP) and Edward McGaffigan (T); and approved by Charles Van Doren (ACDA/NTB).
404. Telegram From the Embassy in Brazil to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D770071–0248. Secret; Niact Immediate; Exdis. In a March 6 memorandum to Mondale, Christopher said that Silveira “took a hard stand” during their meeting and “reacted with disinterest” to Christopher’s attempts to explore “bilateral and multilateral alternatives to Brazil’s plan to acquire national enrichment and reprocessing facilities.” (National Archives, RG 59, Papers of Warren Christopher, Withdrawn Items, Box 5, Chronological Files, Memoranda to the Secretary, 1977) In his memoirs, Brzezinski recalled that Silveira received Christopher “very coldly,” and “his public reception was even worse. Popular anti-American sentiment was running high, and the trip only served to strengthen President Ernest Geisel’s position on this issue.” The Christopher Mission, Brzezinski wrote, “did not succeed, and it weakened American credibility.” (Brzezinski, Power and Principle, p. 131)
406. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to Secretary of State Vance, Secretary of Defense Brown, and the Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (Warnke)
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, North/South, Pastor Subject, Treaty of Tlatelolco, Box 66, Brazil, 3–12/77. Secret.
407. Memorandum From the Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (Warnke) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, North/South, Pastor Subject, Treaty of Tlatelolco, Box 66, Brazil, 3–12/77. Secret. Copies were sent to Vance and Brown.
408. Memorandum From the Executive Secretary of the Department of State (Tarnoff) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P77065–0426. Secret.
409. Memorandum From Secretary of Defense Brown to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)
Source: Washington National Records Center, OSD Records, FRC 330–84–0067, Latin America MWFZ, April 1977. Secret.
411. Telegram From the Embassy in Venezuela to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D770139–0423. Confidential. Sent for information to Brasilia, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Moscow, Paris, and the Mission to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The U.S. Representative to OPANAL, Viron Vaky, reiterated Carter’s decision to sign Protocol I to OPANAL on April 20. His statement is in telegram 93329 to all American Republic diplomatic posts, April 26. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D770144–1038) After Vaky’s statement, the Brazilian representative “pledged to do nothing which would frustrate the objectives of the treaty and reiterated Brazil’s support for the cause of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons in Latin America.” OPANAL subsequently adopted a resolution “urging” Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Cuba to “become parties to the treaty and to waive the preconditions to bring the treaty into effect.” (Telegram 93330 to all American Republic diplomatic posts, April 26. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D770144–1027)
412. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassies in the Federal Republic of Germany and Brazil
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P840086–0628. Secret; Nodis. Sent for information Immediate to London. Drafted by Denis Lamb (D); cleared by Steven Steiner (S/S); and approved by Christopher.
413. Memorandum From the Executive Secretary of the Department of State (Tarnoff) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Harold Brown Papers, Box 74, General Files, Tlatelolco, Treaty of. Limited Official Use.
414. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files, P770115–2365. Confidential. Drafted by H.B. Thompson (ARA/MEX); cleared by H.B. Lane (ARA/MEX); and approved by William Twaddell (S) on June 23. The meeting was held in the James Madison Room at the Department of State.
416. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 85, Venezuela, 1/77/–12/78. Confidential. The meeting took place in the Cabinet Room. The memorandum of conversation is scheduled to be printed in full in Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, vol. XXIV, South America; Latin America Regional.
417. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 24, German Federal Republic, 4/77–3/78. Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place in the Cabinet Room. The conversation is scheduled to be printed in full in Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, vol. XXVII, Western Europe. In an undated memorandum to Carter, Vance advised him to try to convince Schmidt to at least defer the transfer of nuclear materials to Brazil while simultaneously convincing Brazil and Argentina to implement the Treaty of Tlatelolco. (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 24, German Federal Republic, 4/77–3/78) In a July 12 memorandum to Carter, Brzezinski called Schmidt’s visit “unusually important” not only because Schmidt’s political future was considered “extremely clouded” both domestically and within the Atlantic alliance, but because of U.S. pressure to abrogate the Brazilian nuclear deal. Brzezinski said that Schmidt considered fulfilling “his contractual obligations” a “matter of ‘honor,’ especially so with all the Third World watching. Nor can Germany afford to repudiate an agreement that encounters American disapproval. What is frustrating for the Germans is that they basically share your non-proliferation goals, but for the foregoing reasons, feel that the Brazilian deal allows for little compromise.” (emphasis in the original) (Ibid.)
418. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D770295–0784. Confidential. Sent for information to Vienna.
419. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, North/South, Pastor Subject, Treaty of Tlatelolco, Box 66, Brazil, 3–12/77. Secret. Sent for action.
420. Draft Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Papers of Warren Christopher, P–13, Box 13, Human Rights—-Argentina I. Confidential. The meeting took place at the White House. A stamped notation at the top of the memorandum reads “Has not been revised by the NSC.” No other record of this meeting was found.
421. Telegram From the Interests Section in Cuba to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D770345–1044. Confidential. Sent for information to Mexico City, Moscow, Panama, and London.
422. Telegram From the Embassy in Argentina to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D770382–0746. Secret; Immediate. Sent for information to Brasilia.
423. Telegram From the Department of State to the United States Interests Section in Cuba
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, North/South, Pastor Subject, Treaty of Tlatelolco, Box 66, Brazil, 3–12/77. Confidential; Priority. Sent for information Priority to Mexico City, Moscow, Panama City, and London. Drafted by Robert Einhorn (ACDA/NP) and Lorna Watson (ACDA/NP); cleared by Oplinger, Lawrence Scheinman (T), Philip Farley (S/AS), Mark Garrison (EUR/SOV), Emery Smith (ARA), and Luigi Einaudi (ARA/PCC); and approved by Charles Van Doren (ACDA).
424. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 6, Brazil, 1–12/77. Secret. Sent for action. In the upper-right hand margin, Carter wrote “Zbig—ok—but: Draft a frank ltr to Giesel, pointing out obstacles after I make the recommendation to NRC. J.C.”
425. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance to President Carter
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Records of the Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance, 1977–1980, Lot 80D135, Box 1, Latin America, November 1977. Secret. Copies were sent to the Office of the Deputy Secretary, the Bureau of Political Affairs, the Bureau of Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs, the Bureau of Security Assistance, Science, and Technology, the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, the Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs, the Bureau of Oceans and Scientific and Environmental Affairs, the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and the Executive Secretariat.
426. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance to President Carter
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 6, Brazil, 1–12/77. Secret; Nodis. Carter initialed the upper right-hand corner of the memorandum. Vance also discussed the nuclear issue with Venezuelan President Carlos Andres Pérez on November 23. (Telegram 11456 from Caracas, November 25; Department of State, Office of the Secretariat Staff, Cyrus R. Vance, Secretary of State—1977–1980, Lot 84D241, Box 10, NODIS Memcons, 1977)