Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume IX, International Development and Economic Defense Policy; Commodities

51. Action Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson¹

Washington, July 19, 1966.

SUBJECT

• Javits Amendment to the Foreign Aid Bill

Senator Javits has introduced a mischievous amendment to the AID bill (Tab A) requiring suspension of all assistance to any OAS government which came into power by unconstitutional means unless you find such action contrary to the national security interest.

The Javits amendment is mischievous because—

• —It transforms the character of the Alliance for Progress from a multilateral program to a program subject to unilateral U.S. decision based on internal political factors.
• —It sets you up as the sole judge of whether a coup in Latin America is good or bad and whether our aid should flow or not.
• —It may stir up another hue and cry in Latin America equal to the reaction last fall to the Selden Resolution.²
• —It could poison—if not kill—the present good climate for the OAS summit meeting.³

For the past two days State has been trying to get Senator JAVITS to modify his amendment to the point where the Administration can live with it. Yesterday the Senator accepted a “compromise” formula suggested by State (Tab B). The “compromise” formula in my judgment is not a good one because it is open to most of the same objections to the original JAVITS version.

It is academic anyway because JAVITS today switched back to the substance of his original proposal.

The time has come to move energetically against the Javits amendment. Among the things we might do are—

• —Ask David Rockefeller to call Javits to request that he either withdraw or radically amend his proposal.
• —Marshal our forces in the Senate to kill the amendment on the Floor.
• —Come out publicly against it and induce the Latin Americans to raise a hue and cry with a view to putting added pressure for Senate defeat.
• —As a last resort insure that the House opposes the amendment until the Senate conferees back down.⁴

Bill Moyers and I recommend that you ask Larry O’Brien to take to the field against the amendment.

Walt

Approve O’Brien working against the amendment⁵

Prefer to follow another course, speak to me

Tab A⁶

JAVITS AMENDMENT

No assistance shall be furnished under this Act to any member state of the Organization of American States, the government of which heretofore has entered or hereafter enters into power by the unconstitutional overthrow of a freely-elected democratic government which has been acting in accordance with its constitutional mandate, if after consultation among the members of the Organization of American States, the President finds that such government does not intend to take appropriate steps within a reasonable time for the restoration of constitutional government, the holding of free elections and the application of human and civil rights and liberties until (1) the President is satisfied that such government intends to take such appropriate steps, or (2) the President has determined that the furnishing of such assistance is essential to the national interest of the United States, and reports to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and to the Speaker of the House within 30 days accordingly.

Tab B⁷

“COMPROMISE” FORMULA FOR JAVITS AMENDMENT

“No assistance shall be furnished under this Act to any member State of the Organization of American States, the government of which comes into power by the unconstitutional overthrow of a freely-elected, constitutional government, acting in accordance with its constitutional mandate, if, after consultation among the members of the OAS, the President finds a consensus among such members that said government does not intend to take appropriate steps, within a reasonable time, for the restoration of constitutional government, the holding of free elections or the application of human and civil rights and liberties, until the President is satisfied that such government intends to take such appropriate steps: provided, that the President may determine that assistance under the Act is nevertheless being furnished to such country when such assistance is in the national interest of the United States.”

1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Subject File, Foreign Aid, [2 of 3], Box 16. Confidential. A handwritten note on the source text reads: “Mr. O’Brien notified”.
2. On September 20, 1965, the House adopted under suspension of the rules a resolution, H. Res. 560, sponsored by Representative Armistead I. Selden, Jr. (D.-AL), which in effect endorsed the unilateral use of force by any Western Hemisphere country to prevent a Communist takeover anywhere in the Hemisphere. This sense of the House resolution did not require Senate action or Presidential approval and did not have the force of law. Nevertheless, the resolution aroused strong opposition from many Latin American countries and officials.
3. An OAS Summit Meeting was scheduled for August 29 in Buenos Aires but was postponed indefinitely on August 5.
4. All of these items are checked.
5. This option is checked.
6. No classification marking.
7. No classification marking.