Office of the Historian

165. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Aaron) to Jessica Tuchman Mathews of the National Security Council Staff1

Washington, September 18, 1978

SUBJECT

  • Human Rights PRM

I believe I have identified a good and finite subject for a2 PRM on Human Rights. It is the issue of the Human Rights Conventions and Institutions and what our strategy is going to be in regard to them.

Bill Maynes pointed out to me that the Soviets are staffing up these new Human Rights Institutions (the ones designed to “implement” the various Conventions—genocide, political and civil rights, economic and social rights, etc.). The net result is that we can expect to be called on the carpet much more frequently and to be condemned, etc., for systematic violations of some of these rights simply because the deck is stacked against us.

I have suggested to Bill the possibility of a PRM which would look at

(1) the problems associated with signing the Human Rights Conventions and whether we can go forward with a major effort in the next Congress;

(2) our strategy in dealing with Soviet efforts to put us in the dock;

(3) what we can do to put the Soviets in the dock and what aspects of human rights we ought to emphasize and how we can go about it.

Please follow up with Bill Maynes.3

  1. Source: Carter Library, Donated Historical Materials, Mondale Papers, Office of the Vice President, David Aaron, Box 216, [Aaron, David]: Chron File, 9/1978 (classified). Confidential. A copy was sent to Brzezinski, who added the following handwritten notation: “D.A. Good focus. Plse speak to me about this issue. ZB.”↩
  2. Aaron added “followup” by hand at this point.↩
  3. In the October 11 NSC Global Issues Cluster’s evening report to Brzezinski, Tuchman Mathews indicated that she had met with Maynes and other Department of State officials that day concerning subjects for a possible PRM, “including strengthening our ability to use the UN and other multilateral forums to promote human rights objectives.” (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Global Issues—Oplinger/Bloomfield Subject File, Box 36, Evening Reports: 9/12/80)↩