Office of the Historian

271. Summary of Conclusions of a Special Coordination Committee Meeting1

Washington, May 15, 1980, 9–10 a.m.

SUBJECT

  • Iran and Afghanistan

PARTICIPANTS

  • State

    • David Newsom
    • Peter Constable
    • Richard Cooper

  • OSD

    • W. Graham Claytor
    • Frank Kramer

  • JCS

    • Lt. Gen. John Pustay

  • CIA

    • Frank Carlucci

  • Treasury

    • Deputy Secretary Robert Carswell

  • Justice

    • Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti

  • White House

    • Zbigniew Brzezinski
    • David Aaron
    • Lloyd Cutler
    • Henry Owen
    • Ray Jenkins
    • Joseph Onek

  • NSC

    • Gary Sick
    • Alfred Friendly

SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS

1. Afghanistan. The discussion focused on ways to increase media attention on Soviet activities. CIA is providing cameras to go in with the rebel forces. State will contact major U.S. news organizations to attempt to encourage more U.S. correspondents to cover the story on the ground. The U.S. Consulate in Peshawar can provide assistance to journalists who want to travel with rebel groups. VOA will be instructed by State to increase their interviews with journalists who have been inside Afghanistan, with particular emphasis on foreign reporters such as Indians. ICA will prepare a report on their efforts to publicize the story. The Public Information Committee has been meeting regularly to review material, sanitize intelligence information where possible, and get the material to the press. They have had some success in getting stories out in the past week. CIA will examine the possibility of sanitizing recent SIGINT information on Soviet defeats. The Committee will prepare a paper on the systematic preparation and release of information to the media for discussion at the next SCC [Page 727] meeting.2 CIA will use its resources to encourage more European correspondents to cover the story on the ground. (S)

[Omitted here is information unrelated to Afghanistan.]

  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Office File, Meetings File, Box 21, SCC Meeting #313, Held 5/15/80, 5/80. Secret. Carter initialed “C” in the top right corner. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room.↩
  2. See Document 273.↩