104. Memorandum From William Odom of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)1
SUBJECT
- Meeting in Your Office on Nicaraguan Crisis
Christopher, Vaky, Harold Brown, General Allen, and Admiral Turner met with you, Pastor and me this morning at 11:00 to discuss actions in response to apparent Panamanian plans to launch air attacks in Nicaragua.
After reviewing the state of activity in Panama, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico, Cuba, and Colombia, the following actions were decided upon:
1. Dr. Brzezinski will call the Foreign Minister of Panama to express the seriousness of American concern over the reported Panamanian and Venezuelan planned actions against Nicaragua and the new situation such internationalization of the Nicaraguan conflict would create.2
2. Warren Christopher will call the Foreign Minister of Costa Rica to express concern about actions against Nicaragua and inform him that we have reports of impending ground force movements from Panama through Costa Rica toward Nicaragua which we hope Costa Rica will prevent.3
3. Peter Vaky will call President Perez in Venezuela and encourage him to prevent actions by Panama and Venezuela against Nicaragua. He will make this call after President Carter has spoken by telephone to President Torrijos. The NSC will inform Vaky of the substance of President Carter’s conversation with Torrijos if such a call takes place soon.4
[Page 286]4. The U.S. interceptor aircraft (F–4s) will not be moved to Panama until the situation has been further clarified.5
5. Harold Brown will provide press guidance through Defense on the presence of the U.S. cruiser now sailing in Nicaraguan waters. It will be described as having no amphibious capabilities, no Marine units aboard, and engaged in a routine exercise.6
6. [1 paragraph (2 lines) not declassified]
7. Christopher will join Dr. Brzezinski in his office tomorrow to meet with Gabriel Lewis.7
8. Pastor will work with Vaky in lobbying support for the OAS resolution on the Nicaraguan situation.8
9. The next meeting of this group will be determined by Dr. Brzezinski this afternoon.9
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Brzezinski Office File, Country Chron File, Box 35, Nicaragua, 2/77–9/78. Secret. Sent for information.↩
- Odom wrote: “done.” According to a September 22 memorandum for the record, Brzezinski informed Gonzalez Revilla that “any unilateral military action which internationalizes the problem in Nicaragua would have a very serious impact on that situation and also on the United States. (Ibid.)↩
- Odom wrote: “Done by Vaky.”↩
- Odom wrote: “done.” For Carter’s conversation with Torrijos, see Document 105.↩
- Odom wrote: “Still on 7 hour stand-by.”↩
- Odom wrote: “done, but not effectively. Press called the cruiser an ‛intelligence’ effort.”↩
- Odom wrote: “done.”↩
- Odom wrote: “Tried hard.”↩
- Odom wrote: “OBE.”↩