Office of the Historian

200. Memorandum From Robert Pastor of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)1

Washington, March 7, 1979

SUBJECT

  • U.S. Policy to Nicaragua (S)

You may recall that the President scribbled on a night note which you sent into him, summarizing a cable which we received from our embassy in Nicaragua, that we should take up Somoza’s offer for negotiations, and we should negotiate firmly.2 I spoke to Vaky, Bowdler, our Ambassador in Managua, and several others, and it was our unanimous belief that it would be an error to begin to negotiate with Somoza so soon after the mediation effort had failed as a result of his intransigence. We thought it would make much more sense for us to let our decisions sink in in Nicaragua and elsewhere before assessing whether we wanted to adopt a different strategy. I think this posture is also justified by objective circumstances in Nicaragua: Somoza is firmly in place, and the opposition has not really decided what it wants to do at this point. We have received reports—both direct and indirect—that the opposition has been encouraged by our steps. (S)

Vaky spoke to Secretary Vance, who agreed very strongly with the view that we should stand back right now and cool it. The Secretary has sent the memo attached at Tab A, which makes that point. I regret that it took them a week and a half to get the memorandum over to us, and that it arrived after you had departed for the Middle East. But since the President suggested we adopt a different position, the issue is still obviously alive. (S)

RECOMMENDATION:

That you sign the memorandum at Tab I and forward it with Secretary Vance’s memo at Tab A (with its attachments).3

  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 56, Nicaragua: 12/78–6/79. Confidential. Sent for action. Inderfurth and Reginald Bartholomew initialed the top of the memorandum.↩
  2. See Document 199.↩
  3. Aaron wrote: “Redo memo” at the bottom of the page. An unknown hand wrote “done 3/13” and “DA signed 3/14/79” below Aaron’s comment. For Tab I and Tab A, which were not attached, see Document 201.↩