Office of the Historian

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

Washington, June 21, 1979

SUBJECT

  • Nicaragua

After we talked, I returned to the O.A.S. for a couple of hours of discussions. It’s even more depressing than I had thought. Pete2 directly asked the Venezuelans and Colombians about cooperating on an inter-American force, and both said: Absolutely not. The Panamanians recognized the Sandinista Front, and the Ecuadorean and Peruvians both believe that the Sandinistas represent a positive force for Nicaragua. We are going through a painful process of educating our “friends” in the hemisphere to see Nicaragua as we see it, but it’s not clear we will succeed.

The problem is that we are going around in a circle with them. They don’t believe we are serious about getting rid of Somoza and want Somoza to leave before they can even contemplate the future. We are reluctant to take that step unless we have catabolized the situation. They see the Sandinistas very differently than we do.

What to do? I now recommend against a Presidential message or the President meeting with Andean Foreign Ministers. They haven’t progressed far enough in their thinking for the President to have an impact on them. He would just waste his time or look foolish. I recommend the President call Torrijos and almost threaten him to get him to [Page 560] stop sending arms to the Sandinistas. I also recommend that the President meet with Murphy; this is the last chance. If Murphy can convince Somoza to step aside in favor of a broad-based and legitimate government, we would be in a much better position to come to the help of a new government. Last, I recommend that you and Secretary Vance not go to Tokyo.3 How about Managua for the weekend?

  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Brzezinski Office File, Country Chron File, Box 35, Nicaragua, 1/79–6/79. Secret. Pastor did not initial the memorandum. A stamped notation on the memorandum indicates that Brzezinski saw it.↩
  2. The reference is to Vaky.↩
  3. Brzezinski and Vance were scheduled to attend the G–7 Economic Summit Meeting June 25–29.↩