Office of the Historian

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

Washington, March 15, 1979

SUBJECT

  • Meeting With Guatemalan Foreign Minister (U)

The Guatemalan Foreign Minister is still upset that we (the USG) are blocking his effort to meet with President Carter in order to convey Guatemalan President Lucas’ view of the Nicaraguan problem and the implications for Central America.2 You may recall that you asked me about this issue about a month ago when we had an intelligence report suggesting that Foreign Minister Castillo Valdez was complaining that the “human rights-types” in the State Department were blocking his attempt for an appointment with President Carter.3 Since that intelligence report, which was probably quite accurate, relations between our countries have cooled considerably, and Guatemala has adopted a strategy of trying to cement a negative alliance of all of the military leaders in the region, including Somoza. At the same time, he has renewed his request to meet with the President. (C)

State and I continue to believe4 that it would be a mistake for the President to meet with Castillo. However, Vance has agreed to meet with him and State recommends, and I strongly concur, that it would be important if you could also have a few minutes with him. We believe that you could be especially persuasive in helping him to understand our policy to Nicaragua, and to see our approach to Central America in a broader geopolitical context. I think it would be very important for you to meet with him in order to try to keep open our channels of communication with the Guatemalans. The Guatemalans are the strongest and largest of the five Central American countries, and if we [Page 88] can turn them around to a more positive approach to the region, our Central American policy would stand a better chance of success. (C)

RECOMMENDATION:

That you clear the cable at Tab A and agree to meet with the Guatemalan Foreign Minister.5 (I will prepare talking points for your use.)6 (C)

  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 27, Guatemala: 1/77–1/81. Confidential. Sent for action. Inderfurth initialed the top right-hand corner of the memorandum.↩
  2. Castillo called Boster on December 22, 1978, and requested a meeting with Carter to deliver a special message. Boster was instructed to ask Castillo for information about the message. According to Pastor, Castillo thus “concluded that he was being ‛stone-walled.’” (Memorandum from Pastor to Brzezinski, January 15; Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 27, Guatemala: 1/77–1/81)↩
  3. A memorandum hand-dated January 15 noted: “Lucas and Castillo are convinced, according to a clandestine source, that Lucas’ request was blocked by ‛the human rights lobby’ in the State Department.” (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Brzezinski Office File, Country Chron File, Box 16, Guatemala)↩
  4. Inderfurth wrote: “As do I,” above the word “believe.”↩
  5. Tab A was not attached.↩
  6. Brzezinski disapproved the recommendation. An unknown hand wrote: “later reversed it—in oral reclama a couple of days later.” Also see Pastor’s April 21 memorandum to Brzezinski in which Brzezinski agreed to meet with Vance and Castillo on May 11. (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 27, Guatemala: 1/77–1/81) For the May 11 meeting, see Document 33.↩