148. Night Note to President Reagan1
LAW OF THE SEA
The Secretary met today with Ambassador Malone, U.S. Representative to the Law of the Sea Conference. Ambassador Malone said the U.S. was attempting to resolve the immediate procedural problems by getting agreement to negotiate all issues of concern to the U.S. He indicated that developments in the last few days were somewhat encouraging and could lead to useful negotiations,2 although the Group of 77 still insists that negotiations must end by April 30. There remains a risk that, if the negotiations deteriorate, important provisions in the draft treaty could be changed to the detriment of U.S. navigation and security interests. The Secretary directed that contingency plans be prepared in case the G–77 attempts to press the treaty to a vote before compromises are reached. The Secretary directed that all appropriate Department of State assets be used if necessary to persuade other nations to support the U.S. in these negotiations.
- Source: Department of State, Subject and Country Files, Law of the Sea, 1982–1983, Lot 85D105, Law of the Sea—4. Confidential. Drafted by Eskin on March 24; cleared by Malone and Salmon. There is no indication Reagan saw this report.↩
- In telegram 765 from New York, March 27, USUN reported: “General mood of Conference leadership is now becoming optimistic. This attitude, however, may be founded on an assumption that when the crunch comes the U.S. will moderate its demands somewhat. If we were to dash these hopes right now it would create a climate at the Conference for going ahead rapidly without serious negotiations with the U.S.” (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, D820164–0024)↩