Page 332 - Argentina - Carter, Regan, and Bush VP

No Objection To Declassification in :rull 2012/12/12 : NLC-17-141 -3-9-5

MEMORANDUM

NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
-SfiGRET-

June 10, 1980

MEMORANDUM FOR: ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI ‘

FROM: ROBERT PASTOR

SUBJECT: Hidalgo's Visit: DOD and Latin America —
MBB Lunch (S)

DOD's decision to press Secretary of Navy Hidalgo's trip to
Argentina and Chile is symptomatic of their continued efforts to
undermine the President's human rights and security objectives in
Latin America. I hope you will oppose Hidalgo's visit, and urge
Harold Brqwn to focus his department's energies on the Caribbean
area and on strengthening our ties to the military in democratic-
countries in the region. (S)

There are two serious consequences, which follow from DOD's
persistent preoccupation on the Southern Cone: (1) our human
rights policies to the region are weakened; mixed signals of US
intentions are sent, playing into the hands of those who seek
proof of Carter's inconsistency; and (2) they have no time or
strategy for dealing with the real security problems in the
Caribbean area or for developing warm relationships with thee
military in democratic nations, like Venezuela or Colombia. The
President has repeatedly said he wanted us to reserve our warmest
relationships for the democracies in the area and have cooler,
more distant relations with military governments. We have been
reasonably successful in doing this, although DOD has not been help­
ful. (S)

While I think it's a good idea to move gradually toward a more
normal relationship with Argentina, and this includes a military
dimension, I think it's practically obscene and definitely makes
us look wildly inconsistent for DOD to gallop off at such a quick
pace to a new relationship. The Inter-agency group has agreed to
more military measures for cooperation than I think is appropriate,
but a visit by Hidalgo will break the camel's back. The only
thing we will get out of his visit is grief. We've got enough. (S)

As we move toward an improved relationship with Argentina, it is
of the greatest importance that our two galloping horses —
Commerce and Defense — be encouraged to stress the continuity of
our concerns about human rights; otherwise, it will look like
another zig in our policy. DOD and Commerce will not even mention
human rights , except to say that we're o.k., you're o.k., unless
they are told to do so. (S)
cc: Tom Thornton/Linc Bloomfield f
JSJSGRET
Review 6/10/90
Extended by Z. Brzezinski
Reason: NSC 1.13(f)

No Obiection To Declassification in -ull 2012/12/12 : NLC-17-141-3-9-5