Office of the Historian

125. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance to President Carter1

Washington, August 28, 1979

[Omitted here is an item unrelated to Central Africa.]

2. Equatorial Guinea: Following the August fourth coup d’etat in Equatorial Guinea,2 the Spanish encouraged us to move quickly to diplomatic recognition of the new regime and to provide humanitarian assistance.

We are sending a mid-level survey team to Equatorial Guinea for a few days starting Thursday, August 30. Its mission will be to assess the composition and political outlook of the new regime, and the nature and size of humanitarian needs.3

[Omitted here are items unrelated to Central Africa.]

  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 22, Evening Reports (State) 8/79. Secret. Carter initialed the memorandum.↩
  2. Telegram 4778 from Yaounde, August 6, transmitted a translation of the communiqué issued by the new Revolutionary Military Council in Malabo on the night of August 3 announcing the seizure of power by Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Nguema Mbazogo. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790356–0526)↩
  3. Telegram 5430 from Yaounde, September 4, transmitted the survey team’s preliminary report. “The new military regime in Malabo has made an admirable start toward the return of orderly and responsible government by creating the psychological climate necessary to begin the rebuilding process.” The team recommended that “we should work with the Spanish and other donors to provide medical and other assistance to help meet emergency human needs, particularly in the public health and education sectors.” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790403–0495)↩