129. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance to President Carter1
[Omitted here are items unrelated to Central Africa.]
5. Equatorial Guinea—You asked what representation we have in Equatorial Guinea.2 At present, we have no Embassy and no diplomats accredited there following suspension of relations with the Macias regime in 1976. On September 10, we offered to normalize relations, but as yet we have no formal response. We do, however, have agreement from the Guinean Foreign Minister to send our Deputy Chief of Mission in Yaounde, Cameroon, Peter Lord, to Malabo to maintain contact in the interim.3 We expect Lord to be in Malabo early next week. At that time, he could deliver to President Nguema your response to Nguema’s letter of August 29.4
[Omitted here are items unrelated to Central Africa.]
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 22, Evening Reports (State) 10/79. Secret. Carter wrote “Cy, J” in the upper right corner.↩
- On an October 6 memorandum from Vance, in which Equatorial Guinea was mentioned, Carter wrote, “What presence do we have there?” (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 22, Evening Reports (State) 10/79)↩
- Carter wrote in the left margin, “I would like to move them toward us.”↩
- See Document 130.↩