Zbigniew Brzezinski

Oral History detailed view.

Speakers: William Odom, Leslie Denend, Madeleine Albright, Zbigniew Brzezinski

Date: February 18, 1982

Description:

Zbigniew Brzezinski joins three of his top aides – legislative liaison Madeleine Albright, special assistant Les Denend, and military assistant Bill Odom – in a discussion on the National Security Council and the foreign policy apparatus of the Carter administration. The interview begins with only the three aides present, each of whom talks about how they joined the Carter administration and their primary roles and responsibilities in their respective positions. They describe the structure of the Carter NSC, the President's role in NSC policymaking, and the relationship between the NSC and Congress, the Cabinet, and other White House offices. They also spend time evaluating Brzezinski – his management and decision-making style, and his relationship with President Carter. Several foreign policy issues, such as the Panama Canal Treaty, the SALT agreement, East-West trade, and the Presidential Review Memorandum, are also examined. Toward the end of the session, Brzezinski joins the panel and leads the remainder of the discussion, with periodic contributions from his aides. He highlights how he met Carter during his work in the Trilateral Commission, and his role as foreign policy advisor of the 1976 presidential campaign. His discussion of the Carter presidency focuses largely on his role in the foreign policy structure, crafting the agenda, staffing the NSC, and his interactions with other administration officials, such as Mondale, Vance, and Powell. He also evaluates Carter's knowledge of and participation in foreign affairs, and offers a retrospective look at the successes and failures of Carter and his presidency.

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