Office of the Historian

215. Memorandum From the Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget (Keel) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (McFarlane)1

Washington, February 13, 1984

SUBJECT

  • Third World Hunger Relief

This responds to your February 7 request2 for comments on the draft NSSD on third-world hunger relief.

The study represents a timely opportunity to examine one of the major international issues that must be faced over the next few years. However, to keep food aid in perspective in analyzing the issue, we recommend that the study distinguish between short-term and long-term hunger issues.

• Short-term hunger problems, for example, those due to the African drought, can be addressed by emergency food aid, such as the U.S. provides under Title II of PL 480.

• Long-term hunger problems are much more intractible and are largely attributable to deficiencies in agricultural policies in recipient countries. Food aid is only one of many ways of transferring resources to relieve the problem. Many other factors need to be considered, such as ongoing efforts to improve the capacity of the third world to feed itself.

We caution against a premature conclusion that the answer to the underlying problem of relieving third world hunger lies in providing substantial increases in food aid or agricultural export assistance programs.

Finally, we recommend that the study consider ways to improve implementation of food aid programs. For example:

• How best can conflicting policy objectives of the program be reconciled?

• Should maritime subsidies be funded under the program?

Attached is a mark-up of the draft NSSD indicating changes needed to reflect the above comments.3

  1. Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC NSSD File, 1–84 [US Third World Hunger Relief] (1 of 3). Secret.↩
  2. See Document 210.↩
  3. Not attached and not found.↩