Office of the Historian

234. Memorandum From the Counselor of the Department of State (Derwinski) to the Deputy Secretary of State (Dam)1

Washington, December 19, 1984

SUBJECT

  • Pre-Christmas PR Aspects of the African Famine

The international media attention on the African famine is at such a peak that we have at this moment a unique opportunity to create a very positive impact out of what could otherwise be a very negative PR situation.

I know that you, Bill Schneider, and Peter McPherson are agreed on handling the African Emergency Food Supplemental in tomorrow’s review at OMB.2 Also, I have supported Jim Purcell’s request to the [Page 630] Secretary for Presidential approval of an emergency drawdown from existing funds3 for the massive problem of feeding and innoculating migrating refugees, particularly in eastern Sudan, where Senator Kennedy will be spending his Christmas.4

I cannot recall in all my years in Washington an international emergency about which there was in place enough public awareness to create such broad bi-partisan support in Congress as we have at this moment. I think that the time is ripe for a Pre-Christmas Presidential announcement5 of our full package of famine relief efforts.

  1. Source: Department of State, Subject Files, Edward J. Derwinski, 1982–1985, Lot 87D258, Famine Relief in Africa. Confidential.↩
  2. In a December 14 memorandum to Dam, Schneider transmitted a document discussing a $455 million supplement request for food aid. (Ibid.)↩
  3. Not found.↩
  4. In telegram 16388 from Khartoum, December 27, the Embassy conveyed Kennedy’s impressions of his visit to Ethiopia and Sudan. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, D840825–0660)↩
  5. See footnote 2, Document 227.↩