Office of the Historian

242. Memorandum From Philip Ringdahl of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (McFarlane)1

Washington, March 1, 1985

SUBJECT

  • AFRICA—Short Term Trends and Developments

[Omitted here is information unrelated to the African famine.]

Ethiopia: Two recent reports, one intelligence2 and the other from our Chargé Korn in Addis,3 dovetail and reflect continued hard-line GOE attitudes concerning the U.S. and famine assistance. From Korn:

—The West is encouraged to feed Ethiopia’s starving millions but the GOE’s allegiance is to the Soviet Bloc; massive western assistance is not going to change this attitude;

—Policy is set by Mengistu, and policy reinforces ideology to cement Mengistu’s ties to the Soviets; there is no sign that his ties to the East are any less close, or that he has any genuine intentions to improve relations with the West;

—Mengistu sees U.S. concern for feeding of starving people in Tigray and Eritrea as a pretext for helping the rebels.

From intelligence reporting:

—The West is trying to use the famine as a cover to sabotage and frustrate the revolution;

—Their Leninist system is in no way negotiable for economic or financial aid.

These two reports should put to rest, but probably won’t, hope by some that our assistance would somehow change the attitude of Mengistu and other leaders and bring them to be more “realistic” in view of the shortcomings of the Soviet Bloc and the basic good will of the West concerning famine assistance. Mengistu is a totally committed Marxist who will respond only to force and “realpolitik,” not good works or moral considerations.

[Omitted here is information unrelated to the African famine.]

  1. Source: Reagan Library, 1985 SYS 4 INT, 40201–40250. Secret. Sent for information. Soos initialed for Ringdahl. A stamped notation in the upper right-hand margin reads, “NOTED.”↩
  2. Not further identified.↩
  3. In telegram 821 from Addis Ababa, February 7, Korn provided an analysis of Mengistu’s ideology and strategy. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, D850087–0458)↩