South Africa: McFarlane email to White House (planning for policy announcement) [declassified 1999]

Document type:	Declassified documents
Venue:	White House
Source:	Reagan Library (NSC African Affairs Directorate Box 91026)
Editorial comments:	The White House email system first became fully functional in April 1985. There was no spell check facility, so typos abound. In his memoir, Special Trust (1994) McFarlane recalls this meeting and notes that it bore no fruit because Foreign Minister Pik Botha’s concessions were overturned on his return to South Africa by the State President, P.W. Botha (see p311).
Importance ranking:	Major
Word count:	488
Themes:	Foreign policy (Africa), Commonwealth (South Africa), British policy towards South Africa

From: NSWRP – CPUA

To: NSGVE – CPUA

Date and time 08/12/85 18:53:09

NOTE FROM: BOB PEARSON

Subject: Thursday schedule

Please task Ringdahl action, Small concur, info Soos and send info copy to Ed Djerejian. SYS. I, due COB 8/13.

*** Forwarding note from NSRCM – CPUA 08/12/85 18:28 ***

To: NSKS – CPUA

*** Reply to note of 08/12/85 18:07

NOTE FROM: ROBERT MCFARLANE

Subject: Thursday schedule

I'm glad you raised the matter of reaction to the South African announcements. Frankly I had forgotten that when I agreed to do Ollie [North]'s event. In order to sort it out, please proceed as follows. Call Phil Ringdahl and ask that he promptly work up with you, Chet Crocker and Bernie Kalb, a game plan for how (and who) reacts to the announcement. It is true that not knowing at this point, what they will say, it is difficult to write our script. But we ought to be able to work up our themes based upon what the South Africans told us they intend to say. If Chet could do that and get it to Phil for WH approval, I would appreciate it. Then we need to answer the other questions – who backgrounds and where. There are two choices – either Chet does the backgrounder back there and sends basic guidance to us for Larry [Speakes ] to use out here; or I background it here and will use the Q's and A's Chet develops. I am completely open to either approach and don't feel strongly about it either way. On the whole I think the decision ought to turn on the question of what we think of the announcement. If we are relatively pleased with it then it makes sense to have the President associated with it and have me do the backgrounder here. If we are not satisfied with it, Chet should carry the water although as I have said, we would need basic guidance for Larry to use here. This is kind of urgent. Please set things in motion right away.

Back to matter of the speech at the YPO event, it occurs to me that we may need a backup plan since there is a better than even chance that I will be needed here. But I DO NOT WANT OLLIE NORTH TO CHANGE HIS PLANS TO COME]]]//Therefore, don't even run the problem by Ollie. Do ask Bob Pearson to consult with the organization and see whether they would rather have another Lastin [(sic) Latin] expert or perhaps someone from the domestic side of the house whom I might be able to get from here. Let me know quickly please. The family of possibilities ought to include Jackie, Ray, Eliott Abrams and Constantine.

cc: NSPHR – CPUA

NSWRP – CPUA

NSHS – CPUA

cc: NSWFM – CPUA

NSCEC – CPUA

NSKS – CPUA

NSHS – CPUA

NSCMB – CPUA

NSWRP – CPUA

NSPHR – CPUA

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