Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume II, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs

273. Memorandum From the Special Representative for Economic Summits (Owen) to President Carter¹

Washington, undated

SUBJECT

• World Hunger Aspect of Your Rome Visit

Bob Bergland and Tom Ehrlich propose (Tab A)² that you take the opportunity of your visit to Rome to call public attention to the advanced countries’ responsibilities and the United States’ good record in the War on Hunger. They suggest that you either make televised remarks to the four UN food agencies headquartered in Rome, or issue a press statement on this theme during your visit.³ I offered the former idea during early planning for your visit, but it got nowhere.⁴

I now suggest a different approach, serving the same purpose as Bergland and Ehrlich have in mind, but more likely to get media coverage here and requiring no change in your visit schedule. I suggest:

1) That you take up with the Pope and Cossiga our common concern about world hunger and, specifically, the need to translate concern into effective action in helping the starving Ugandans (whose plight

was graphically depicted recently in Washington Post articles)⁵ and millions of other hungry people across the drought-afflicted waist of Africa.

2) That, after these meetings,⁶ you say to the TV-radio-press contingent outside the Vatican that;

a) you and Cossiga agreed to invite other Summit governments to join you in providing additional food and transport funds to the World Food Program, CARE, or other humanitarian agencies attempting to bring relief to northern Uganda;

b) you have asked the World Food Program (FYI: Will be done through our Rome Embassy shortly before your arrival)⁷ to rush a senior relief coordinator to Uganda and to arrange with the Government of Uganda complete security for the relief operation;

c) the United States is preparing to join other countries in providing increased food aid to other drought-afflicted African nations during the next 12 months; and

d) the Venice Summit will deal comprehensively with the pervasive problem of hunger in the poor countries, illustrated tragically by the East African food crisis, including additional action that the world community must take to improve food production, food security and development in these countries.

3) I would then give the press a supplemental briefing on food aspects of the Summit agenda and on your relevant decisions such as US participation in replenishing the International Fund for Agricultural Development (one of the Rome-based agencies), the increased US pledge under the Food Aid Convention,⁸ and progress in the Congress in authorizing a 4 million ton reserve to back up our food aid programs.

The initiative outlined above is favored by State, IDCA and Agriculture. The US contributions would be within existing budget plans for FY 1980, assuming relevant portions of the FY 1980 supplementals are enacted, and the pending regular FY 1981 appropriation requests. OMB concurs.⁹

If you approve, I will work out details with the agencies, the schedulers, and Jody Powell, and I will provide a briefing paper for your use in Rome and Venice.

I believe this initiative and statement would be well received by US religious, charitable and international relations groups that are the backbone of support for our aid bills in the Congress, and by members of the US black community and press concerned with Africa.

Recommendation

That you agree to the initiative proposed above, subject to detailed interagency and OMB review. (I will report back to you if there are any problems.)¹⁰

1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Brzezinski Office File, Subject Chron File, Box 93, Food: 1979–1980. No classification marking. Sent for action. A typewritten notation at the top of the page reads: “Last day for action: June 18, 1980.”
2. Bergland and Ehrlich’s June 5 memorandum to the President is attached but not printed.
3. In telegram 15563 from Rome, June 16, the Embassy also endorsed the idea that the President should address the four UN food agencies: “It would be far more effective and dramatic for the President, in addition to discussing this issue [food relief] with the Pope, to give twenty minutes of his schedule to a meeting with these important U.N. agency heads. This in itself would generate favorable publicity. Out of such a meeting could emerge an appropriate call to action (which would include sending a senior relief coordinator to Uganda) linked with whatever additional effort the US was willing to make. The outcome could be shared with Prime Minister Cossiga if this were deemed appropriate.” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D800293–0488)
4. In the NSC Global Issues Cluster’s May 2 Evening Report, Bloomfield noted, “Even if the President is unable to make an FAO stop in Rome to deliver a talk on food, Owen, Poats, and I agree that an early occasion should be found for the President to proclaim his commitment to the anti-hunger war, in implementation of recommendations of his Hunger Commission that US AID program for ’80s adopt an anti-hunger focus. We think it would be very helpful to the President, particularly now, to have a vehicle to reaffirm his humanitarian convictions.” (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Global Issues—Oplinger/Bloomfield Subject File, Box 37, Evening Reports: 4–6/80)
5. Reference is to a series of articles written by Jay Ross of The Washington Post’s Foreign Service: “Where Children Fight for Kernels,” June 7, 1980, p. A–1; “Diary of Anguished Trip To Land of the Damned,” June 7, 1980, p. A–18; “Modern Arms Escalate Stakes in Uganda Cattle Rustling,” June 8, 1980, p. A–19; “60 Million in East Africa to Go Hungry,” June 9, 1980, p. A–1; and “Tireless U.S. Diplomat Fights Starvation Among Ugandans,” June 9, 1980, p. A–17.
6. During a State visit to Rome prior to the Venice Summit, June 19–21, the President and Muskie met with Cossiga and Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Emilio Colombo. The joint press statement describing the substance of the June 20 Carter–Cossiga meeting is printed in Department of State Bulletin, August 1980, pp. 16–17. Carter met with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican on June 21. See footnote 6, Document 274.
7. In telegram 163318 to Rome, June 21, the Department suggested that the Embassy query the WFP regarding its willingness to send a senior official to Uganda to serve as relief coordinator. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D800301–0229)
8. See footnote 5, Document 269. In a May 9, 1980, message to the Senate transmitting the FAC, the President indicated that the United States intended to pledge 4,470,000 metric tons of grains. The complete text of Carter’s message is printed in Public Papers: Carter, 1980–81, Book I, p. 865–866.
9. An unknown hand underlined this sentence.
10. There is no indication that the President approved or disapproved the recommendation. The Venice Summit took place June 22–23. At the Summit’s conclusion, the leaders of the seven major industrialized nations released a communiqué, which is printed in Department of State Bulletin, August 1980, pp. 8–11.