165. Information Report From the Central Intelligence Agency to the National Security Agency1

719788.

[less than 1 line not declassified]

Country: Romania

Subj: Romanian [less than 1 line not declassified] Concern Over Food Shortages.

[2 lines not declassified]

Text:

1.
[less than 1 line not declassified] the problem of food shortages is seen as almost catastrophic, and responsible officials in Bucharest are considering declaring an official state of emergency; more and more, and to an extent even openly, these officials speak of a looming famine.
2.
The main reason for the marked deterioration in the already-bad food-supply situation is this year’s harvest, which has been worse than in the past two years. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that there are almost no reserve food supplies anywhere in the country.
3.
The quantities of food allotted for the Romanian population are to be further reduced; due to extremely scarce supplies, however, the rationing system will not be extended to additional foodstuffs.

  1. Source: Reagan Library, Rudolf Perina Files, Subject File, Romania—Substance 1987 (3). Secret; [handling restrictions not declassified]. Sent to NSA for the Director. Also sent to the Department of State (for INR), the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Commerce, the White House Situation Room, and the Office of Current Operations at the CIA.