IMPRESSIONS OF GOVERNOR REAGAN'S REACTION TO BRIEFING ON SENSITIVE INTELLIGENCE SOURCES AND METHODS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP05T00644R000300790002-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 15, 2009
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: January 16, 1981
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release 2009/04/15: CIA-RDP05T00644R000300790002-4
Tape 40
Side A, 1 - 1 1/4
Reflections Memo
16 JAM 1981
SUBJECT: Impressions of Governor Reagan's Reaction to Briefing
on Sensitive Intelligence Sources and Methods
1. In connection with Iran, he wondered how much undercurrent of
feeling there might be in Iran for revival of the monarchy under the young
Shah. I told him very, very little.
2. He was quick to grasp a counterintelligence aspect of one of our
communications monitoring techniques.
3. Overall, he was very impressed by the daring involved in some of
these activities.
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Approved For Release 2009/04/15 :CIA-RDP05T00644R000300790002-4
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ON.
1114,ViLtN0 ,
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WASHLIGTON POST
3 September 190
?,?
By Jonathan Powet
fascinatioft for President:. Carter . and
his advisec_.Zbigniew-lBrzezinSfd,';Jang
before the ',U.S..- positiOn in the P.erif"
;Gulf:deteriorateciand..theurgent peed
policy
all ilopg.;..they:'..have.bedh,prari5
?._inip,,vith
Thnew?
agreement to seci4re-the
usi:bf the. old Soviet:. bagen:4;.t.e.rberi
on; the ebasti17: in. return* '1Or'Ki
supply OLtJ.S- armS to Somalia,. is
' Merely.; thelatist:,mO vein: what Briet.
?
equivalent - of
;:.?'N-e#
Y.Oiker7 reperter,-.W.ai...Where- the -Bi7it'ish:a?dthe..'rencc0ront cad';
::.other fu -,1838 during their' .rivalrY-;,oV:e'
..control of
FashOda,-..he.said,,?':was, a .iorehado
ining'.of'- the- type of. SovietTh2riCar
clashes'.. to-come, sporadie. violence.
the s.'....COhte?rt
preemption,. [that]: may have; i Suetib
effect on U.S.. and Soviet jntervcfltlOn
forces resulting, ,..Sorze 'tinpreee;',
. . ?
. this analcigY;attn...
height . Of the.:..adniiriistra0iia's.l'gr.p4t
internal battle-. Oh:, p011ey;: toWard.:tli*
....HOrn'of, Africa' iazIk IR76;;.He.
then attempting, to persuadithe;Preli
'dent' to support. the Somaii it:416Y
.were. invaded, lijt.'Ethlopia,-:-With-Chbari-
?arid SbViet .support. A. naval task force
? ,
:?"...;:?..;:iitliqugh-Briezinski did not get his'
niiOt .fOrCe,;-U.SpolicYtnaltera'ssinade,:a.
:number- of. serious - mistakes hi., th-
Hornn !Abet- the'Berheri.decision.will,
only-compound 'It's worth 'a fw li?s
toAtrace, :-.what; ekactly......liappetied
ft:-all: began with - the ::::COUP' that
*overthrew - Haile SelaSSie,4helateern;:.
perar:of .Ethiopia;in .1974. The Soviet
thiion.at. first kept. its'..dlstenee.,,..!?'!;-:.-?.
'...,flawelter,?:wheir,thethioPiarkr:FOyp..?
'ilitioruzinoveC';traPidlyi.?:_left r in eal
19177';.theSovietsicoulciliint-iniSSin:OP-.
-pOrtuoitsrf.,..Thek:IthOught..???,thatUndei,
:tbey could .:*Ork'. both sides- of. 'the
street.: lteep? their pasekiri- perberi.:and
getcloseLy. involved' iiOppott,ing; the
? ?
t40::.-044itioirthe Ate'erstate
could!. not sit eSist "va4hoda
even iff-;itiffeint.,13titting sor?e.dearlyl
held-' interational principles. aside:
The United..-::'-f-Stites. !began , ;le talk
7.te.,. Somalia sales; although
?
.4,twas aware that the. Somalis, Were
`..aupporting rebel- groups in the Oga-
den region.',of,:'...thiopia, contrary to
the longstanding.:U..5.-endorsed Policy
_ . ? .
-L,oinineittary -.7;
.the Organization; of African':Uri#Y:
.to respect- colonial- boundaries:
Even when :7 Somali' regulars-, went
into the Ogaden, in late 'July -1977; :the
-United States was slow to respond.
:2?Weeks.later;, the. spin-
?ing .,of : control. Tile-War:in'. the'
Ogaden .heated. up. The etibiriS,:icaMe
i.tb' 'Ethiopia ,in November :in Slarge
TntiinberS;- backed;Jir-,. t:wv military
supplies. and it looked for ...a Moment
though-;the Cuban-thiopiin forces
?.
might- not
Only sweep the ...Ogaden
:clear. of also burst :-Ovet
into
The.- United - States. threatened t
shelve', the SALT '.'negotiations; if this
haPpened.:::'.Brzezirislci;:lafgued-1.OrZhi
The-whole sequence of events. -if it
,prOved-anything, showed up the weak...,
nese bf:;tliet.l.a..: involvement witft So-
malia. ;1t. put
;American : prestige- be:
hihd.a.Rcause; that was irrelevint;to
jnterests.:?The-. United. S ta got.
.:.drawn into an old' ethnic 'dispute that
.the SOviets'and...ctibans were the bet
ter 'placed; to exploit,,, since interna-
tionaI
law..was-.:clearly? on the, Ethio-
pian :
? ? "
? ;Thonly positive cuicorhe ,:?,;;4, the
Soviets loss Of j;' Berbera,.: ,However.
since-, they also had a more useful
.baSel:af.:Aden ; in South Yernen:,:thi
was: net critical. '
..for.tWo;years; the Situationhas
sim-
mei'ed on without big power coufron:
tationf.:The - Cubans and the Russians.
:got Inc,ro.asingly.bOgged...-dOwnip,?:-Ethi.:
? ?Pia,. the Wan in; Eritrea..and-continu-
..
ing, uhrest.in, the, Ogadeir:....,
The United 'States, standing calmly
on:, the sidelines? showed:, bptli?...licov
silly it:WaS:tOthaVe-g-otten involved itt
thefirat...PlaCeLnhd, more../iiiip'Ortantly
how:iliortsighted ch Soviets and th,
':tn: have .,gaSt
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: '7 ?
vie
?
arms,' cleat: with -,YemaTia"
could turn back the clock,.
AlreadYi
confuSion:is:.:_settink 1 :.in. Last week,4
Richard AlooseLthe 1..i.S:tssistint
,retary of state forsAfricanaffairs;: to
the House
committee' that the ' UhitetrStates The
been. assured orally and, hi
that the Somalis will: net introclue;
regular forces' into' the Ogaden'..
the same. claY, the 'CIA:told the sah
.subcommittee ttiat.;.elementsot thy,
Somali regular battalions- are etre
There: :
This time arciund, however, the deck
sion involves not just an -arms cl...
tont U.S. use Of the Berbera base. ,41'
other' Ogaden warhenf inevita
the Somalis 'would use their newly a?
quired American. -.veanonswhatever;
the official ITS. -?reserVations-would
bring the Fashoda factor hack into
. .
This' time. if the Ethionians threa
ened to- retaliate., by enterin,g Sornahaz
the United States-iwould. have.a. hag.-
at .stake'. It:could quiokly look
lii?
ILS,-Sov .'proxY . War, soniethr
which Somali. President Mohainni
Siad Barre might like -to'. 'provake-i
the; thought :it would help his 0,gad?'
cause.-.:
This. is-- ust-,the. :kind ?of.. holeTt
United ?States..., should oid get tin,'
sucked _into-.