The United States and President Robert Mugabe may be archenemies today but a British journalist who was covering Africa for the London Observer claimed way back in 1976 that he had seen a secret document in which the United States recommended Britain to back Robert Mugabe as a compromise leader between the Abel Muzorewa and Joshua Nkomo factions.
A United States embassy official, however, said he felt that the document was a forgery because he considered Mugabe a “has been” who would not play any key role in any Rhodesian solution.
According to one of the diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks recently, Observer correspondent David Martin gave British Foreign Office special adviser on Africa Denis Grennan, a copy of an excerpt of an alleged United States State Department document authorised by Mulcahy recommending that Britain support Robert Mugabe as the comprise leader in the Rhodesian settlement.
Edward Mulcahy was Deputy Secretary of State for African Affairs at the time.
Grennan did not believe Mulacahy had authored the document and cautioned Martin against writing a story without verifying it.
A United States official wrote: “I believe we may be confronted here with a possible forgery case. I have neither drafted nor approved any piece of paper proposing any particular solution to Rhodesian problem (at least for past 10 years) much less any paper singling out Robert Mugabe — whom I consider a has been – for any key role in any Rhodesian solution.”
Mugabe, however, became the key to the Rhodesian solution and won the independence elections by an overwhelming majority but is now at loggerheads with the United States which imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe 13 years ago.
Full cable:
SECRET US POLICY DOCUMENT ON RHODESIA
Date:1976 April 23, 11:27 (Friday) Canonical ID:1976LONDON06192_b
Original Classification:CONFIDENTIAL Current Classification:UNCLASSIFIED
Handling RestrictionsNODIS – No Distribution (other than to persons indicated)
Character Count:2874
Executive Order:OA Locator:TEXT ON MICROFILM,TEXT ONLINE
TAGS:ASEC – Administration–Security | GRENNAN, DENIS | MARTIN – Graham Martin | MPOL – Military and Defense Affairs–Military Policy and Planning | MUGABE, ROBERT | MULCAHY, EDWARD W | PFOR – Political Affairs–Foreign Policy and Relations | PGOV – Political Affairs–Government; Internal Governmental Affairs | PREL – Political Affairs–External Political Relations | RH – Rhodesia | UK – United Kingdom | US – United States | XA – Africa | ZI – Zimbabwe Concepts:AMBASSADOR | ANGLO-NORTH AMERICAN | CAT-B | CLASSIFIED INFORMATION | CONFERENCE | DOCUMENT | FOREIGN POLICY POSITION | INTERVENTION | PARLIAMEN TARY | POLICY | PRESS COMMENTS | PUBLICATIONS | SCOTLAND | SECRET | SETTLEMENT | TEXT N OT-TRANSMITTED TO ISO | TURNBERRY
Enclosure:– N/A or Blank — Type:TE – Telegram (cable)
Office Origin:– N/A or Blank —
Office Action:ACTION NODS Archive Status:Electronic Telegrams
From:United Kingdom London Markings:Margaret P. Grafeld Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 04 MAY 2006
To:Department of State | Secretary of State
ContentRaw contentMetadataRaw sourcePrintShare
Show Headers
FOLLOWING FROM AMBASSADOR MULCAHY (ATTENDING ANGLO-NORTH AMERICAN PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE ON AFRICA AT TURNBERRY SCOTLAND):
1) I WAS INFORMED BY DENIS GRENNAN, SPECIAL ADVISER ON AFRICA AT FCO, OF LATTER’S RECENT CONVERSATION IN LONDON WITH DAVID MARTIN, OBSERVER AFRICAN CORRESPONDENT,WHO GAVE GRENNAN COPY OF EXCERPT OF ALLEGED STATE DEPARTMENT DOCUMENT AUTHORIZED BY MULCAHY RECOMMENDING US SUPPORT FOR RHODESIAN SETTLE- MENT THROUGH BACKING OF ROBERT MUGABE “AS COMPROMISE” LEADER BETWEEN MUZOREWA AND NKOMO ANC FACTIONS.
2) GRENNAN FURTHER STATED HE KNOWS THIS “DOCUMENT” HAS BEEN SHOWN BY MARTIN TO PRESIDENT JULIUS NYERERE, WHO WAS, ACCORDING TO MARTIN,ALSO ALARMED BY CONTENT. HE INDICATED HIS INTENTION TO RAISE IT WITH SECSTATE DURING VISIT TO DAR ES SALAAM.
3) GRENNAN,WHO HAS KNOWN MULCAHY FOR OVER 15 YEARS, SAYS HE TOLD MARTIN HE THOUQHT DOCUMENT CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 LONDON 06192 231148Z
WAS CLEARLY SPURIOUS, COULD NOT POSSIBLY REPRESENT MULCAHY’S VIEWS AND SHOULD NOT BE PUBLISHED WITHOUT AUTHENTICATION. TO DATE MARTIN’S STORY HAS NOT BEEN PUBLISHED, BUT GRENNAN BELIEVES IT MAY YET BE. HE BELIEVES NYERERE MAY CONFRONT SECRETARY WITH SECRET US PLAN FOR RHODESIAN SETTLEMENT.
4) COMMENT: I BELIEVE WE MAY BE CONFRONTED HERE WITH A POSSIBLE FORGERY CASE. I HAVE NEITHER DRAFTED NOR APPROVED ANY PIECE OF PAPER PROPOSING ANY PARTICULAR SOLUTION TO RHODESIAN PROBLEM (AT LEAST FOR PAST 10 YEARS) MUCH LESS ANY PAPER SINGLING OUT ROBERT MUGABE — WHOM I CONSIDER A HAS BEEN – FOR ANY KEY ROLE IN ANY RHODESIAN SOLUTION.
5) WHILE GRENNAN MAY HAVE SUCCEEDED IN HIS EFFORT TO DISSUADE MARTIN FROM PUBLISHING THIS STORY, POTENTIAL EMBARRASSMENT TO US BY NYERERE’S REPORTED ACCEPTANCE OF IT AND RAISING IT WITH SECSTATE REMAINS. I FEEL IT URGENT TO REPORT THE FOREGOING LEST IT BE USED IN DAR ES SALAAM IN MANNER TO EMBARRASS SECRETARY. END COMMENT.
6) RECOMMENDATION: I RECOMMEND THAT A SEARCH BE MADE OF CURRENT AF FILE FOR ANY PIECE OF PAPER BEARING MY NAME WHICH, TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT, COULD HAVE ANY RESEMBLANCE TO ALLEGED DOCUMENT.
EMBASSY FOOTNOTE: DAVID MARTIN MADE REFERENCE TO “A SECRET POLICY DOCUMENT I HAVE SEEN” DISCUSSING UNITED STATES POLICY TOWARDS AFRICA IN A STORY IN THE SUNDAY OBSERVER, APRIL 18, 1976. ONLY REFERENCE IN MARTIN’S STORY TO RHODESIA IS AS FOLLOWS:
“THE NSC HAS CONSIDERED A NUMBER OF OPTIONS IN RHODESIA, INCLUDING, ACCORDING TO A DOCUMENT IN THE HANDS OF AFRICAN LEADERS, DIRECT MILITARY INTERVENTION.”
ARMSTRONG
CONFIDENTIAL
NNN
-Insider
1 Comment