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Did the United States at one time prefer Mugabe over Nkomo and Muzorewa to lead Zimbabwe?

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      

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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.

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This post was last modified on October 9, 2016 6:13 pm

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Charles Rukuni

The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.

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