Editing 76-13-A3 (section)

= Rhodesia =

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=== Transcript ===
Other governments, friendly and unfriendly, maintain information offices in
Washington, D.C. to try to see that news advantageous to them will be disseminated
through our news outlets. One of these is the Rhodesian Information Office. It
is duly registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1935 administered
by the Department of Justice.

Such an office allows us a viewing window on this faraway country, which otherwise
would remain pretty unknown to us. Its size doesn't warrant the maintaining of
American news bureaus there.

Under that 1935 act, these foreign information offices are subject to a periodic
audit -- a checkup to see that the information it hands out meets certain requirements
as to reliability, and so forth. Usually these audits are pretty routine
and carried out in a friendly, courteous manner. After all, aren't we the world's
leading exponent of free speech?

But, several weeks ago three United States agents walked into the Rhodesian Information
center unannounced, and began a minute inspection which was headlined by one paper
as a full-fledged investigation of the "Rhodesian Lobby."

By coincidence, this surprise visit followed right on the heels of a discussion in
the United Nations Security Council (chaired by our Ambassador, Andrew Young) of a
British resolution to close down the Rhodesian office. It seems that under an
informal arrangement, we have (for some years now) made American dollars available
in return for Rhodesian money which American missionaries and business men need
for doing business in Rhodesia.

The United Nations resolution is aimed at halting that exchange which would leave
the Rhodesian office out on a limb, indeed out of business. The only objection
has come from, of all people, the Russians, but only because they want a tougher
resolution which would include cutting telephone and cable communication with
Rhodesia. Come to think of it, that figures with what they probably have in mind
a curtain of silence to screen a bloody takeover by Russian-supplied guerillas.

But forget the Rhodesians for a moment and think of what this resolution, when
passed, would mean to all of us. The United Nations -- that tower of Babel
stained with hypocrisy would be making law for the United States without any action
by our own Congress. That is a surrender of sovereignty we should never permit.

Then, of course, we should ask ourselves if we are ready to also abandon our
principle of freedom of information; our right to have access to news from Rhodesia
or, any and all other countries of the world. One wonders why we haven't heard
from the American Civil Liberties Union about that.

But to get back to the Rhodesians themselves -- we've already imposed trade 
restrictions on them and the question is why? It's true, they do not grant majority
rule, but it's also true they are proceeding to do so in exact conformity with the
plan proposed by our former Secretary of State. That plan called for a two year
transition period leading to a peaceful transfer of authority as voted by the
people themselves. The Rhodesian government agreed to do this. 

The United States, Britain and the black nationalist leaders of several factions
also agreed. Then the pro-Marxist nationalist leaders reneged and demanded an
innnediate take-over without regard to the wishes of the majority. The position
of Great Britain and our own government, in the face of this, has been somewhat
less than noble as is the United Nation's resolution.

This is Ronald Reagan.

Thanks for listening.

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=== Details ===
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<TR><TD WIDTH="150">Batch Number</TD><TD WIDTH="150">{{PAGENAME}}</TD></TR>
<TD>Production Date</TD><TD>05/04/[[Radio1977|1977]]</TD></TR>
<TD>Book/Page</TD><TD>[[Radio_Commentary_Books#Reagan.27s_Path_to_Victory|RPtV-152]]</TD></TR>
<TD>Audio</TD><TD></TD></TR>
<TD>Youtube?</TD><TD>No</TD></TR>
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===Added Notes===

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