Press Release

Office of the Historian
Bureau of Public Affairs
United States Department of State
November 18, 2016

The Department of State released today Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume XVII, Part 1, Horn of Africa.

This volume is part of a subseries of volumes of the Foreign Relations series that documents the foreign policy decision making of the administration of President Jimmy Carter. The focus of the volume is on the administration’s approach to events in the Horn of Africa and includes relations with Ethiopia, Somalia, and Djibouti (before and after its independence).

This volume addresses Somali President Siad Barre’s entreaties for U.S. military aid before and after the Somali invasion of Ethiopia’s Ogaden Desert, the U.S. response to Soviet and Cuban intervention on behalf of Ethiopia, attempts to negotiate an end to the Ogaden war, and efforts to retain U.S. influence in the region. Furthermore, the volume documents the arguments between Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Zbigniew Brzezinski over an appropriate response to the Soviet intervention, and whether to link Soviet behavior in the Horn of Africa to other bilateral issues, such as Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.

This volume was compiled and edited by Louise P. Woodroofe. The volume and this press release are available on the Office of the Historian website at https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1977-80v17p1. Copies of the volume will be available for purchase from the U.S. Government Printing Office online at http://bookstore.gpo.gov (GPO S/N 044-000-02681-3; ISBN 978-0-16-093462-9), or by calling toll-free 1-866-512-1800 (D.C. area 202-512-1800). For further information, contact history@state.gov.