Papers Show 'First Black President' Ignored Rwanda Genocide

Talon News ^ | 4/2/2004 | Jeff Gannon

[ConservativeMajority]

WASHINGTON (Talon News) -- Recently declassified documents show that President Clinton knew of the genocide that was occurring in Rwanda much earlier than he has repeatedly said.

Papers obtained by the National Security Archive, an independent non-governmental research institute, reveal that Clinton and other high-ranking officials in his administration were aware of the slaughter that eventually took the lives of 800,000 Tutsis and Hutus in the African nation a full month before they began to publicly comment about it.

A report issued by the institute details an April 23, 1994 CIA briefing circulated to Clinton and others, including Vice President Al Gore, that said Rwandan rebels "may be willing to meet Rwandan military officers and political party leaders to try to stop the genocide, which relief workers say is spreading south".

Three days later, then Secretary of State Warren Christopher and other officials were told of "genocide and partition" and of declarations of a "final solution to eliminate all Tutsis". But the United States did not officially use the term until May 25.

The U.K. Guardian quoted Alison des Forges, a Human Rights Watch researcher and authority on the genocide, as saying, "They feared this word would generate public opinion which would demand some sort of action and they didn't want to act."

She said of the report, "It's powerful proof that they knew."

William Ferroggiaro, the report's author, suggested to Reuters that not using the word "genocide" in public helped ward off pressure for action by the Clinton administration. He said the United States was loathe to get involved partly because of the killing of U.S. soldiers whose bodies were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia six months earlier in October 1993.

Ferroggiaro added, "The reason they didn't act was first and foremost Rwanda is not of any national significance to the United States. Sealing the deal was Somalia. What the U.S. saw in Rwanda was a potential Somalia."

The report contradicts Clinton's assertions that he was unaware of the holocaust that was taking place. On a visit to the Rwandan capital of Kigali in 1998, he apologized for not acting quickly enough or immediately calling the crimes genocide.

"It may seem strange to you here, especially the many of you who lost members of your family, but all over the world, there were people like me sitting in offices, day after day after day who did not fully appreciate the depth and speed with which you were being engulfed by this unimaginable terror," Clinton said.

The New York Times quoted various Clinton administration officials about the massacre.

W. Anthony Lake, Clinton's national security adviser, said, "We should have done more."

Madeleine K. Albright, then the United States ambassador to the United Nations, said, "I wish I had pushed for a large humanitarian intervention."

Clinton himself said, "I'll always regret that Rwandan thing."

Copyright © 2004 Talon News -- All rights reserved.

[Mike Bates]

Let's have a commission to examine how the government under Klintoon failed to do anything to stop the genocide. Bring it on!

Michael M. Bates: My Side of the Swamp

[cripplecreek]

I posted something like that at the DU yesterday and sent them into a rage. It got the typical responses while it was there.

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[inquest]

He didn't just ignore it. By supporting UN "peacekeeping" missions which disarmed Tutsi civilians, he aided and abetted it.

[Alberta's Child]

After what this nation went through with Bill Clinton, I've made up my mind that I'll vote for a Communist farmer before I ever vote for a lawyer. The Clinton administration's rationale for their actions in the Rwanda affair were so typical of what you find in dealings with a lawyer.

This was their logic:

1. If the United Nations officially designate the atrocities in Rwanda "genocide," then the U.S. has an obligation under one or more treaties to provide military support to a U.N. peacekeeping mission.

2. Therefore, let's pressure the U.N. to call this something other than "genocide."

3. Hey, look -- the U.N. hasn't called it "genocide," so we don't have to do anything about it.

4. Let's make a pilgrimage of sorts to Rwanda years later. Bill Clinton / Madeleine Albright / Etc.: "I admit that the United States made a big mistake in not putting a stop to this."

Bullsh!t, you @ssholes -- the United States didn't make any "mistake" -- YOU did. Utterly disgraceful.

[CyberAnt]

I was watching Frontline last night and they had a very long story on Rwanda and the killings there.

The story WAS NOT KIND TO CLINTON AT ALL. In fact, I would call it a hit piece.

It's really ugly - and one really amazing part was when the UN people came for the WHITE PEOPLE and wouldn't allow any BLACK PEOPLE in their rescue vehicles. Some of the white people (embassy staff I think) said they lied about some people being American citizens, just so they could save their lives. ONLY WHITE PEOPLE WERE TAKEN OUT - NO BLACK PEOPLE. There were some very upset Americans at how we acted.

This is a very ugly story - and the media has hidden it. Maybe the Frontline story has run before - but why bring it out again now - maybe to take a little of the shine off the Clintons - after Clarke's attempts to show them as doing so much about terrorism.

[CyberAnt]

I think that's a great idea. However, by the time that happens, there won't be enough democrats left in congress to get a bi-partisan commission.

[CyberAnt]

Good analysis. And .. you're right .. they are so willing to point fingers except at themselves.