LOBBYING FIRM WITH CLOSE TIES TO WHITE HOUSE TAKES ON JOB OF BOOSTING MARXIST ANGOLA'S IMAGE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00587R000200830004-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 23, 2010
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: March 3, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/29: CIA-RDP91-00587R000200830004-7
WALL STREET JOURNAL
3 March 1986
- STAT
POLITICS AND POLICY
Lobbying Firm With Close Ties to White House
Takes On Job of Boosting Marxist Angola's Image
By Roewr S. GamHa*GEa
Staff Reports of THr WAl A STRX=T JOUi141AL
WASHINGTON-Gray an influ-
golans have hired Gray to counter with Mr Gaspar-Martins performed wve!! He
a campaign that will cost at least $50,000 a told American viewers that Mr Sa. imbi
month. It will feature public appearances was a "terrorist" and then agreed with
by Angola's United Nations ambassador. Secretary of State George Shultz that it is
congressional testimony by experts, and correct to combat terrorism-" He also
about anything else that might slow the stressed Mr. Savimbi's links with South .Af
drive led by U.S. conservatives to win sub- rica s white-ruled government. which aids
stantial American aid for Mr. Savimbi. 'he robel leader.
Even in Washington, where unusual al- Angola is so eager to polish its image
liances are common, Gray & Co. and An- in the U.S. that it didn t want to wait until
gola are an odd couple. Robert Gray, the a t2-month contract with Gray could be
firm's founder, is a longtime Reagan man signed in the Angolan capital of Luanda
who was chairman of the president's first and returned to Washington. Thus, in Jan-
inaugural. The dapper Mr. Gray is more caiv a one-month, 520,000 agreement was
accustomed to rubbing elbows with Rea- -signed here by Gray and John Sassi, an
ganites at black-tie dinners than to pitch- American consultant acting on behalf of
ing the praises of proletarian Angola. And
hi used to keep an eye on com-
Mun sts as deputy director o it e Central
Intelligence Agency and a top aide to Vice
President George Bush.
ists, hired another well-connected Wash-
ington public-relations firm, Black. Mana-
fort. Stone & Kelly, which for $600,000
made Mr. Savimbi out to be Africa's an.
swer to George Washington. Now, the An.
ing for? It's the
Communist govern-
ment of Angola.
As a result.
Washington is get-
ting ready for round
two of the Angolan
public- relations
wars, an expensive
mixture of image-
polishing and partial
truths.
In round one.
Jonas Savimbi, an
insurgent leader bat-
tling Angola's Marx-
ential lobbying firm close ties to the
White House, is hard at work touting the
deep religious feelings of its latest client.
"I was very surprised to learn that ev-
erybody (there) goes to church on Sun-
day," says Daniel Murphy, a retired four-
star admiral who now navigates Gray's
campaign for the client. What's more, says
.Mr. Murphy. a Gray vice chairman. "at
least one-third of the Politburo members
are practicing Presbyterians."
Who is the client with the Politburo full
Taking the Other Side Angola, to begin work immediately on the
But now, Gray & Co. is pitted against account.
the administration which recent y ap- Mr. Sassi was employed for 20 years,
proved n in as much million on until last June, by Gulf Corp., the Chevron
covert military aid for Mr. Savimbi's Corp. subsidiary that owns a huge oil facil-
ores_ ity jointly with Angola. Gulf has been the
The firm's efforts have infuriated right- target of both Mr. Savimbi, who threatens
to blow up the facility, and U.S. conserva-
wingers, who charge that Gray is turning tives, who want to boycott the company
"pink." because its huge royalty payments help
If these were more sensible times, this Angola pay for the war against Mr. Sa-
kind of activity would lead to a trial for vimbi. Mr. Sassi insists that Gulf has "ab-
treason,' grouses Howard Phillips, chair- solutely nothing" to do with the $20,000
man of the Conservative Caucus. contract, that he will be repaid by Angola
Adm. Murphy, who spent 35 years in and that Gulf money isn't being funneled
the Navy, says all he is doing is engaging through his consulting firm to help pro-
communism in a different theater. ''Al- mote Angola's image.
though a lot of cynics would laugh. there is 1 have absolutely no ties with Gulf.''
a way to wean away a Marxist govern- he asserts. He says he is negotiating his
merit from the Soviet ramp,'' he insists, own contract with Angola to supplement
without poking the (Soviets hear with a Gray's image-building efforts.
big stick to see him growl.'' Bringing An- At the same time, efforts are under way
Bola and the Vest closer together 'is to undercut Mr. Savimbi's image. Mr
something I would hope we'd help accom- Sassi. for example, tells a reporter that he
plash. he says. thinks the Angolan insurgent leader-who
The term began this crusade about .: likes to call himself Dr. Savimbi-may be
month ago by giving some te!e%ision lying about his academic credentials. A
coaching to Ismael Gaspar-Martins. An- State Department analyst, however, con
gola s minister of foreign trade, before his firms that Mr. Savimbi received a doctor
joint appearance with Mr. Savimbi on the f philosophy degree from Lausanne l'ni
'MacNeil Lehrer Newshour'' program. ersity in Switzerland, where he wrote a
Gray & i'o. s media experts advised Mr. dissertation titled "The Implications of
Gaspar Martins to wear a conservative Yalta for the Third World.")
suit and tie to contrast with Mr. Savimbi s l' S. analysts concede that the Angolans
preference for Third World-style Nehru are more ideologically flexible than many
suits, and to keep making a few basic :her Marxist regimes. Angola welcomes
points regardless of the questions. ' e benefits of Western commerce .ind
Foe Called 'Terrorist' hnology; church attendance in the coin
rv is widespread: and many Angolans
Aire educated by Christian missionaries
Ne~erthetess. Angola isnt an enlight
cried -democracy. The government is but
tressed by the presence of more than i0.ah.K)
Cuban troops, and press freedom and the
right to travel are tightly controlled. More-
the State Department's 1985 human
rghts report says the Angolan government
emphasizes the importance of propagat
!ng atheism and has been critical of reti
gious activities. ' Recently, the An.(,l.,n
army has been bringing in truckloads .f
:een-age boys and forcing them to serve i
he military, one analyst says.
\s Mr. Murphy puts it, ''Their image
problem is that they're a bunch of comma
nists who have a bunch of Cub,ins
:here.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/29: CIA-RDP91-00587R000200830004-7