LETTER TO HERBERT E. MEYER FROM PETER SCHAEFER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85T00153R000300080009-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: January 4, 2017
• Document Release Date: April 28, 2008
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: December 12, 1983
• Content Type: LETTER

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Mr. Herbert E. Meyer
Vice Chairman,
National Intelligence Council
Washington, D.C. 20505
As we discussed last week, this letter will outline the results
of the presentation of Butch Otter's letter to Dwayne Andreas,
chairman of President Reagan's Task Force on International
Private Enterprise (final copy enclosed).
Butch was unable to attend due to heavy snows in Boise but the
proposal received considerable attention in the three
subcommittees and in the full Task Force. The Task Force
discussed whether their charter even allowed consideration of a
reorganization move but there was no objection in principle by
the chairman or AID staff.
The chairman, vice chairman and staff did voice some concern on
whether we wish to open the reorganization can of worms or as the
vice chairman (Parker Montgomery) said "put ourselves between a
dog and a lamp post". Clearly there is a tendancy on the part of
the Task Force leaders and AID staff to maintain the safe course
of recommending operational changes for the existing structure
rather than a new structure. Andreas deferred acting on the
proposal until the Task Force had reviewed the Carlucci
Commission's report while accepting the point that Carlucci was
opening the structural question which we might not be able to
avoid. But there was a reluctance to face the issue now.
In Butch's subcommittee the only reservation voiced was the
question of the charter's mandate to act. This has been resolved
so I assume that they would unanimously support further, serious
discussion of the Otter letter. The second subcommittee (policy)
took a vote and were unanimously in support of Otter while the
third did not formally vote but the sense of the members was
overwhelmingly supportive.
Although a majority of members were in attendance we don't know
how to judge those missing. However, the few no-shows that we
know well such as Mary Roebling will support this proposal since
we discussed the concept with her at the last meeting. In fact,
she is so hard-line that she said either do what Butch proposes
or disband AID entirely.
The only substantive questions were raised by member Michael Roth
and I spoke with him after the meeting and satisfied both his
concerns. I see two obvious stumbling blocks; the Carlucci
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Commission report and the Task Force staff reluctance.
Their reorganization proposal is far more sweeping and thus more
problematic than Otter's. Carlucci wants to combine economic and
military aid in one structure in effect changing the entire scope
of U.S. official development assistance (ODA). Its aim is
political and bureaucratic effciency and has little ideological
content.
The Otter proposal confined itself to redirecting ODA within its
present economic development context along lines already proposed
by President Reagan at Cancun and consistent with repeated
legislative language concerning suport for and involvement of the
private sector. We didn't even deal with the questions of
whether we reduce ODA social programs although the preference is
clear. That decision will be made by the President and Congress.
The Carlucci Commission did some decent work but there was a
dearth of conservative opinion and many members have a vested
interest in the existing ODA system. I am told that Admiral
Moorer was disappointed with the reorganization proposals while
Feulner and Coyne wrote an article critical of the overall job.
Melvyn Krauss (whose book Mr. Casey gave to Butch) also wrote a
critical piece which I enclose. Krauss is, by the way, going to
read the proposal and comment.
The opposite situation exists on the Task Force where almost
everyone is a conservative Republican businessman. With only 24
hours to read Otter's letter and only a few minutes to discuss it
the overwhelming member support suggests to me that the Task
Force is prepared to take decisive action, despite staff delays,
which should be more consistent with the President's perspective.
I fear that in deferring to Carlucci we will use others'
compromises to make our own.
It is axiomatic that no one likes to open a can of worms,
bureaucrats least of all. In theory the task force is formed to
break through bureaucratic inertia in order to innovate. In
practice any group of busy men are captives of their staff which
in this case are bureaucrats. Neither Butch nor I know the
artful motivation of bureacrats and do not know how to overcome
staff reluctance to tackle this large issue.
It does seem probable, though, that if someone above Mr.
McPherson were to quietly pass along the fact that Mr. Otter's
ideas were interesting and merited further consideration
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(implying perhaps that President Reagan were aware of the
concept) the propsal would get a fair hearing. This is all Butch
wants.
I don't know if this is possible nor do I know the mechanics of
it. Should Mr. Casey be willing to help at the White House, he
might perhaps suggest that one of his staff obtained a copy of
the Otter letter at the C.I.A. briefing (1:00 PM on Monday,
December 5th) and shared it with him.
I have postponed my trip to Manila until early January and would
enjoy taking you to lunch sometime before the holidays. Perhaps
after you have had a chance to discuss this further, we might meet.
Thanks for your help.
Sincerely yours,
cc: C.L. Otter
pfs
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