TedLipien.com, Truckee, CA, January 03, 2011 — The following is not a State Department cable. It was not written by The Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale and not leaked by Wiki Leaks:
TOTALLY TOP SECRET
PARA 5 & 6 ATT. U.S. EMBASSY WARSAW
SUBJECT: Ronald Reagan As A Subversive Model for U.S. Public Diplomacy in Former Soviet Block Countries
You may not like to hear this, but by now, most people in East-Central Europe know that President Obama has little interest in the region and has sacrificed its security to win approval of the Kremlin for elusive deals on Iran, Afghanistan, and START. They also know that he’s ignoring serious violations of human rights in Russia, Belarus, and in other countries. They feel betrayed and many blame the United States and the American people, accusing the U.S. of acting again in an FDR-like manner that produced for them Yalta and decades of Soviet domination.
In conducting public diplomacy with the goal of defending long-term U.S. interests in the region, and keeping in mind the inevitable need to repair the damage and restore a healthy relationship with loyal U.S. allies in East-Central Europe after President Obama leaves office, American diplomats should consider using the following themes in their Embassy-supported programs and in contacts with the local media and the public:
1. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s pro-Russia policy was promptly reversed after his death by President Truman, another Democract, and later by President Eisenhower, a Republican. The same may happen to President Obama’s love affair with Putin and Medvedev after he is no longer in the White House.
2. You may want to emphasize the losses suffered by the Democrats in the 2010 Congressional elections and point out that no U.S. President governs forever. Point out that the Republicans will be now in a better position to watch over his shoulder for the next two years.
3. Significant Republican opposition to the START Treaty and President Obama’s vision of relations with the Kremlin should be highlighted rather than ignored.
4. Lower the focus on President Obama and use the example of President Reagan as a typical American leader who defended freedom and independence of East-Central Europe with the support of both Republicans and Democrats and would not agree to one-sided deals with Moscow.
5. Try joining local initiatives, such as the one in Poland, to help commemorate the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth. You may also try sending to your media contacts in Poland the White House photo showing President Reagan with Pope John Paul II.
6. Repost on U.S. Embassy websites and social media sites the YouTube video of Ronald Reagan’s Christmas 1981 address to the American people, in which promises America’s full support for the struggle of the Polish people against communist repression.
If you do not see the video of President Reagan’s Christmas address to the American people in 1981, try this link.
END OF TOTALLY TOP SECRET CABLE
