In Search of Enemies - A CIA Story - John Stockwell

[250] IN SEARCH OF ENEMIES
chief was a good job for a GS 14 but I could not get interested either
in the work or the prestige.
In September we were summoned to briefthe new deputy director
of operations, Bill Welles. A colleague made some introductory remarks
about the Horn of Africa. Then Brenda MacElhinney, the
new Ethiopia/Somalia section chief, took the floor and began to
describe the situation in her countries. Ethiopia and Somalia were
nearly at war. The Soviets had been arming Somalia with modern
weapons; jets; tanks; rockets that would fire from the Somali coast
to the capital of Ethiopia; and Soviet as well as Cuban advisors.
The United States was almost forcing its arms on the not too
friendly Ethiopian leaders, as it sought to confront the Soviet Union.
A senior State Department officer at the post had written a letter
protesting the expanding U.S. involvement but it had been suppressed.
Welles commented that we should stay on top of the situation. The
CIA might well be asked to launch a covert program in the Hom
of Africa.
When he said that, I spoke out. The Horn wasn't my area of
responsibility but I could not resist.
"Sir," I said, "are we really going to do it again? I mean, this war
hasn't started yet, and we still have time to get ourselves out of it."
He looked at me and laughed outright.
"You'd like to win for once, wouldn't you? I know what you
mean." He paused and then continued. "But remember, we're
professionals. We might well be called on to harass the Soviets while
they are making a move in Somalia, just so it won't be easy for
them."*
The CIA was casting about for the next war, amoral, ruthless,
eager to do its thing. Its thing being covert little games where the
action was secret and no one kept score.
But history increasingly keeps score, and the CIA's operations are
*As the world tu med, a year later, in the fall of 1977, the Soviets were expelled from
Somalia and began to arm Ethiopia. The United States promptly leaped to the
Somali side, threatening in February 1978 to ann Somalia if Ethiopia mounted
hostile action across the border. This time, however, the State Department prevailed
over the CIA option. The United States launched an effort through diplomatic
channels to force a cessation of hostilities.