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Analysis of the Appointment of the First African American Ambassador to Apartheid-Era South Africa Mary Jo Wills Dissertation Su

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Analysis of the Appointment of the First African American Ambassador to Apartheid-Era South Africa Mary Jo Wills Dissertation Su Analysis of the Appointment of the First African American Ambassador to Apartheid-Era South Africa Mary Jo Wills Dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In Public Administration and Public Affairs KarenM.Hult, Chair James F. Wolf Matthew M. Dull Patrick S. Roberts October 14, 2014 Alexandria, Virginia Keywords: Edward J. Perkins, Ambassadorial Appointments, South Africa, Reagan Administration © 2014 Mary Jo Wills Analysis of the Appointment of the Edward J. Perkins, the first African American Ambassador to Apartheid-Era South Africa Mary Jo Wills ABSTRACT This study applies the metaphor of two-level games to generate explanations of how and why President Reagan chose to appoint Edward J. Perkins ambassador to South Africa. It explored the relationship between national and international factors that may have influenced Reagan’s decision, as well as his policy preferences, beliefs and values. International factors included U.S.-South Africa relations, alliances, international organizations, and transnational movements for human rights and racial equality. Among the domestic factors were the dynamics between the executive and legislative branches of government, interest groups, and activism. National and international politics and policies overlapped in four areas—strategic interests, race, morality, and national values. Analysis of the evidence suggests that while international events were an important part of the context of the decision, domestic politics and the President's own views had the most influence on the decision. The Perkins appointment exemplified how a personnel selection might reaffirm national reconciliation of opposing views on race, ethnicity, democratic values and national interests. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I thank all the members of my dissertation committee, especially Professor Karen Holt for her boundless patience, generosity and guidance in completing this dissertation. I am also very grateful to Professor Emeritus, James Wolf for his support over the years and for offering to stay on my committee, and Professor Matthew Dull and Professor Patrick Roberts for agreeing to work with me. I appreciate greatly all the assistance I received from the staff at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, especially, Mr. Kelly Barton. I am also grateful to the National Defense University Library for access to the Digital National Security Archive. On a personal level, I must thank my dear friends, Ms. Maryanne Thomas and Ambassador Joseph Huggins, for their spiritual guidance and support. Last and most important I thank my family, especially my husband, Calvin D. Wills, Sr., for all their love and support. iii DISCLAIMER The views expressed in this dissertation are the author’s own views. They do not represent those of the Department of State or the U.S. government. iv Table of Contents Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 1 Research Questions......................................................................................................................... 1 Overview......................................................................................................................................... 2 Significance of the Research........................................................................................................... 4 Organization of the Study............................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 1......................................................................................................................................... 6 Conceptual Framework and Existing Scholarship.......................................................................... 6 Conceptual Framework................................................................................................................... 6 Existing Scholarship ....................................................................................................................... 7 Foreign Policy Decision-Making.................................................................................................... 8 Routine Policy Environment and Decision-Making....................................................................... 9 Presidential Selection of Ambassadors......................................................................................... 11 Scholarship on Reagan South Africa Policy: Perkins Appointment............................................. 13 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 14 Chapter 2....................................................................................................................................... 15 Hypotheses and Research Design ................................................................................................. 15 Hypotheses.................................................................................................................................... 15 Research Design ........................................................................................................................... 15 Case Study .................................................................................................................................... 16 Period Examined........................................................................................................................... 16 Process Tracing............................................................................................................................. 16 Data Sources and Collection......................................................................................................... 17 1. Documents ................................................................................................................................ 17 2. Interviews.................................................................................................................................. 18 Data Analysis Techniques ............................................................................................................ 20 Limitations of the Study ............................................................................................................... 22 Chapter 3....................................................................................................................................... 23 Levels of Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 23 U.S.-South Africa Relations ......................................................................................................... 24 Carter Administration ................................................................................................................... 26 Reagan Administration - First Term............................................................................................. 28 The Second Term.......................................................................................................................... 35 v Domestic Politics and Policies...................................................................................................... 56 International Politics and Policies................................................................................................. 66 Relationships between the Executive, Advisors and Constituencies............................................ 72 Chapter 4....................................................................................................................................... 77 Search for an African American Ambassador .............................................................................. 77 Inside the White House................................................................................................................. 77 White House Procedures............................................................................................................... 77 Candidates for Ambassadorships..................................................................................................83 Ambassadors to South Africa ....................................................................................................... 86 Identifying a “Black” Nominee .................................................................................................... 92 Robert Brown................................................................................................................................ 92 Inside the State Department........................................................................................................ 101 Process, Procedure and Norms in Identifying Ambassadorial Candidates................................. 102 Terence Todman ......................................................................................................................... 106 Edward Perkins ........................................................................................................................... 109 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 111 Chapter 5....................................................................................................................................
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