Documents / Official release
This Clinton Presidential Library folder holds NSC cables from January 1999 to December 2000, filed under the heading "Flying Saucer or UFO". A withdrawal sheet lists eleven cables that were withheld in full or in part under Presidential Records Act and FOIA restrictions. The released cables include an FBIS summary of a Bogota TV newscast, which notes that a UFO photograph printed by El Espectador was a hoax. They also include a US Embassy Beijing report on Quanzhou, Fujian, and a Vladivostok cable on Governor Yevgeniy Nazdratenko.
“Cooper”3 pages
Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.
LACES BA'THIST FORMULAIC INTRODUCTIONS: "COMRADE ZAINAB MAHMOUD, MEMBER OF THE DEIR AZ-ZOR SECTION OF THE VANGUARD YOUTH PARTY." THIS MELANGE OF SOCIALISM, CLASSICAL ARABIC (THE LANGUAGE OF ARAB UNITY) AND SOCIAL VOLUNTEERISM IMPARTS TO FUTURE GENERATIONS A SENSE OF VOLUNTEERISM REMINISCENT OF SCOUT GROUPS IN THE WEST, YET SHAPED BY A RIGID SCHEME OF PARTY IDEOLOGY AND REWARDS. UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 04 DAMASCUS 003515 USIA STATE FOR ARN/NEA-EMILLARD, INR USIA FOR PAGNEW, NEA-DSREEBNY, LHALE, CHUNTER; I/GNEA-AWALDEN; E/NEA-MQUINN, JSEDLINS; E/VGN- AOLEARY, ASHIFLETT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL, SY SUBJECT: NGO'S IN SYRIA: BUILDING BLOCKS OF CIVIL SOCIETY? 5. THE WOMEN'S UNION IS THE ONLY OFFICIAL WOMEN'S GROUP IN SYRIA. WHILE FOUNDED TO FURTHER THE PARTY, THE UNION DOES AT TIMES ATTRACT NON-PARTY MEMBERS TO WOMEN'S ISSUES SEMINARS. A RECENT UNION CULTURAL WEEK INCLUDED LECTURES ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN ISLAM AND IN THE QURAN BOTH BY A CONSERVATIVE THEOLOGIAN AND BY A REFORMIST ISLAMIC THEORETICIAN. BOTH EVENTS WERE PACKED WITH A MIX OF PARTY FAITHFUL AND OF VEILED (SCARVED) WOMEN PROBABLY NOT IN THE PARTY. WOMEN'S UNION SEMINARS TO DRAFT THE POST-BEIJING PROPOSAL FOR SYRIA INCLUDED NON-PARTY LAWYERS AND TEACHERS WHO FOCUSED ON WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN'S RIGHTS AND ON THE NEED FOR CURRICULUM CHANGES. 6. SYRIAN LABOR SYNDICATES AND PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS ARE PRO FORMA AND RARELY ENHANCE PROFESSIONAL COOPERATION. EVEN THOUGH UNIONS HOLD ELECTIONS, OFFICIALS ARE DETERMINED BY PARTY STRUCTURE. AS ONE TRADE UNION BRANCH HEAD PUT IT, "THE ELECTIONS FOR UNION OFFICERS ARE 'DEMOCRACIYYA SHAKLIYYA,' DEMOCRACY IN FORM BUT NOT CONTENT." PROFESSIONALS AVOID STERILE BA'THIST ASSOCIATIONS SINCE THERE IS NO OPPORTUNITY IN THE RIGID PARTY STRUCTURE FOR TRUE COLLABORATION. CHANCES FOR PROFESSIONAL DIALOGUE ARE RARE. USIS SEMINARS FOR COMPUTER AND ENGLISH TEACHING PROFESSIONS DRAW ENTHUSIASTIC PARTICIPANTS WHO TELL US THE EVENTS PROVIDE THEIR FIRST CHANCE TO DISCUSS SHARED INTERESTS WITH PROFESSIONAL COLLEAGUES; THEY BUSILY EXCHANGE EXPERIENCES AND PHONE NUMBERS DURING SEMINAR BREAKS. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AS A NICHE FOR COMMUNITY ACTION
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Official release, from the nara collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 64 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.