Expand All Collapse All Extent 3 folders, Approximately 7 pages Summary This collection consists of records related to a conversation held at approximately 1741 (5:41 pm) on April 10, 1994 between Ambassador to Rwanda, David Rawson and President William J. Clinton. The records relating to this conversation consist of one cable, one email, and one set of talking points. Scope and Content Note The materials in FOIA 2013-0540-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about additional related materials. The records relating to this conversation consist of one cable, one email, and one set of talking points. The United States established formal diplomatic relations with the Republic of Rwanda following a 1959 revolution and the dissolution of the United Nations Trust Territory Rwanda-Urundi. Formal diplomatic relations began in 1962, when the United States established the U.S. Embassy in Kigali. Dr. David Rawson was appointed as the eleventh Ambassador to Rwanda on November 22, 1993. As a career foreign service officer, this was not the first time that Rawson served in Rwanda. He was the political officer in the embassy in Rwanda from 1973-1975. When Rawson arrived as ambassador, Rwanda was in the third year of a civil war pitting the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups against each other. Begun by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in 1990, the civil war quieted following the August 1993 Arusha Accords agreement. That peace agreement was short lived when an airplane carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down in Kigali on April 6, 1994. The still simmering hostilities between Hutu and Tutsi quickly erupted into warfare and genocide. As violence escalated and the security situation deteriorated, Ambassador Rawson determined it was time to abandon the American Embassy. The decision to evacuate was approved by Secretary of State Warren Christopher on April 9, 1994. Preparations continued through the 9th and the Americans evacuated by convoy on 10 April. Rawson spoke with President Clinton on the evening of the 10th after arriving at the American Embassy in Bujumbura, Burundi. The Department of State has a large collection of declassified records related to Rwanda available online at http://www.state.gov/m/a/ips/c43954.htm. Record Type Textual System of Arrangement Records that are responsive to this request were found in this collection area—Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management System. Access Collection is open to all researchers. Access to Clinton Presidential Records is governed by the Presidential Records Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. Chapter 22, as amended) and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552, as amended) and therefore records may be restricted in whole or in part in accordance with legal exemptions. Copyright Documents in this collection that were prepared by officials of the United States government as part of their official duties are in the public domain. Researchers are advised to consult the copyright law of the United States (17 U.S.C. Chapter 1) which governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Provenance Official records of William Jefferson Clinton’s presidency are housed at the Clinton Presidential Library and administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) under the provisions of the Presidential Records Act (PRA). Processed by Staff Archivist, 2013. Previously restricted materials are added as they are released. Last Modified Date 2015-09-15 Container List The following is a list of documents and folders processed in response to 2013-0540-F: Box 1 Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management System NSC Cables Jan 1993-Dec 1994 [OA/ID 505000] [Rawson and Rwanda] [04/10/1994] NSC Email A1-Record (Jan 93-Sept 94) [OA/ID 570000] [Rawson and Rwanda] [04/21/1994] NSC Records Management System [Rawson and Rwanda] 9410229 [OA/ID 4015]