Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Africa and South Asia, Volume XI, Part 1

122.51T/7–2754

The Consul at Dakar (Ferguson) to the Department of State

confidential
No. 17

Dakar, July 27, 1954.

Ref:

• CG’s Despatch No. 8 dated July 15, 1954¹

Subject:

• Desirability of an American Consulate at Abidjan, Ivory Coast, French West Africa.

A recent trip by the undersigned to the Ivory Coast served to a previously held opinion that it would be highly desirable to open a Consulate at Abidjan. I realize that the Department has given consideration to this proposal off and on for a number of years and I realize further that it is probably out of the question from a budgetary point of view at the present time. Nevertheless, it seems desirable to go on the record at this time while the impressions obtained during my visit there are still fresh in my mind and to express my sincere conviction that the interests of the United States Government in this part of the world would be better served if such an office were in existence.

The following appear to me to be the more impelling reasons for opening a Consulate at Abidjan:

1. Economic As the Department is aware, the Ivory Coast is, for the foreseeable future at least, by far the most important of the eight territories of French West Africa from an economic point of view. Furthermore, it is the only one with substantial trade connections with the United States, principally in the form of exports of cocoa and coffee but with a definite potential for more diverse economic reactions in the future. The Consulate General is able to follow the economic situation in the Ivory Coast by virtue of published material available in Dakar and, infrequently, by brief visits to the area in question. This is not a really satisfactory system and much of the material we process for reporting purposes is incomplete and almost all of it is out of date.

With the certain increase in the economic importance of the territory in the future, the Consulate General doubts that under its present system it can even hope to cover it adequately. The Consulate General will be prepared to support its opinion on the growing economic importance of the Ivory Coast with facts and figures should the Department so desire.

2. Consular Affairs While I have not given any extensive thought to the matter, a reasonable consular district for Abidjan would include the territories of the Ivory Coast, Upper Volta and Dahomey in French West Africa and the Trust Territory of French Togoland. The Consulate General’s records at the moment show 53 American citizens resident in the Ivory Coast, 68 in Upper Volta, 20 in Dahomey and 6 in Togoland, mostly missionaries. With the economic development of the Ivory Coast and, to a lesser extent, Dahomey, this figure may be expected to increase. Similarly the number of visa applicants will in all probability become greater for the same reason. With the opening of the excellent deep water port of Abidjan and the increase in trade with the United States, shipping and invoice services should also be kept in mind.

3. Informational Activities The Ivory Coast with its higher proportion of educated Africans offers a good field for USIA activity and during my visit there, I received several requests for films magazines etcetera. Misconceptions about the United States are prevalent and I believe useful work could be carried on. In a smaller scale the same is true of Dahomey although Upper Volta is probably too primitive for effective work and the French authorities certainly would not permit it in Togoland.

4. Political The Ivory Coast is, of course, the most politically articulate and mature of the eight territories of the Federation and political activity is intense and of growing importance. (Senegal is, of course politically fairly mature but with a French rather than a truly African coloration.) The Territorial Assembly of the Ivory Coast, as previously reported, has already gone beyond the limited powers entrusted to it in the Constitution of 1946 and is acting as de facto legislature with the full approval of the French authorities. It was in the Ivory Coast also that the only serious Communist inspired disturbances broke out and, although there seems little possibility of a recurrence of this type of activity, the fact remains that there exists in the Ivory Coast a potent native political force under the popular leader Felix Houphouët-Boigny which could turn against the French the moment the impression arose that the latter were working against, rather than for, the development of the area towards eventual autonomy. It is most difficult to follow this situation from Dakar and the Consulate General has to rely too often on official sources and material appearing in the press. An officer stationed permanently in Abidjan could undoubtedly establish contacts with important African political figures, impossible from the remoteness of Dakar, which could be of very great value to the Department.

Of equal importance is the question of French Togoland which is now in the Dakar consular district but which might as well be in the upper reaches of the Amazon as far as political reporting is concerned. We have no information here about Togoland and no possibility of obtaining any except by an actual visit to the area. I hope to be able to do this during the present fiscal year but infrequent short visits of this type where the officer concerned would be chaperoned at all times by the French authorities do not, in the final analysis, contribute very much to an understanding of the area. With the Togoland problem a constant thorn in the side of the United Nations and with considerable publicity being given to it,² it seems most unfortunate that the United States Government has no facilities for obtaining accurate and timely information. Our trouble in Dakar arises out of the fact that there is no official connection of any sort between French West Africa and the Trust Territory and officials here, even though perfectly willing to provide any information they may possess, know little more about French Togoland than I do and have no facilities for increasing their knowledge. While the Consulate General at Accra is, of course, geographically nearer Togoland than a Consulate at Abidjan would be, there seems little likelihood that the French will reconsider their refusal to grant an exequatur for Togoland to any American official not permanently stationed in French territory.Abidjan therefore which is reasonably near Lomé, the capital of French Togoland, would appear to be the answer and would permit frequent visits, some for protracted periods of time by qualified American officials.

Reverting to the budgetary situation, I do not think that the establishment of a Consulate at Abidjan need be particularly elaborate and, to meet the needs I have in mind, it could be staffed with one Consul (FSO 4 or 5), one vice Consul (FSO 6 or FSS 10), one American clerk and two or three local employees. Furthermore the expenses of running Dakar could be reduced somewhat with a Consulate at Abidjan particularly as our present authorized complement of two economic officers could be cut to one and much of the money we are now spending for publications etc could be transferred to the new office. Dakar’s budget for local travel could also be substantially reduced.

All in all, I am firmly convinced that when financially possible a Consulate at Abidjan would be of great benefit to the United States from the point of view of political, economic and other intelligence, for the promotion of American trade and for the general projection of the United States into an area of Africa which is increasing in importance with every month that passes.

C. Vaughan Ferguson, Jr.

1. Not printed; it reported the Consul’s preliminary impressions resulting from his travel in French West Africa. (751T.00/7–1554)
2. For further documentation on this subject, see vol. iii, pp. 1168 ff.