776.5 MSP/10–2954
The Department of State to the Liberian Embassy
Aide-Mémoire
The United States Government is pleased to inform the Liberian Government that its request to purchase certain military equipment on credit, payment to be made in three equal annual installments is granted. The designated Liberian representative for purchasing military equipment should approach the Office of the Comptroller of the Foreign Operations Administration in order to complete the necessary arrangements.
Discussions within the United States Government have led to the conclusion that certain steps should be taken by the Liberian Government before the size of the United States Army Mission can usefully be [Page 536] increased. It is understood that some time in the past the United States Army Mission in Liberia suggested to the Liberian Government certain courses of action to improve the Liberian defense structure and to make training more effective.1 The Mission proposed (1) reorganization of the Liberian War Department and Frontier Force, (2) the provision of adequate indoor training facilities for use during inclement weather and increasing the availability of officers and enlisted men for regular and prescribed training, and (3) improving the serviceability of arms and equipment by providing adequate storage facilities, adequate maintenance facilities, and the accomplishment of proper maintenance operations. Knowledgeable military training experts consider implementation of these recommendations necessary before the United States Army Mission’s personnel complement be increased.
The United States Government is also pleased to inform the Liberian Government that the United States Army Mission is prepared to assist it in carrying out these recommendations. Dependent upon the degree of progress which might make desirable increasing the size of the mission, the United States Government will again give careful and sympathetic consideration to such a request.
In connection with the Liberian Government’s desire for advice in military planning, the designated chief of the United States Army Mission, Lt. Colonel Hyman Chase, is being authorized to assist the Liberian Government in formulating readiness plans in addition to his regular duties in conjunction with training. Lt. Colonel Chase’s experience particularly qualifies him for rendering such assistance.
- Col. Oscar Randall, Chief of the U.S. Military Mission, had prepared a report for the Liberian War Department on Nov. 11, 1953 entitled “The Program for Armed Forces in Liberia”. Ambassador Locker attached it to his letter to Cyr of Sept. 1, 1954, not printed. (776.55/9–154)↩