745A.00/6–1953
Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State
for European Affairs (Merchant) to the Secretary of
State1
confidential
[Washington,] June 19,
1953.
Subject:
- Ambassador Jooste’s
(South Africa) Call On You On Monday, June 22.
[Page 999]
Discussion
Ambassador Jooste requested
this call following a talk he had with you at some social function
as he then received the impression that you wanted to talk to him
further with respect to South Africa. We understand he plans to
continue his exposition of the South African problem as he sees
it.
For your background, you may be interested in some of the impressions
gained by Mr. Raynor,
Director of BNA who has recently
returned from a survey trip to the Union. Highlights thereof are
attached.
Mr. Raynor will be available
if you desire him to be present during the Ambassador’s call.
Recommendations
- (1)
- That you listen to Ambassador Jooste’s exposition of the situation comparing
it mentally with the general observations outlined in the
attachment.
- (2)
- That in the course of the conversation you find an opportunity
to make the point that actions implementing the Group Areas Act
or removing the colored from the voting rolls are bound to
increase adverse public opinion in this country and thus limit
the freedom of action on the South African cases which the U.S.
Delegation to the General Assembly will have this fall. (It is
important that this observation not be made in a manner which
the Ambassador could construe as a threat but stated by way of
friendly advice.)
[Annex]
Impressions From a Visit to
South Africa
- 1.
- The present Nationalist government is firmly in the
saddle.
- 2.
- The Government holds the strongest kind of conviction that
its present apartheid policy is
correct. It is determined to carry it out and in the months
ahead further implementation of the Group Areas Act in the
major cities and an all-out effort to get the two-thirds
vote in Parliament required to remove the Cape Colored from
the common electoral roll can be expected. Both of these
actions will intensify adverse public opinion in the United
States and make it more difficult for the United States to
play a moderating role in the UN discussion of South
Africa.
- 3.
- There is no possibility of South Africa agreeing at this
time to the minimum conditions acceptable to the UN on the
status of Southwest Africa.
- 4.
- There has been a tremendous industrial and mining
development in the Union. Further expansion will require not
only foreign capital for the enterprises themselves but for
underlying services such as the railways which are in bad
shape. South Africa now has an International Bank loan
application for railway rehabilitation pending.
- 5.
- The resistance movement among the natives has at least
momentarily died out and there are signs that the rapprochement between the natives and
the Indians is not a firm one. The extreme measures taken
and to be expected by the present government must be
building up bitter hatred which it would appear would cause
serious trouble at some future date. Practically all
objective observers in the Union, however, feel that the
government has the means for some indefinite period ahead
(five to ten years or possibly even longer) to control the
situation by force, which they are perfectly able and
willing to do. A conclusion reached was that while the
situation, as we would view it, is most likely to get
considerably worse before it gets better, it is unlikely to
“blow up” in the near future.
- 6.
- The cleavage between the Afrikaners and the
English-speaking European group is deep and the feeling
bitter. It is felt, however, that the country will not be
likely to break up over this issue.
