Editorial Note
Prior to and in connection with his attendance at the North African Diplomatic and Consular Conference at Tangier, Morocco, October 2–7, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs McGhee and a small party of advisers visited London (September 16–23), Paris (September 23–26), Tunis (September 27), Tripoli (September 28), Casablanca (September 29), and Rabat (September 30).
While in London, Assistant Secretary McGhee and his party held discussions with British Foreign Office, Colonial Office, and Commonwealth Relations Office officials (September 18–23) on a lengthy, previously agreed upon agenda of topics covering South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The agenda items for Africa included current problems in Eritrea and Libya, Communist activity in Africa, the principles: governing the investment of American capital in African colonies, alleged trade discrimination against the United States in African colonies based on balance of payments difficulties, a review of British colonial policies in Africa, and proposed procedures for initiating Point Four programs in Africa. Records of Assistant Secretary McGhee’s discussions with British officials on principal African topics are printed in the immediately following pages. Regarding his meetings with British officials on Greece, Turkey, and Iran, see pages 407, 591, and 1316. A comprehensive collection of records of the American-British discussions in London, September 18–23, is included in file 780.00/9–1850. Correspondence on the preparations for those discussions is included in file 120.4371.
Assistant Secretary McGhee arranged to confer in Paris on September 25 and 26 with French Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Overseas Territories officials on a variety of Near Eastern questions and on the following African topics: Communist activities in Africa, French colonial policies in Africa, proposals for the opening of new American Foreign Service posts in West Africa, current problems in Libya, proposed procedures for initiating Point Four programs in Africa, and the problem of Moroccan trade controls. Complete records of the American-French meetings in Paris have not been found, but for the general review of problems in French Africa below the Sahara, see the memorandum of conversation by Bourgerie and Lloyd, September 25, page 1558. Correspondence on the preparations for the American-French discussions is included in file 120.4371.
For records of the visit of Assistant Secretary of State McGhee’s party to Tunis on September 27 and his audience with the Sultan of Morocco in Rabat on September 30, see pages 1786 and 1747. A [Page 1551] memorandum of McGhee’s conversation with the Mufti of Tripolitania, Sheikh Mohammed Abul As’ Ad Al Alam in Tripoli on September 28 is included in file 611.73/9–2850.