I am of the opinion that the Conference was highly successful, and,
in so far as our operations here at Salisbury are concerned, it was
very useful. All of the Officers in the Union having anything to do
with Central Africa were unanimous in contending that the pressure
of their own work in the Union precludes proper coverage of
activities and developments in Central Africa. In other words, the
Minerals Attaché, Economic and Agricultural Officers, say they
cannot cover both the Union and Central Africa and do a proper
job.
You will observe that the first recommendation of the Conference
deals with the question of Native Affairs. It was agreed by all,
with the exception of Don
Lamm, that this question is the most important that
faces us in this region. You will observe that I dealt with this in
my paper, and unbeknownst to me the same thoughts had been occupying
the attention of Ambassador Gallman, Joe
Sweeney, and Dave
Robertson. I do not know what the prospects are for
assigning an officer to undertake this important work, but if the
recommendation of the Conference is acted upon I would like to
submit the following ideas for your consideration.
First, it occurs to me that there are two eminently qualified men for
the job of covering Native developments (nationalism) in this
region. [Page 8] They are Joe Sweeney who returns shortly to
a desk job in the Department, and the other one is “Bill” Brown of
DRN.2 Either one would do a top-notch
job. Under any circumstance the appointee must not be a
“long-haired” guy with no knowledge of Africa. You will observe we
recommend such an officer be centrally located. In this connection,
I refer you to my observations on pages 7 and 8 of my paper,3 which I
believe are sufficiently self-explanatory.
I firmly believe that the appointment of such an officer would be one
of the most important contributions the Department could make in our
efforts to understand the race problems which presently beset this
part of the world. If, at any time in the future our inquisitive
Congressional Committees should look into our policies toward this
race-torn continent, and review our efforts to be one step ahead of
developments, I am certain they would applaud the appointment of a
Native Affairs Officer.
There was considerable informal discussion which emanated voluntarily
from the key officers in the Union concerning the desirability of
transferring South Africa to your shop and everyone seems to be
agreed that it is the proper thing to do. The Ambassador told me he
was going to study the matter and would then probably approach the
Department informally on the subject. They all felt that they would
get a better deal administratively and also receive more attention
from the Political Office.
At your convenience, I would appreciate having your reaction to my
paper and the Conference’s recommendations.
[Enclosure]
Statement by the Consul General at
Salisbury (
Sims
) to
the American Consular Conference,
Capetown, March 11–13, 1952
confidential
[
Capetown
, March 11,
1952.]
Review of Problems in Central
Africa
Mr. Ambassador:4
[Page 9]
Gentlemen:
The importance of Central Africa, consisting of the
self-governing country of Southern Rhodesia and the two British
Protectorates of Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, lies in its
centralized geographic position; its economic and political
relationship with contiguous territories, South African,
Belgian, Portuguese and British; its native problems; its role
as an area of European settlement in which problems of
development and race relations are crucial; and the significance
of its strategic raw materials to the Free World.
Stated more specifically, but without attempting a comprehensive
formulation, the following constitute the major problems for
analyses in Central Africa.
Economic
Aside from routine reporting on economic affairs, it is essential
to the welfare of the Free World that basic analyses of the
economic potentialities of the region be undertaken, with
emphasis on the fundamental factors in economic developments
such as capital available, transportation facilities, the
quality and character of technical and managerial personnel,
volume and productivity of the labor force and government policy
toward economic development. Careful studies of the prospects
for farming—European and Native—mining and industry are
required. We hope to initiate detailed studies of such projects
as the Sabi-Lundi irrigation scheme and the possibilities
inherent in the Kariba Gorge hydroelectric scheme. Economic
relations with contiguous territories, the United Kingdom, the
United States and other non-African countries should be
carefully reviewed.
Significant of the development which has taken place in Southern
Rhodesia in recent years, is the statement released by the World
Bank when it granted a 28 million dollar loan to the country on
February 28.5 The Bank said: “Southern
Rhodesia has grown at one of the most rapid rates of economic
expansion to be found anywhere in the world.”
With the limited staff which we have in Salisbury it is apparent
that proper coverage of this fast growing area is not possible.
We are fortunate, however, to have the assistance of Mr.
Frisbie, who has been given the task of
covering the basic mineral reporting for Central Africa. In view
of the rapid expansion now taking place throughout Central
Africa in the base mineral industry and the importance of these
raw materials to our rearmament program, I would like to suggest
that this Conference review the present arrangement for
reporting on this subject to determine whether it is adequate
for our purposes. Traditionally, officers in Pretoria and
Johannesburg [Page 10] assigned to
cover Central Africa have been forced, by the pressure of their
own work in the Union, to give only summary treatment to the
problems in Central Africa. This is no reflection on either the
offices or officers in the Union, because there is certainly a
limit as to how much work can be performed in the course of a
working day, week or month. Therefore, I would like to suggest
that the Conference review this matter and give consideration to
ways and means by which greater coverage can be accorded the
important developments now taking place in Central Africa’s
mineral industry.
Political
Apart from routine political reporting, we are following very
closely the movement now under way to unite Southern Rhodesia,
Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland into a “Central African
Federation.”6 Many schemes
and efforts have been put forward in recent years to bring about
some form of economic and political unity in Central Africa but
none of these have succeeded. However, current prospects for
achieving federation, possibly this year, are good. There has
been for some time a widespread belief among responsible white
leaders that federation in Central Africa must be speeded up for
the reasons that a more rational economic and political set-up
would help to expand trade and development and reduce the
sterling area’s adverse balance of trade. It would also help to
underpin the defense of the British Commonwealth against the
confusion in the Middle East. Furthermore, there is a belief
among the white elements in Central Africa that unless some form
of closer association is achieved for the three territories,
there is a chance that the two Rhodesias might eventually join
the Union of South Africa in some form of political federation.
At present the majority of the white population is flatly
opposed to any political link-up with the Union, and is
outspoken in its dislike of the apartheid policy of the
Nationalist Government in the Union.
A conference will be held in London in April to formulate a
constitutional document which will probably emerge as a draft
constitution or a “definite scheme” for federation. Another
conference will be held in July to produce a “final result.”
If federation does materialize, there is a very strong
possibility that the natives in Northern Rhodesia, principally
on the copperbelt, and the natives in Nyasaland, will stage
general strikes as measures of protest. If a strike develops on
the copperbelt, it will definitely impair the production of
copper, and could possibly lead to a serious breakdown in this
vital industry. The leading Africans in Northern Rhodesia and
Nyasaland are opposed to federation believing that a new federal
government dominated by the white man would treat [Page 11] them no better than they
are treated at present. In fact they are apprehensive that under
a federal government they might lose some of the political gains
which they have achieved in Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
Also they claim that since their territories are Protectorates,
the proposed federation is merely a scheme to hand over control
of the Protectorates to the white man.
One feature of federation has interested us very much. This is a
general puzzlement among the people as to how to really make
federation work—in other words, how to reconcile the differences
of the white and black. There is evidence of a genuine desire on
the part of many responsible Rhodesians to establish a workable
political alignment with the natives. In this struggle, these
people, both white and black, are looking to the United States
for examples as to how we achieved harmonious relations with our
own Negro race. Britain has never had a racial problem hence she
is not much help in the present situation. It is obvious,
therefore, that we are in an excellent position to make some
worthy contributions toward the establishment of a new
democratic state in Central Africa. Present budgetary reductions
prevent the establishment of a USIE office for Central Africa which is the proper
medium for giving assistance in the field of race relations. I
regard the abandonment of a USIE program in Central Africa as tragic, because
if there is a land today where the responsible people desire to
make a multiracial society work with due recognition accorded
the dignity of man regardless of color, it is Central Africa.
The same cannot be said for the Union or East Africa.
Central Africa is today facing very fateful decisions. On the
adoption of the correct racial policy to be embodied in
federation may depend the fate of future generations not only in
Central Africa but elsewhere in Africa south of the
Sahara—perhaps the survival of the influence of the Western
World in Africa. It is in this region, therefore, that the white
man has a golden opportunity to really make his concept of a
Free World work successfully.
I would like to suggest that this Conference give consideration
to ways and means by which the USIE facilities in the Union can be more
effectively applied to Central Africa until such time as a
permanent USIE Office is
established in Central Africa.
Native affairs
It is my personal belief that despite the tremendous significance
of the federation movement in Central Africa, the issues and
developments concerning the native peoples are by far the most
important problems facing the Free World in this region. With no
intention of being presumptuous, I would say that the foregoing
applies in equal degree to South and East Africa. Viewing this
important problem on a regional rather than a provincial basis,
I would like to pose the question [Page 12] as to whether we are “on top” of what is
happening or likely to happen to the people who constitute the
majority populations throughout South, Central and East Africa?
In the face of World communism, rising nationalism, and the
dormant strength of a subjugated people who invariably rise to
revolutionary heights, can we afford not
to be abreast of native and colored developments throughout this
vast region so vital to our own industry and well-being? I do
not think so. I would venture to say that there is not one man
in this room, including myself, who can name from memory the
present and potential African leaders in South, Central and East
Africa today. Admittedly, it is not absolutely necessary for us
as individual officers to know what is happening beyond the
borders of our own districts, but since African nationalism has
the same goal throughout South, Central and East Africa, does it
not make good sense for someone to observe this important
activity on a wider scale and bring about coordination of the
loose ends of our present individual coverage?
African nationalism in this region is a universal problem, and is
not confined to any one locality; the reason for this is the
people who constitute present and future nationalist groups are
all Africans with one goal between them—greater freedom.
Therefore, geographical boundaries will be of no consequence to
any future concerted drive toward achieving nationalist goals.
True, there are a host of diversities which characterize the
Africans, but basically they are one race with one goal.
I would like to suggest, therefore, that this Conference give
consideration to the assignment of an officer to cover native
affairs in their entirety throughout South, Central and East
Africa. This officer should be experienced in African affairs,
and if possible, should have a good grounding in social science.
His assignment should be a roving one, and he should be
responsible for the complete coverage of native developments
throughout South, Central and East Africa with special attention
devoted to the rise of nationalism in all sections of this
region. I would suggest further that such an officer be provided
with a full time American stenographer, and that he make his
headquarters in Salisbury because of its central location in
relation to both South and East Africa. Moreover, I believe the
liberal attitude of Central Africa contrasted with the
anti-racial one in South Africa and East Africa would afford
such an officer a better locality from which to project his
objective study of the racial problems in this region. Also,
from such a vantage point as Salisbury, where we have access to
certain reliable Intelligence services, I believe such an
officer would find a wider field of information on nationalist
and racial problems throughout the region.
