770.5/12–254
The Consul General at Dakar (Ferguson) to the Department of State
No. 107
Reference:
- CG’s Despatch No. 200, March 24, 1954.1
Subject:
- Interallied General Staff Committee Meeting in Dakar.
As a regular part of the existing broad program of international military collaboration in West Africa, a meeting similar to one held last year in Accra2 took place in Dakar from November 23 to November 26. Representatives from the staffs of the senior European military commanders in West Africa, namely France, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Portugal were present under the presidency of Colonel Husson, French Chief of Staff for Central Africa.
The Consulate General has been informed that the meeting largely consisted of taking an annual inventory of the various “facilities” discussed and agreed upon at the two conferences at the Governmental level, Nairobi in 1951 and Dakar in 1954.3 The latter conferences, it will be recalled, made provision for exchanges of broad general information of such matters as roads, telegraph lines, airfields, port facilities et cetera. It may be, however, that at this lower and more professional level, more positive work was done than at the formal large conferences where the powers agreed on little more than amiable platitudes. As a matter of fact, the Consulate General understands that the committee meeting in Dakar last week exchanged information of such matters as field maneuvres in their respective countries with the object of informing their “allies” of any useful lessons applicable to Africa learned therefrom.
The delegations were small and the only general officer present was Brigadier Spurling, Chief of Staff of the Commander in Chief, British West Africa. France was represented, as mentioned earlier by Colonel Husson, although Major General Garbay, Commanding, French West Africa-Togo addressed the opening session, Belgium by Lieutenant Colonel Danloy and Portugal by Major Fonseca. Army, naval and air problems were all discussed although not all three services were represented in every delegation and logistics capabilities in each field in their respective territories were reported closely examined. The delegations were appropriately wined and dined and treated to the usual sight seeing visits to the Port of Dakar and the Island of Goree.
[Page 126]The Consulate General doubts that this meeting was anything to get very excited about but it is interesting as an example of the fact that the colonial powers in Africa, where political problems are not involved, are occasionally capable of sitting around the table and trying to work together.