Office of the Historian

225. Despatch From the Consulate General at Lagos to the Department of State1

No. 169
Lagos, December 11, 1957

REF

  • ConGenDes. 122 dated October 28, 19572

SUBJECT

  • ICA Aid

In an interview this morning the Governor-General of the Federation (Sir James Robertson) introduced the subject of US aid to under-developed countries and the attitude of several of his ministers who felt that the US was being partial to countries threatened with communism when allocating funds. While not naming any ministers he said some were especially outspoken who felt that it should be pointed out to the US through the UK Government that Nigeria, hitherto not threatened with communism, considered that it had not been given the fullest consideration in its request for aid. The Governor-General said that he did not share the views of his ministers and had no intention of requesting the UK to discuss it in Washington, but he felt that the US should be aware of this line of thinking.

The reporting officer replied that he was aware of the feeling expressed in some quarters on this issue, but took the same stand as Mr. Julius Holmes when he discussed the subject with the Prime Minister on October 26th3 and Deputy Assistant Secretary for AF when the issue arose in a discussion with Alhaji Mohammadu Ribadu, Federal Minister of Lagos Lands, Mines, and Power and other officials in the Department on October 8, 1957. (Department’s Memorandum of Conversation4). The Governor-General declared he quite understood our position. Broadly speaking, this explained that the US viewed sympathetically the problems of all under-developed [Page 607] countries and that Nigeria could expect every consideration in their application for assistance.

The Governor-General then commented on the decision of the appointment of an ICA Liaison Officer in Lagos and said that provided he was a well-informed officer his presence in Nigeria would be useful in advising applicants for ICA assistance, by screening out those requests that had less than a reasonable chance of succeeding and to guide others whose projects were sound but required some organization. He said that Nigeria was showing more interest in the US and that ICA and other aid groups must expect to receive an increasing number of appeals for assistance now that the country is moving towards independence.

. . . . . . .

Ralph H. Hunt
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 745H.5–MSP/12–1157. Confidential. Passed to London.↩
  2. Despatch 122 reported on conversations between Special Assistant to the Secretary Julius Holmes and Nigerian officials during a visit to Lagos by Holmes. (Ibid., 745H.5–MSP/10–2857)↩
  3. Despatch #122 dated October 28, 1957. [Footnote in the source text. Despatch 122 summarized Holmes’ conversation with Prime Minister Balewa as follows: “Balewa said that countries not faced with a communist threat or which had successfully introduced strong government and self-discipline and had effectively prevented communist infiltration, should not be viewed less seriously in overseas aid programs. Mr. Holmes explained that security understandably had priority in the allocation of funds but appropriate consideration was given to all needs.” (Ibid.)]↩
  4. Supra.↩