262. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Senegal1
489. Dakar’s 396 to Dept, rptd Paris 172, Rabat 35.2Dept believes Soviets vetoed Mauritania application admission UN mainly to gain favor Morocco and thereby compromise position US air bases there. Soviets pressing Morocco accept military assistance, particularly planes and instructors whose presence Morocco would obviously be useful to Soviet efforts neutralize these bases.
By tying question Mauritanian admission to that Outer Mongolia, Soviets not obliged contest directly issue of reality of Mauritanian independence. They hope thereby potential damage to Soviet relations with other African states can be minimized. Soviets probably calculated their veto likely cost little politically in terms bloc relations with neutralist African states like Guinea, Ghana, Mali. Soviets have apparently now decided to give less weight to attitude pro-West ex-French states and Mauritania whose govts, unlikely seek close relations with bloc in near future. Thus balance of political gain from Soviet viewpoint clearly on side veto.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 303/12–860. Secret. Drafted by Floyd on December 20, cleared by Armitage and Cargo and in draft by McClintic, and approved by Coote who signed for Herter. Repeated to Rabat and Paris.↩
- Dated December 8, it reported on the Senegalese reaction to the Soviet veto of Mauritania’s application for U.N. membership, and requested background on and an appraisal of the Soviet vote. (Ibid.)↩