410. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs (Satterthwaite) to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Murphy)1
SUBJECT
- Tunisian Arms: Implementation of U.S. Survey Team’s Report2
As you know the United States military survey team which visited Tunisia early this summer has completed its report. In brief the team recommends a program designed to enable the Tunisian Army to carry out its necessary functions without requiring any increase in its present numbers. The team found that the army, as presently equipped, was seriously deficient in firepower, mobility and communications and has recommended the supply over a three year period of approximately $11.5 million worth of transportation and communications equipment, tanks, armored cars and artillery (but no small arms) to remedy these deficiencies.
The following is the status of our plans for implementing the team’s report:
- 1.
- We intend to discuss the general scope of the program with the French, probably in the context of the forthcoming bilateral and tripartite talks.
- 2.
- We are suggesting to the British the desirability of a joint supply program as in the case of previous arms transactions with Tunisia.
- 3.
- We are taking steps to obtain agreement within the U.S. Government as to the proper financing of the program.
- 4.
- The sanitized version of the team’s report would then be transmitted to the Tunisian Government; but of course we would seek your explicit approval prior to taking this step.
Naturally, the foregoing program can only be preliminary at this stage, but because of the political considerations involved I wanted to be sure that you were fully informed of the tenor of our present thinking.