324. Memorandum From Acting Secretary of State Dillon to the Director of the International Cooperation Administration (Riddleberger)0
SUBJECT
- Aid to Guinea
Recent reports from our Embassy in Conakry have made it abundantly clear that we will not be able to negotiate a Technical Cooperation Agreement with Guinea in sufficient time to begin to implement the Teacher Training Program and the 150 scholarships we have offered. The Guineans have made it plain that they do not like anything about our proposed Technical Cooperation Agreement. They find the whole concept of our requesting rights and privileges for ICA technicians most offensive since they believe it is the role of a sovereign government to prescribe what privileges will be accorded. It is also clear that the Sino-Soviet Bloc has stepped up the pace of its activity in a very dramatic fashion and is determined to make Guinea an African show place.
I believe it has now become of overriding political importance for the United States to take unusual steps to implement the offers of assistance we have already made to Guinea in order to establish U.S. presence in Guinea. In view of the already massive assistance Guinea is getting from the bloc it is clearly in the U.S. political interest to extend to Guinea, on a special basis, assistance in which it has shown an interest. I recognize the fact that we may be setting a precedent for other emerging nations of Africa but in view of the special circumstances we face in Guinea I believe this is a risk we must face. I regard it as essential that Guinea not be required to agree to any of the usual requirements normally attached to U.S. assistance, such as privileges and immunities, observation and review, publicity, etc.
Accordingly, I suggest that we proceed on the basis of a simple exchange of notes with the Guinean Government informing it that we are prepared to implement the teacher training program and the 150 scholarships.1
[Page 708]In order to finance these programs I have approved $1.1 million in Special Assistance.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.70B7/3–360. Confidential. Drafted by Politico-Economic Adviser for African Affairs George Dolgin. Sent to Dion with a covering memorandum of March 2 from Satterthwaite. (Ibid.,870B.00–TA/3–260)↩
- A memorandum of March 18 from Riddleberger to Dillon stated that ICA was preparing to implement the two programs but considered that they should be carried out on a contractual basis without direct U.S. Government involvement. It expressed the hope that “at least a reasonably satisfactory” agreement could subsequently be negotiated. (Ibid., 770B.5–MSP/3–1860) Instruction A–5 to Conakry, July 28, informed the Embassy that a revised and broader draft agreement for economic and technical cooperation had been given to Diallo on July 20. (Ibid., 611.70B7/7–2860) An agreement was effected by an exchange of notes in Conakry on September 30; for text, see 11 UST 2258.↩
- Printed from a copy that bears this stamped signature.↩