37. Letter From the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Merchant) to the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Douglas)0
Dear Jim: The Secretary has referred to me your letter of October 311 calling attention to the concern of the Joint Chiefs of Staff about the trend of events in Guinea and Ghana. I have noted that General Lemnitzer has recommended discussions between our Departments with a view to initiating actions with respect to Guinea and Ghana and other African nations subject to the threat of Sino-Soviet imperialism.
[Page 166]The judgment of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that any national regimes on the African continent subject to domination by the Sino-Soviet bloc would be unacceptable to United States national security is shared by us and will have an important bearing on the forthcoming reviews of our policies in Africa by the National Security Council. I, too, feel that more must be done to lessen the danger of Soviet encroachments in Africa, and we look forward to discussing this problem in the context of the next NSC review.
While we share the concern voiced by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the problem appears to be at the present time primarily a political one. Certainly the situation is not encouraging, but we do not think that either Guinea or Ghana are hopelessly unredeemable. Efforts to balance Western against Eastern influence have in our judgment a chance of success in Guinea and a very good chance in Ghana. We are pursuing policies designed to bring this about.
It is our present judgment that despite an increasing drift in a pro-Communist direction, manifested most recently by a succession of votes in the United Nations where Communist and African nationalist and neutralist interests seemed to coincide, the governments of Guinea and Ghana certainly do not wish to be reduced to the status of Soviet satellites. The growing influence of Communist advisers, particularly in Guinea, shows, however, that a long-continued drift in the Communist direction could in the end result in virtual Communist control. Our present policies are designed to prevent such an outcome, and we have been heartened in this respect by the recent successful culmination of our efforts to obtain signature of a U.S.-Guinean agreement on technical assistance.
As for the specific actions in the military and politico-military fields listed in General Lemnitzer’s memorandum, and other actions of a similar kind that may yet be proposed, the Department will be happy to discuss these with appropriate military authorities at any time.
Sincerely yours,
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.70/10–3160. Secret. Drafted by Martin Herz.↩
- See source note, Document 35.↩
- Printed from a copy that bears this stamped signature.↩