Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume XX, Congo Crisis

282. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Congo¹

Washington, August 24, 1962, 8:23 p.m.

335. Eyes only from Acting Secretary to Ambassador. Hoffacker will be carrying letter from Sen. Dodd to Tshombe² text of which follows. Hoffacker has been authorized to indicate to Tshombe that President has seen letter and concurs therein.³

You authorized to inform Adoula of substance of letter and exercise. Matter should be coordinated as you see fit with Gardiner. Realize that Adoula may be annoyed by this attention to Tshombe but you should underline to him that our pressure cannot be fully effective while Tshombe has separate channel of encouragement from strong Congressional sources. This letter should therefore give strong support to objectives which UN, GOC, and US share.

Dodd wrote letter to President Aug. 17⁴ offering to be of appropriate assistance in convincing Tshombe that no substantial portion of Amer public supports Katanga independence. Hoffacker carries a copy of Dodd letter and is thoroughly familiar with recent developments here.

Begin Verbatim Text.

Dear Mr. President: I have had several conversations recently with President Kennedy regarding the problems of Katanga and the Congo. This morning I had a further discussion with Mr. Hoffacker and the Under Secretary of State, Mr. Ball. Knowing your confidence in Mr. Hoffacker, it seemed to me that it might be useful to use the occasion of his return to the Congo to write you my thoughts in the hope that they might assist you to understand the position of my Government and help lead toward a peaceful resolution of your differences with the Central Government at Léopoldville.

Let me say first of all that I am satisfied that the United States Government is in no sense unfriendly to you personally. In view of your recognized qualities as an African leader, the hope is widespread that you will be able to employ your exceptional abilities to the benefit of a larger Congolese community. As I have indicated in my statements, the vast majority of the American public share the views of the United States Government that the future of Katanga lies not in independence but in an integrated Congo based on a mutually satisfactory federal pattern.

With these considerations in mind, I have been pleased to note your recent statesmanlike expressions along these lines. I earnestly hope that in your conversations with Mr. Gardiner you will find a way to come to an early definitive settlement of the outstanding issues outlined in recent statements by the Acting Secretary-General.

I have been preoccupied with the feeling that time is running out on the situation facing the Congo and that in the interest not only of Katanga but of the whole Free World it is imperative that you and Mr. Adoula resolve your differences promptly. Knowing your great resources of energy and good will, I strongly urge you to tackle this problem with the determination to reach an early solution. In this effort I am sure that Mr. Gardiner can play a useful role by providing his good offices.

This is a matter of prime importance. If the cleavage between Léopoldville and Elisabethville persists I greatly fear that the whole Congo, including Katanga, will be threatened by chaos—a chaos that can envelop other parts of Africa as well. As you and I both know, only the Communists could profit from this.

On the other hand, if you and Mr. Adoula can work out the problems between you, I see a bright future for your country. I know that with the great good will of the American people my country is prepared to make a great effort to assist a reunited Congo in the vital business of becoming a strong independent nation.

As an American who has visited your country and who is impressed by your leadership and accomplishments, I have written you with a frankness that befits our warm friendship.

I take this occasion to convey to you once again my gratitude for your hospitality and cordiality during my visit to Katanga in November and December. Sincerely, Thomas J. Dodd. End Verbatim Text.

Ball

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 770G.00/8–2462. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Hoffacker, cleared by Williams, and approved by Ball.
2. Hoffacker, who at this time was First Secretary at the Embassy in Léopoldville, was in Washington for consultations. According to a memorandum by Godley, newly-appointed Director of the Office of Central African Affairs, of a conversation among himself, Hoffacker, and Senator Dodd on August 24, the letter was drafted by Godley and Hoffacker at Dodd’s request after he agreed in an August 24 telephone conversation with the President to send a letter to Tshombe urging him to come to an early agreement with Adoula. The memorandum of conversation is filed with an August 20 memorandum from Kennedy to Rusk enclosing an August 17 letter from Dodd and asking, “Do his suggestions offer us any basis for consideration?” (Department of State, Central Files, 711.0155/8–2062)
3. A copy of telegram 335 was sent to the White House for the President. (Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Congo)
4. A copy of Dodd’s letter is filed with the Kennedy memorandum cited in footnote 1 above. It describes an August 14 conversation between Dodd and Struelens and encloses an August 16 memorandum from Struelens to Dodd describing a telephone conversation of that date with Tshombe, in which Tshombe declared that Katanga would accept a federal constitution giving it a large measure of political autonomy, complained of Hoffacker’s recall from Elisabethville, and argued for more regular and cordial contact between U.S. and Katangan officials.