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

396. Telegram From the President’s Deputy Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kaysen) to President Kennedy¹

Washington, January 2, 1963.

Congo Situation Report.

1. U Thant strongly objects to Cleveland’s going to the Congo now.² From what he told Stevenson most confidentially the basis of his objection seems to be his desire to set straight the internal difficulties between UNNY and UN Congo in private before Cleveland gets here. On the same confidential basis U Thant told Stevenson that Bunche is leaving for Léopoldville tonight. Accordingly we are holding off on Cleveland for a day or two to see just how the situation develops.

2. U Thant has agreed to a standstill in UN military operations. This leaves the UN forces in complete control of Elisabethville area, the surroundings of the Kamina airfield and with a force well down the road to Jadotville and holding the last major river crossing between Elisabethville and Jadotville. To the best of our present knowledge Tshombe is operating out of Jadotville or Kolwezi where he still has considerable forces. At last report he was on his way to Elisabethville under UN promise not to hurt him. We do not know whether this is still the case.

3. UMHK has three officers from Brussels on the way down to Léopoldville to discuss payments and taxes with Adoula government.

4. U Thant made strong public statement this morning saying that he has no need to negotiate with Tshombe.³ This was made under pressure from Adoula and African members of Congo Advisory Committee. Stevenson is going back to U Thant to make the point that statements of this sort make our position difficult and it would be more helpful for us for U Thant to return to the tone of his longer public statement of Monday.⁴

5. At this moment letter from President to Adoula seems inappropriate.

1. Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files Congo. Secret; Operational Immediate. The message was sent to General McHugh for the President. The source text doesnot indicate the message number or transmission time, but it bears a handwritten note stating that the copy as received was destroyed on January 9; thus the message was evidently sent.
2. Stevenson and Cleveland met with Thant on January 2. Ball told Rusk in a telephone conversation that afternoon that Thant was “hitting the roof” at the idea of Cleveland going to the Congo at that time. Ball told Rusk that it would be “just as well” to delay Cleveland’s trip by 2 or 3 days. (Memorandum of telephone conversation, January 2, 3 p.m.; ibid., Ball Papers, Congo; also notes by Phyllis Bernau of the conversation; Department of State, Rusk Files: Lot 72 D 192, Telephone Calls) Telegram 2563 from USUN, January 2, reported the meeting with Thant. (Ibid., Central Files, 332.70G/1–263)
3. For text of the statement issued by U.N. headquarters on January 2, see U.N. doc. S/5053/Add.14/Annex XXXII. Also printed in American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1962, p. 918.
4. December 31. For text of the statement, see U.N. doc. S/5053/Add.14/Annex XXXI. Also printed in Public Papers of the Secretaries-General, vol. VI, pp. 274–280.