410. Memorandum of Conversation1
PARTICIPANTS
- EUR—Beaudry, Andrews; INR—Good, Streator; CIA—Patterson; White House—Kaysen; AF—Harrop, Whitehouse, Fredericks, Godley, Rives; AFC—Carlucci; S/S–O—Connet; SR—Merrill; IO—Wallner, Sisco, Buffum, Rutter; DOD—Col. Junkemann; O—Grove; The Secretary; M—McGhee; AF—Eisenberg; S—Mr. Knepper; S/S—Mr. Nobbe; AFP—Mr. Schmertz
Godley noted that the most outstanding aspect of the political scene in Katanga was the Katangans had momentarily become fed up with Tshombe. The Katangans also are anti-Munongo. Godley was unable to establish just exactly how much political power [Tshombe] still exercised but Katangans seem to be becoming more and more pro-UN chiefly because this organization was identified in their eyes with bringing in food and supplies and relief. He noted further that Adoula was willing to play ball with Tshombe if Tshombe was reelected by the Katangan Provincial Assembly. If not, Adoula would refuse to deal with him in the future. Godley also had the impression that Adoula had favorably accepted Adoula’s assurances about respecting private property. Godley also noted that communications between the Secretary-General and the UN people in the field had improved. Generally, Godley noted that there had been some progress made on the transfer of payments problem to the Central Government. He specifically mentioned that reunification of the currency had been for all practical purposes achieved and that the negotiators were now commencing to work out the technical aspects of this problem.
Commenting on the military situation in and around Elisabethville, Godley noted that casualties had been held down to a minimum. Tshombe’s mercenaries had disappeared into the bush and seemed no longer to be under Tshombe’s control. Bridge repairing was going on at a slow pace but reinforcement supplies were being brought in by the UN. The Katangan Air Force has just about been eliminated, although estimates of damage to it have been greatly exaggerated. Godley thinks [Page 829] there are still some Katangan planes camouflaged in the bush. Godley thought that our sending fighter planes to the Congo had now become a dead issue in view of steady UN military penetration into Jadotville and other places.
The discussion following the debriefing centered almost exclusively on what role the US could play in minimizing physical damage to power plants and dams in Katanga. It was decided that our efforts in this respect should center around Union Miniere since the latter had the equipment and facilities to help achieve this objective. In this connection, Robert Beaudry of EUR was instructed to draft a message to Spaak requesting his assistance in trying to win over Union Miniere to our cause. It was also noted that as a fallback position, the UN military forces in the Congo had received an increase in supplies and that there was a possibility of a parachute drop of UN forces into Kolwezi.
- Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 65 D 533, CF 2216. No classification marking. The source text, which is headed “Mac Godley’s debriefing—Secretary’s Conference Room,” does not indicate the drafter. Godley had just returned from an information-gathering trip to the Congo. Participants in the meeting not previously identified include Robert C. Good, Director of the Office of Research and Analysis for Africa in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research; Edward Streator of that office; Philip Merrill, Special Assistant to the President’s Special Representative and Adviser on African, Asian, and Latin American Affairs; and the Secretary’s Staff Assistant William E. Knepper.↩