Office of the Historian

422. Memorandum of Conversation1

Washington, May 29, 1963, noon.

SUBJECT

  • Congo Problems

PARTICIPANTS

  • United States
    • The Secretary
    • Mr. William R. Tyler
    • Mr. Edmund S. Glenn, LS
    • Mr. Robert M. Beaudry, WE
    • Ambassador Rothschild
  • Belgium
    • Foreign Minister Spaak
    • Ambassador Scheyven
    • Ambassador de Staercke

In the course of a general conversation, Mr. Spaak mentioned problems we are having in the Congo.2He said the Congolese are about to introduce monetary reform, and that the US and Belgium are being called upon to bless this effort. Mr. Spaak has reservations about the specific program and pointed to the grave political consequences if the program should fail with US and Belgian support. Mr. Spaak urged that we engage the IMF in this exercise on the grounds that the Fund is the international organization with world responsibilities for such activities. The Secretary indicated agreement with Mr. Spaak if the IMF would be prepared to act. Ambassador Rothschild reported that the working group had reached the same conclusion earlier this morning after being informed of the IMF’s willingness to become involved.

The Secretary asked where Tshombe is getting his money to pay the gendarmes. Mr. Spaak replied that according to his information Tshombe doesn’t have much money and the gendarmes, while a potential danger, are not a present source of concern. However, after UN military forces leave the Congo later this year, the situation could be extremely serious. Mr. Spaak recounted that when he had informed the UN SYG of his intention to send about 200 officers to the Congo by the end of the year, Mr. Bunche, who was there, replied, “Only 200!”. Mr. Spaak noted that the Congolese would like to have the Belgian officers exercise a command function but the Belgians are not anxious to become engaged to this extent.

Mr. Spaak urged that we establish a small, permanent committee in Léopoldville to follow through on the day-to-day activities of the various [Page 858] aid operations in the Congo. He suggested that coordination be centralized in Léopoldville as it is impossible to coordinate operations effectively from Washington, Brussels and New York. Ambassador Rothschild pointed out that the working group had agreed this morning on some such arrangement and Mr. Beaudry added that the representatives of the donor countries in Léopoldville would form a de facto committee. The Secretary asked what might be done to control corruption in Léopoldville and remarked that we would have considerable trouble with Congress over giving aid to the Congo if there was widespread corruption.

Mr. Spaak replied that the EEC is planning to try to create an administrative infra-structure in the Congo which, if successful, could go a long way toward minimizing corruption.

  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, AID (US) 8 The Congo. Secret. Drafted by Beaudry and approved in S on June 5. The conversation was held in the Secretary’s office.↩
  2. Spaak and Williams discussed questions relating to the Congo on May 28. A memorandum of the conversation is ibid., POL 3 The Congo/UN.↩