188. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Harriman) to President Johnson1
SUBJECT
- Report on Africa
Zambia’s attainment of independence last weekend highlights the fact that Africa’s march toward freedom continues to be a dynamic political factor in the world scene. Thirty-two new African nations have been established in less than 13 years in a remarkably smooth transfer of power.
The wide publicity given to the few cases of violence in independent Africa has overshadowed much of the solid political and economic progress the continent is making. This imbalance makes it imperative that the United States Government base its understanding of the true situation in Africa on a firm foundation of fact.
Not a single new African nation has succumbed to Communist domination, although incentives have been provided readily by Sino-Soviet nations. The Soviets and Chinese have been trying to cultivate several African nations as satellites, but African determination to preserve hard-won freedom and our policy and diplomacy—and those of our friends—have strengthened Africa’s awareness of the dangers to its independence of external subversion. We understand and support Africa’s desire to remain truly non-aligned and independent.
Africa’s nations have been anxious to cooperate in Africa-wide efforts to solve the continent’s problems through African initiatives. They have made important progress toward that goal through the 35-member Organization of African Unity. The OAU played a major role in halting Algerian-Moroccan hostilities, and it is working toward a resolution of the Ethiopian-Somali border dispute. In addition, African states cooperated to provide police assistance in Tanganyika when that country asked for help following the troop mutiny earlier this year. The OAU is now undertaking to assist the government and people of the Congo in its present internal difficulties and to improve the relations between the Congo and its neighbors.
The Economic Commission for Africa is becoming a prime factor in African economic growth. That body has created an African Development Bank, an Institute for Economic Development and Planning, and is [Page 286] developing proposals for regional economic growth. We support those efforts wholeheartedly.
Many significant economic gains are being recorded by individual countries. Heartening growth of gross national products can be found in Liberia, Ethiopia, Sudan and Nigeria, to name only a few. Agricultural production—Africa’s chief economic pursuit—in the last 10 years has been doubled in Ivory Coast, has increased 50 percent in Kenya and has risen 29 percent in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. Libya, Algeria and Nigeria are rapidly becoming important centers of oil production. American private interests have been instrumental in developing vital minerals, such as iron in Liberia and Mauritania, manganese in Gabon, copper in Zambia and bauxite in Guinea. Another measure of progress—electric power production—is rising in many countries. In this growth also, American loans and technical skills have been important elements, supplementing substantial assistance from European countries.
Emphasis has been placed on the need for education and technical training in every country and notable progress is being made in this formidable task.
An impressive share of Africa’s advancement is due to the dedication of many African leaders to the welfare of their people. There is no doubt that Africa needs external help during this period of development just as we did in our early days, but determined African leadership is making good use of such aid to hasten the political and economic transformation of the continent.
- Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Africa, General, Vol. II, Memos & Miscellaneous, 7/64–6/65. No classification marking.↩