223. Memorandum From Halvor O. Ekern of the Operations Staff, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, to the Director of the Operations Staff (McAfee)1
SUBJECT
- CIA Operations in Africa
Attached are summaries of CIA staffing, and 5412-type operations in each of the countries of Africa.2 The consolidation of this information [Page 366] into one convenient book poses a serious security risk. Therefore, I have given it an over-all classification of Top Secret. I recommend that it be made available only on an Eyes Only and personal basis to selected officials within the Department, and that this selection be confined to the Secretary, Undersecretary, Deputy Undersecretary for Political Affairs, and Mr. Hughes. The material contained herein has come only from DDC files, and the book should not be made available to CIA.
The build up of CIA staffing and covert operations which began around 1960 reached its peak a couple of years ago and is now in the phase of consolidation and even retrenchment. Some stations have been closed out, the Congo counter-insurgency program is being liquidated, and some political action programs being scaled down. The recent disclosures of CIA activities could make both foreign governments and our Ambassadors more cautious in the future. The requirements of Vietnam have tended to siphon off French-speaking Agency field personnel.
Since DDC has seldom been consulted on projects carried out by the Agency covert action staff (Cord Meyer’s unit), the country summaries are incomplete in this field.
- Source: Department of State, INR Historical Files, Africa General, 1967–1968. Top Secret.↩
- Attached to the source text are [text not declassified] country summaries. One of the attachments is Document 442.↩