346. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State (Katzenbach) to President Johnson1
SUBJECT
- Your Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic, March 14, 1968; 12:00 noon
Prime Minister Egal
Egal, 39, took office last summer. He speaks English fluently and, though a Muslim, enjoys a drink. He is a pragmatic African moderate and is pro-West. He has few interests outside politics.
Egal has completely reversed Somalia’s policies in the last nine months. Somali irredentism dominated past Government policies. Egal seeks peace and cooperation with neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia. He is pushing for greater economic development at the military’s expense.
Somali Republic
Somalia is a semi-arid land—much like our South-West. Poor in resources, it has gone in primarily for raising livestock. However, uranium [Page 592] and itrium have just been found near Mogadiscio. If there are large reserves of these metals, as an American company now claims, they could have an enormous effect on the economy.
Somalia is one of the few democracies in Africa. Governments and presidents have changed normally since independence in 1960. The country’s tragedy is that European-drawn frontiers have divided the Somali people. Its population is two and a half million; an additional one million live outside the borders, in eastern Ethiopia and northeastern Kenya. Somali irredentism has accordingly plagued the stability of the Horn of Africa.
Somalia has a non-aligned foreign policy. Because of U.S. military aid to Ethiopia, it has leaned in the past somewhat to the USSR, which has supplied large amounts of military and economic assistance.
What Egal Wants
U.S. help with Ethiopia and Kenya in getting them to be more responsive to his efforts to improve relations with them.
More U.S. economic assistance in general and designation of Somalia as an AID emphasis country in particular.
(Both of these he feels are needed in order to prove the soundness of his new policies to the Somali electorate.)
What We Want
To strengthen his position and encourage his policies. (His efforts toward regional peace and economic development, at the expense of the military, exceed our most optimistic expectations, and have won more support within Somalia than appeared possible. We should do all we can to assist this most encouraging development.)
To demonstrate our interest in one of the few African democracies.
Assistant Secretary Palmer will accompany the Prime Minister on his call on you, and Ambassador Thurston will be available at the White House during the meeting.
- Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Somalia Republic, Visit of Prime Minister Egal, 3/14–15/68. Confidential. A handwritten notation in the margin reads: “Orig. was attachment to WWR memo 3/13.” Rostow’s memorandum is Document 347. Attached talking points are not printed.↩