109. Editorial Note
In an August 28, 1969, memorandum to the Presidentʼs Assistant for National Security Affairs, Henry Kissinger, regarding several recent incidents in which the Departments of State and Defense had not followed the White Houseʼs policy lead, Anthony Lake of the National Security Council Staff stated:
“Secretary Rogers carefully avoided discussing with you in advance his effort of last weekend to get the President to agree to a Nigeria/Biafra initiative which probably would have been rejected by the Biafrans as it paid the most attention to the Feds.
“The President noted in his own handwriting on the top of a memo from you to him on April 8, 1969: ‘I have decided that our supporting the Feds is wrong. They canʼt make it. Letʼs begin to get State off this kick.ʼ His desire to avoid a pro-Fed bias by the USG was also evident in his approval of various steps suggested in your memo of July 7 on ‘Next Steps in Biafra/Nigeria.” (Document 82)
“In addition, State has not seemed terribly responsive to the Presidentʼs desire that it be his and not Stateʼs initiative.” (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 148, U.S.-Domestic-Agency Files, State/White House Relationship, Vol. I January 28–October 31, 1969)
Kissinger incorporated the information into a September 1 memorandum to Attorney General Mitchell (Document 111).
In an August 28, 1969, memorandum to the Presidentʼs Assistant for National Security Affairs, Henry Kissinger, regarding several recent incidents in which the Departments of State and Defense had not followed the White Houses policy lead, Anthony Lake of the National Security Council Staff stated:
“Secretary Rogers carefully avoided discussing with you in advance his effort of last weekend to get the President to agree to a Nigeria/Biafra initiative which probably would have been rejected by the Biafrans as it paid the most attention to the Feds.
“The President noted in his own handwriting on the top of a memo from you to him on April 8, 1969: “I have decided that our supporting the Feds is wrong. They canʼt make it. Letʼs begin to get State off this kick. His desire to avoid a pro-Fed bias by the USG was also evident in his approval of various steps suggested in your memo of July 7 on Next Steps in Biafra/Nigeria. (Document 82)
“In addition, State has not seemed terribly responsive to the Presidentʼs desire that it be his and not Stateʼs initiative.” (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 148, U.S.-Domestic-Agency Files, State/White House Relationship, Vol. I January 28–October 31, 1969)
Kissinger incorporated the information into a September 1 memorandum to Attorney General Mitchell (see Document 111).