136. Memorandum of Conversation1 2
SUBJECT:
- Ambassador Fergusonʼs Meeting with JCA Officials
PARTICIPANTS:
- Bishop Edward Swanstrom, Catholic Relief Service
- James McCracken, Church World Service
- Miss Nancy L. Nicalo, Church World Service
- Edward Kinney, Secretary-Treasurer, JCA-USA
- Marc Tanenbaum, American Jewish Committee
- James Norris, Catholic Relief Service
- Ambassador Clyde Ferguson, U/CF
- James M. Pope, U/CF
Summary: Mr. Kinney reported on separate talks in Geneva with officials of the Federal Military Government and Biafra on a JCA daylight flight proposal. Mr. Kinney found the Nigerians more interested than the Biafrans in daylight flights, but is not optimistic about the outcome of the talks. He does, however, feel that the talks had definite cosmetic value for JCA in that an earnest attempt was made to legalize its airlift. Mr. Kinney would like to have two C–97ʼs from the idle ICRC fleet, and Bishop Swanstrom wants part of the unspent funds the ICRC received from the U.S. Government. (end summary)
[Omitted here is the body of the discussion.]
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Records of the Special Coordinator on Relief to Civilian Victims of the Nigerian Civil War, Lot 70 D 336, Box 517, D-13 Voluntary Agencies JCA. Secret. The memorandum is 8 pages but only the summary is published.↩
- Edward Kinney of Joint Church Aid U.S.A., Inc. (JCA) reported on talks with the Federal Military Government (FMG) and Biafra on JCA daylight flights. The Nigerians were more interested than the Biafrans, but he was not optimistic of a favorable result.↩