Office of the Historian

250. Memorandum From the Executive Secretary of the Department of State (Eliot) to the Presidentʼs Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)1 2

Washington, July 20, 1972

Subject:

  • United States Presence in Uganda

During Ambassador Fergusonʼs farewell call July 18, President Amin attacked the role of various categories of Americans in Uganda. He accused the United States of sending Israeli agents into Uganda disguised as American tourists, stated that United States tourists are spying on behalf of the CIA, alleged that the Peace Corps is “full of spies”, and declared that he wants all United States and other intelligence personnel out of Uganda. He stated further that he wanted to know the exact number of Americans and the jobs they perform in Uganda so that he could take this into account when he conducts a personal review within the next two weeks of the presence of the United States, UK and “others” in Uganda. Most of the conversation appeared later in the Ugandan press.

The Department has instructed our Charge in Kampala to see the Uganda Foreign Minister as soon as possible and to state that we received President Aminʼs comments with considerable distress, that the 133 Peace Corps Volunteers now in the country are specifically enjoined from engaging in intelligence work of any kind, and that we hold the GOU responsible for fair and non-discriminatory treatment of all United States citizens in [Page 2] Uganda. Further, our Charge is to ascertain whether the GOU wishes us to advise American tourists contemplating travel to Uganda that the GOU intends to prohibit entry of or to discriminate against Americans of Jewish faith.

Assistant Secretary Newsom plans to make the same points to Ugandan Ambassador Ramathan in a meeting scheduled for July 20.

Theodore L. Eliot, Jr.

Executive Secretary
  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 746, Country Files, Africa, Uganda, Vol. I. Confidential.↩
  2. Eliot reported Ugandan President Aminʼs accusations that the United States was spying in Uganda through tourists, the Peace Corps, and CIA personnel. These statements were made during Ambassador Fergusonʼs farewell call. The chargi was instructed to protest to the Ugandan Foreign Minister. Nicholas Platt signed the memorandum for Eliot.↩