Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–5, Part 1, Documents on Sub-Saharan Africa, 1969–1972

302. Memorandum of Conversation¹ ²

Washington, October 25, 1970, 2 p.m.

PARTICIPANTS:

• The President
• Emperor Haile Selassie
• Ambassador Minasse
• Marshall Wright

After an initial exchange of pleasantries the Emperor spoke at great length in Arnharic to Ambassador Minasse, who subsequently translated into English. In his remarks the Emperor made the following points:

1. Ethiopia was grateful for American assistance, and firmly attached to its policy of cooperation with the United States.

2. The Ethiopian security situation has sharply deteriorated in the recent past.

3. Soviet influence in East Africa and the Indian Ocean areas has grown greatly.

4. The Soviets are providing large amounts of modern military equipment to Somalia, the Sudan, Yemen, and the Eritrean Liberation Movement.

5. The Chinese Communists are also active in the area and have established great influence in Tanzania and Zambia through the Tanzam Railroad project. The Chinese Communists are also competing with the Soviets for influence with Ethiopiaʼs neighboring state and with the Eritrean Liberation Movement.

6. All the countries surrounding Ethiopia with the exception of Kenya are now subject to a high and increasing degree of Communist influence and are receiving a high and increasing amount of Communist military assistance.

7. Ethiopiaʼs position as a friend of the United States and Ethiopiaʼs role—in the OAU and elsewhere—as a force for stability in the area, make Ethiopia a bulwark against and therefore a target for Communist influence in the area.

8. The problem is complicated by the fact that Sudan, Somalia, and the Eritrean rebels have claims against Ethiopian territory.

9. The young people in Ethiopia are opposed to Ethiopiaʼs policy of friendship with the United States (for instance Kagnew Station) for they think it endangers Ethiopian security.

10. Ethiopia needs more military help from the United States both for hard security reasons and to demonstrate to its people that Ethiopian policy does meet the countryʼs security needs.

The President said that Ethiopia was already receiving the highest priority of any African country in U.S. assistance programs. He said that our military assistance to Ethiopia comprises about 60 percent of our total military assistance to African countries. The President said we were glad to help and would continue to help but that there were limits on our resources.

The President said that he understood the Ambassadorʼs message to be as follows: The threat to Ethiopian security had increased, and was now more serious than it was assessed to be in American Government circles. Therefore, the military assistance programs which had been adequate in the past were no longer adequate to the need of a deteriorating security situation. The Emperor confirmed that that was the thrust of his presentation.

The President said that he would have a careful look taken at this situation with full weight given to the Emperorʼs remarks. The President directed Mr. Wright to undertake the study forthwith.

The President told the Emperor that in this Administration, America knew who its friends were and that we did not intend to let our friends down. We understand fully the Emperorʼs position, and the depth of his dedication to the cause of freedom and national independence. The President pointed out that the Emperor had been an international symbol of those values long before most of the Chiefs of State at the dinner last evening had even entered public life.

The Emperor presented to the President a personal memorandum concerning a request for additional military assistance and a study of Ethiopiaʼs security situation prepared by the Emperorʼs Ministry of Defense. The President turned these documents over to Mr. Wright, and assured the Emperor that they would be carefully studied and reflected in the new assessment of Ethiopiaʼs assistance needs which we would undertake as a result of the Emperorʼs presentation.

The meeting lasted one hour.

1. Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box CL 278, Memoranda of Conversations, Presidential File, Oct–Dec 1970. Secret; Exdis. The meeting took place in the Oval Office.
2. In his meeting with Nixon, Selassie pleaded his case for increased military assistance. The President reassured the Emperor that the U.S. understood who its friends were and promised to study the military situation, giving full weight to Selassieʼs statements.