86. Memorandum From the Executive Secretary (Eliot) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)1 2
Subject:
- Termination of Agreements in Libya
By an exchange of notes in Tripoli February 5, we have terminated nine bilateral agreements with Libya, including the military base agreement of 1955. Most of these agreements were related to our presence at Wheelus Air Force Base and had no longer served any useful purpose following evacuation of the base in June 1970. Included in the exchange of notes was an agreement we had sought to a mutual washout of financial claims arising from the agreements.
At the request of the Libyan Government, we have also agreed to withdraw the Military Liaison Staff (MLS) from our Embassy in Tripoli by March 15. The mission of the MLS was to assist the Libyan armed forces in procurement of military supplies, which has recently covered items such as spare parts for existing equipment purchased from the US prior to the coup in 1969. The request for withdrawal of the MLS may be connected with our reluctance to approve exports of major military equipment to Libya such as F–5s and C–130s. Libya also recently requested withdrawal of British military and naval missions.