243. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rogers to President Nixon1 2
Subject:
- Return of Ambassador Melady to Uganda
I understand and share your reluctance to have Ambassador Melady return to Uganda to avoid dignifying the Amin regime with the presence of your personal representative.
Nonetheless, I would ask that the decision be reconsidered with a view to insuring to the extent possible the safety of American citizens during the phase-out of our AID program in Uganda and withdrawal of our 120 AID-related personnel, which will be completed by June 30. Given President Amin’s paranoiac behavior, we hope to manage this operation quietly in such a way as to avoid incurring his wrath against the 570 American citizens in Uganda, 200 of whom are missionaries and their families. Because of the host of problems we have had with the Amin regime and his unpredictability, I believe we might be running a serious risk of aggravating Amin personally by reflecting our strong official displeasure toward him at this critical time.
I would therefore recommend that Ambassador Melady be allowed to return to Uganda until the end of June to oversee our AID withdrawal, at which time we would then reduce our representation to the Charge level in keeping with your and our basic outlook toward the Amin regime.
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 746, Uganda, Vol. 1. Confidential. Rogers highlighted the last sentence of the second paragraph and added a handwritten note that reads: “What I mean is that he is crazy—and we have to recognize it. WRR”↩
- Rogers asked Nixon to reconsider his decision not to send Ambassador Melady back to Kampala, arguing that Melady’s failure to return could endanger U.S. citizens in Uganda.↩