97. Memorandum From Secretary of Defense Brown to President Carter1
SUBJECT
- Summary of Recent and Projected Ship Visits to Somalia and Equatorial Guinea (U)
(C) This memorandum provides a summary of actions taken following our discussion on 12 October 1979 concerning visits to Somalia and Equatorial Guinea.
(C) Ship visits to Somalia had already begun to take place as the result of the agreement among Cy, Zbig and myself that Zbig had reported to you earlier. We now have scheduled an increased rate of one visit each quarter. The most recent, past and newly projected visits to Somalia are as follows:
| SHIP | TYPE | PORT | DATES |
| USS DAVIS | DD | Berbera | 26–27 May 79 |
| USS BREWTON | FF | Mogadiscio | 11–12 Aug 79 |
| USS STEIN | FF | Berbera | 20–22 Nov 79 |
| USS VOGE | FF | Mogadiscio | 19–21 Feb 80 |
| USS SELLERS | DDG | Berbera | 13–15 Apr 80 |
An additional visit to Berbera will be conducted in the January to March timeframe. However, details on this visit are not yet firm.
(S) The Defense Intelligence Agency [1 line not declassified] unable to confirm the initial [less than 1 line not declassified] report that Soviet Marines are present in Equatorial Guinea. Therefore, immediate diversion of a ship has not been directed, but a port call is planned at Rey Malabo, Equatorial Guinea by USS JESSE L. BROWN (FF) about 18–19 November. Actual dates of the visit and the specific ships may change, depending on the response to our request for clearance from the government of Equatorial Guinea.
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 69, Somalia: 7/78–12/79. Secret.↩