104. Memorandum From William Odom of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Aaron)1
SUBJECT
- SCC Working Group Meeting on Zaire—Friday, May 19, 1978
The following points summarize the meeting you chaired this morning.2
CIA briefly reviewed the situation in Shaba. It is unclear.
During the course of the meeting the details of U.S. support were elucidated:
—Ten C–141s to assist the French air lift to Zaire;
—Eight C–141s to haul ammunition from Brussels to Zaire;
—POL from Kinshasa to Kamina where 11 Americans will remain overnight to secure satellite terminals and POL equipment.
David Aaron emphasized the difference between the Belgian extraction mission and the French protection mission, i.e., the French intend to stay, whereas the Belgian forces intend to pull out European citizens.
Dick Moose reported the Congressional reactions thus far as supportive. State interprets the War Powers Resolution to have no applicability in this case.
Issues that came up in press guidance strategy included:
—Nature of Cuban and Soviet support or involvement.
—Rationale for U.S. aid to Belgians and French, particularly the dilemma posed in supporting a Belgian extraction effort as opposed to a French occupation mission.
The meeting ended in an effort to list the chronology of U.S. decision making in response to requests from Zaire, Belgium, and France.