108. Editorial Note

In a news conference on May 25, 1978, President Jimmy Carter accused Cuba of playing an active role in the Katangan invasion of Zaire. “We believe that Cuba had known of the Katangan plans to invade and obviously did nothing to restrain them from crossing the border. We also know that the Cubans have played a key role in training and equipping the Katangans who attacked.” (Public Papers of the Presidents: Jimmy Carter, 1978, Book I, p. 972) On May 23, Carter had signed PRM/NSC–30 directing a Policy Review Committee review of U.S. policy toward limiting the Soviet-Cuban presence in Africa. See Document 11.

The Cubans categorically denied any role in the invasion to the press and U.S. officials. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, in his memoirs, described his May 25 conversation with Cuban Vice President Carlos Rafael Rodriguez, in which Rodriguez insisted that the Cubans “had had no connection with the Katangans for more than two years.” Vance “told him our information indicated that the Cubans had supported the Katangan incursion. Indeed, we did have some ambiguous and, as it turned out, not very good intelligence to this effect.” (Hard Choices, p. 90) See also Document 12.