Office of the Historian

116. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (McGiffert) to the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Duncan)1

Washington, December 28, 1978

SUBJECT

  • African Peacekeeping Force in Zaire’s Shaba Province—INFORMATION MEMORANDUM

I. Summary.

You asked what is happening on the prospective withdrawal of Moroccan troops from Zaire’s Shaba province. In sum, we agree with our European colleagues that the African peacekeeping force should remain in Zaire, but we maintain that our allies should now assume full responsibility for it given their greater direct interest and the extent of our commitments elsewhere. French President Giscard is likely to appeal this stance when he meets with President Carter at Guadeloupe January 5–6.2

II. No Immediate Withdrawal.

King Hassan has not started removing his forces nor has he requested assistance to do so. He has apparently been receiving some outside help. The Quai informed us December 13 that France had earlier received $25 million from Saudi Arabia for French equipment for Morocco’s Shaba troops.3 Belgium and France are also currently discussing with Senegal arrangements for about $5 million each in assistance for Dakar’s contingent.

We agree with our European colleagues (Belgium, France, Germany, the UK) that the African peacekeeping force is badly needed to maintain order in the Shaba province. We are also inclined toward the more pessimistic estimates that it will be next September or later before [Page 309] Zairian replacements can be trained. But we feel that we have made our contribution and that those with greater direct interests in Zaire should now carry the remaining costs. This position was set out in State Department instructions on December 74 and restated in a Paris meeting with our European colleagues on December 13.

III. Airlift.

Embassy Paris has reported that Giscard is likely to appeal the US position when he meets with President Carter January 5–6 at Guadeloupe and may well argue for the US at least assuming responsibility for the ultimate removal of the peacekeeping forces.

It can be argued that, having airlifted the peacekeeping force into Shaba, the US has some responsibility for its removal. But the US has never assumed such a commitment. When President Carter consented on May 26 to the second Zaire airlift, he and Giscard also agreed in principle that the European states should take the lead and carry the main burden in dealing with the Zairian problem.5 The US airlift was provided in the context of lifting the Europeans out and bringing African replacements in—not as a contribution to an indefinite maintaining of order in Zaire.

In response to a State request, JCS is now costing out both the airlift rotation of Moroccan/Senegalese forces and their ultimate removal (with equipment). The withdrawal cost is likely to be as much or more than for the original lift. While a US airlift with C–141s would be more efficient than our allies’ use of Moroccan or Zairian C–130s, there is no outsize equipment requiring US planes. Costs could be reduced if troops were flown out by commercial carriers and materiel were airlifted to Kinshasa and then shipped to Dakar and Casbalanca.

David E. McGiffert
  1. Source: Washington National Records Center, OSD Files, FRC 330–81–0202, Box 72, Zaire—1978. Confidential. A stamp in the upper right corner of the memorandum indicates that the Deputy Secretary of Defense saw it on December 29. Duncan initialed the memorandum. Copies were sent to Brown and Resor.↩
  2. The Guadeloupe Summit took place January 5–7, 1979, with Carter, Giscard, British Prime Minister Callaghan, and German Chancellor Schmidt in attendance. In telegram 5365 to all NATO capitals, January 9, 1979, the Department reported on the summit, but did not mention an appeal from Giscard. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790010–0571)↩
  3. In telegram 41016 from Paris, December 14, the Embassy reported on the December 13 meeting in Paris on Zairian security, during which the French discussed the Saudi $25 million purchase of equipment to support Morocco’s troops. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D780516–1008)↩
  4. In telegram 308828 to multiple posts, December 7, the Department transmitted background and instructions concerning U.S. support for the inter-African peacekeeping force in Shaba. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D780504–1035)↩
  5. Carter hosted a working dinner for Giscard on the evening of May 26. See Document 109 for the SCC recommendations to Carter for the meeting.↩