Office of the Historian

162. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance to President Carter1

Washington, March 26, 1979

1. Uganda: Amin’s fall may be imminent.2 Combined Tanzanian and Ugandan exile forces have captured a key town 18 miles from Kampala and shelled the airport at Entebbe. Amin’s troops have withdrawn in disarray towards Kampala. There are reports that the Libyans have withdrawn their troops, and rumors that Amin’s military may attempt a coup against him. A group of prominent Ugandan exiles convened by Nyerere in Tanzania on March 23 reportedly selected a former Uganda university vice-chancellor, Y.K. Lule, as administrator for the “liberated” areas. Looking to the possible collapse of the Amin regime, I have set up a Uganda working group in the Department.

[Omitted here are items unrelated to East Africa.]

  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 21, Evening Reports (State) 3/79. Secret. Carter initialed the memorandum and wrote “Cy” in the upper right corner.↩
  2. Carter wrote “What a shame!” in the left margin.↩