Office of the Historian

145. Letter From the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Clements) to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Habib)1

Washington, January 14, 1977
Dear Phil:

(S) Confirming our conversation of 11 January,2 during which we reached agreement on Moroccan base proposals contained in Gene McAuliffe’s letter of 22 September 1976,3 I have initiated the following actions:

a. instructed Navy to implement its plan for closing the Kenitra Naval Communications complex during FY 1978;4

b. instructed Air Force to make detailed site surveys and to finalize plans to place a deep-space surveillance site (GEODSS) in Morocco subject to approval of the project by King Hassan;

c. asked Air Force to prepare plans for a weapons training center and appropriately instrumented ranges in Morocco. Use of live ordnance would not be authorized at this facility;

d. instructed Air Force not to pursue further its proposal to establish SAC and MAC facilities in Morocco; and

e. informed Navy that we do not consider it propitious to seek King Hassan’s approval to use Moroccan beaches for fleet amphibious training.

(S) I also have asked Air Force to incorporate an air-to-ground training option as an adjunct to the weapons training center plans, as this could prove an attractive inducement for the GOM to accept the joint training facility. The air-to-ground function would involve the use of small inert bombs and require only a modest dedicated ground area and relatively little air space. The facility would give the Moroccans [Page 349] a highly valuable practice bombing range, as well as helping USAFE meet annual training requirements for US air units stationed in Europe.

Sincerely,

WP Clements5
  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 55, Morocco: 1/77–12/78. Secret. Drafted by Wootten on January 13.↩
  2. Not found.↩
  3. McAuliffe’s letter to Habib is in the Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 55, Morocco: 1/77–12/78.↩
  4. See Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, vol. E–9, Part 1, Documents on North Africa, 1973–1976, Document 86.↩
  5. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩