197. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Allen) to President Reagan1
SUBJECT
- Serious Escalation in Weaponry in Morocco
Ambassador at Large Vernon Walters just called2 to tell me that the Moroccan Ambassador had called him in a state of high agitation to report that a Moroccan Mirage I flying at 30,000 feet was downed by what was believed to be a SAM–6 missile, and that a C–130 at 19,000 feet was also shot down by the same missile.
[Page 428]The surviving pilots (no specific details available) indicate that the action took place near the Mauritanian border today. The pilots also reported the existence of tracked tanks with turrets in the region.
Ambassador Bengelloun of Morocco will visit the State Department tomorrow to give full details as he has them.3
In any event, King Hassan asked that this information be made available to us at the White House, which is what Dick Walters did.
We will ask the intelligence agencies to provide a report as soon as possible.
- Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Country File, Africa, Morocco (06/12/1981–07/21/1981). Secret. Sent for Immediate information. Copies were sent to Bush, Meese, Baker, and Deaver. Reagan initialed the top right-hand corner of the memorandum. A stamped notation above his initials reads: “The President has seen.” Darman also initialed the top right-hand corner of the memorandum.↩
- No record of the Walters-Allen call was found. For additional information on the incident, see Documents 384 and 385.↩
- A record of Bengelloun’s meeting with Veliotes, during which they discussed the incident, is in telegram 277038 to Rabat, October 17. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, Electronic Telegrams, D810490–0383)↩