Office of the Historian

226. Memorandum From Secretary of State Shultz to President Reagan1

Washington, August 21, 1984

[Omitted here is material unrelated to Morocco.]

2. Morocco: General Walters to Confer with King Hassan. Dick Walters departs for Morocco tomorrow to explain to King Hassan why we postponed joint military exercises which had been scheduled for August and September. It was our judgment that carrying out these exercises might have provoked the Algerians to lessen their efforts aimed at release of the Beirut kidnappees.2 Since Walters’ trip was conceived, the King and Colonel Qadhafi announced their “Treaty of Federation.”3 Although we have been assured by the Moroccan Prime Minister and Foreign Minister that this does not signify any shift in political orientation, it is nonetheless a matter of some concern. We have therefore prepared points for Walters4 to raise with Hassan making clear to the King our reservations about the potential implications of his quickened relationship with the Libyan regime. (SENSITIVE)

  1. Source: Reagan Library, George Shultz Papers, President’s Evening Reading July–December 1984. Secret; Sensitive.↩
  2. Documentation on the kidnappings of U.S. citizens in Beirut and Algerian efforts to secure their release is scheduled for publication in Foreign Relations, 1981–1988, vol. XLVII, Parts 1 and 2, Terrorism.↩
  3. Telegram 7069 from Rabat, August 14, contains the text of a joint Libyan-Moroccan communiqué announcing the union of the two nations. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, Electronic Telegrams, D840517–0979)↩
  4. Talking points for Walters were not found.↩