Office of the Historian

227. Memorandum From Robert Kimmitt of the National Security Council Staff to Geoffrey Kemp and Philip Dur of the National Security Council Staff1

Washington, August 27, 1984

SUBJECT

  • Secretary Shultz’s Evening Report of:2

The following excerpt is for your information only. Please do not refer to it in any discussions.

[Page 481]

2. King Hassan on Morocco/Libya Ties. Dick Walters met August 23 with King Hassan to discuss the recently concluded “Treaty of Federation” between Morocco and Libya.3 Hassan said his action grew out of the “isolation” forced on Morocco by the conclusion last year of a “Treaty of Friendship” between Tunisia, Algeria and Mauritania.4 Hassan said “I have no illusions about Qadhafi. Either I tame him or the union breaks up. . . .” Meanwhile, intelligence reports5 cite former Foreign Minister Boucetta as having said that the primary motivation for the treaty was economic and that Libya had agreed to as much as $600 million “counter trade” a year to be paid for with oil. Hassan’s explanation is, obviously, not totally satisfying, but we should reserve judgment until after conversations with Royal Counselor Guedira whom the King is dispatching to Washington on September 4.

[Omitted here is material unrelated to Morocco.]

  1. Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Country File, Africa, Morocco (03/13/1984–08/24/1984). Secret.↩
  2. An unknown hand wrote: “8/24/84.”↩
  3. A record of the Walters-Hassan conversation is printed as Document 38. See also footnote 3, Document 226.↩
  4. An unknown hand wrote: “Kemp” and “Dur” in the left-hand margin next to this sentence.↩
  5. Not found.↩