231. Memorandum From the Executive Secretary of the Department of State (Hill) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (McFarlane)1
SUBJECT
- Exercise AFRICAN EAGLE with Morocco
An air defense combined exercise in Morocco (AFRICAN EAGLE) is scheduled to commence November 16. Final approval for this exercise had been held in abeyance pending our Maghreb policy review [Page 487] (NSSD–6–84)2 which is still incomplete. We nevertheless recommend that we proceed with the exercise on schedule.
We cannot permit King Hassan to believe that, after our initial negative reaction to the Moroccan-Libyan Treaty of Union, we have reverted to business as usual. However, we also believe strongly that unilateral actions such as the cancellation of exercises on the scale of AFRICAN EAGLE are neither effective nor befitting our relationship with an ally as old as Morocco. (In fact, proceeding with the exercise may well produce some strain in relations between Qaddafi and the King which could contribute to the unraveling of the agreement.) The King has responded to our expressions of concern by assuring us that implementation of the treaty will not involve actions against our interests.
We must now monitor that implementation to hold the King to his word. We will continue to maintain an open and frank dialogue with King Hassan to ensure that he is in no doubt about our concerns and remind him that although we have approved this exercise, and others, there remains a tension in our bilateral relationship induced by the Treaty of Union. We also need a clearer idea of what the King seeks to gain from the union.
Continued air operations in Morocco are extremely important to the USAF. The location is convenient and does not require tanker support during the deployment. The weather is ideal, the ranges are close to the runways, live ordnance can be dropped, and the air traffic is minimal. In addition, it is one of the few places in the European Area of Operations where we can conduct supersonic dissimilar air combat training. Cancelling AFRICAN EAGLE denies the USAF valuable training and a relationship between the military services which has taken years to develop. In fact, there is concern in EUCOM that cancellation of the exercise would mean the future permanent loss of the ranges.
We would appreciate formal NSC approval of exercise AFRICAN EAGLE no later than Tuesday, November 13.3 This request has the full support of Secretaries Shultz and Weinberger and General Vessey.
- Source: Reagan Library, Near East and South Asia Affairs Directorate, Morocco 1984 (09/21/1984–11/19/1984). Secret; Sensitive. A stamped notation below the date reads: “White House Situation Room.”↩
- See Document 45.↩
- No record of final NSC approval for the exercise has been found.↩
- McKinley signed for Hill above this typed signature.↩