232. Memorandum From Secretary of State Shultz to President Reagan1
[Omitted here is material unrelated to Morocco.]
2. Morocco: Overtures From Moscow. King Hassan told Ambassador Reed that a Soviet military officer dangled before the Moroccans the possibility of altering Moscow’s Western Sahara policy to support Morocco’s position. The Soviet also intimated a willingness to offer Rabat military/technical assistance at “no cost”.2 Moscow has actively pursued greater visibility in Morocco over the past year in an obvious attempt to counter U.S. influence. Soviet ship visits have continued; trade has expanded, benefitting the GOM which has sold significantly greater amounts of phosphates; the GOM accorded extensive publicity to a large Soviet trade delegation in October. Aware of Algeria’s increasing disenchantment and desire to diminish Soviet influence, the Soviets may be reassessing their strategy in the Maghreb. They may conclude that Morocco’s severe economic difficulties and increasing diplomatic isolation provide fertile ground for undercutting the U.S. Hassan assured Reed that he is well aware of Soviet duplicity and is not taken in by Soviet enticements. Nevertheless, we cannot discount the possibility that Hassan may find further warming of relations with the USSR useful. (S)
[Omitted here is material unrelated to Morocco.]
- Source: Reagan Library, George Shultz Papers, President’s Evening Reading July–December 1984. Secret.↩
- In telegram 10634 from Rabat, November 29, Reed reported that during a November 27 conversation, Hassan “recounted a recent Soviet démarche that had the stated intention of reducing U.S., and increasing Soviet, influence in Morocco. The King assured me he was not taken in by the Soviet enticements, but I found the boldness of the Soviet advance potentially disturbing.” (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, Electronic Telegrams, D840763–0016)↩