Foreign Relations of the United States, 1981–1988, Volume XXIV, North Africa

288. Memorandum for the Record¹

Tunis, May 23, 1981, 11 a.m.

SUBJECT

• Meeting between Mr. West, ASD/ISA (designate) and President Bourguiba

ATTENDEES

• Amb Bosworth, MOD Baly, Mr. Habib Bourguiba Jr, LTG Graves, Dr. Denoon, BG Granger

1. President Bourguiba opened by expressing his pleasure that the Sixth Fleet Commander, VADM Small, had invited the TN CNO, Cpt. Fedilha, to his upcoming Change of Command ceremony.

2. President Bourguiba then recounted in considerable detail (to include readings from a book) an episode from his life which took place during WW II. At that time he was incarcerated by the French in Marseilles. He had composed a letter to Dr. Habib Thameur (a functionary with the Neo Destourian party) which was smuggled out of the prison by his son. In the letter, Pres. Bourguiba expressed his strong conviction that the Allies would win out over the Axis powers and he directed Dr. Thameur to insure that the party members and supporters contribute in every way possible to support the Allied cause. Pres. Bourguiba was subsequently released by the Germans (specifically by a Klaus Barbi whom he described as a war criminal) and worked his way back to Tunisia. By a sheer stroke of luck he avoided being swept up [by] the Germans as Tunisia fell and was in Tunis when the English arrived. He then had to convince General Juin, interim Resident General, that he was indeed on the side of the Allies, one of the few Arab leaders to be so.

3. President Bourguiba then took the group around his office and showed them various pictures and mementos to include Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, and Kennedy, a rock from the moon as well as a Tunisian flag which had been carried to the moon. He also discussed a gallery of mug shots of various Tunisian fighters in the struggle for independence.

4. At this point, having clearly established his credentials as a longtime friend of the West and especially the US, President Bourguiba asked what Mr. West had to tell him. Mr. West responded by saying the group was honored that President Bourguiba was meeting with them—that he was one of the great men of the 20th Century. On behalf of the Secretary of Defense and the Deputy he wished to convey how strongly we feel our interests are mutual and that we want to work with Ministry of Defense at all levels—equipment, exercises, intelligence—in order to leave no doubt about our intentions.

5. President Bourguiba then launched into a description of the Gafsa incident and Qadhafi’s efforts to destabilize Tunisia.² He said that the insurgents had been told that they only had to fire one shot and everyone would join them. Using Soviet arms they killed 45 new inductees who had just been vaccinated and were in a weakened condition. President Bourguiba said he himself was in Nefta, a short distance away, and refused to leave the scene while the emergency continued. In spite of wild stories on the Libyan radio about other cities joining, no one did and all the conspirators were caught. Thirteen were condemned to hang, President Bourguiba refused clemency, and the sentences were carried out.

6. President Bourguiba then commented that Qadhafi had gone into Chad.³ He then moved on to the Jerba Agreement⁴ where he said that, in 1974, Qadhafi had taken advantage of him when he was very sick and got him to sign a document of unification. However, it was one of the shortest on record only having lasted 2 hours. He said he has instructed the Prime Minister that before there will be any cordial relations between the two countries Qadhafi must return the unification document and permit joint oil exploitation of the continental shelf. He closed by saying that Qadhafi is just waiting for him to die and that he was crazy. He commented that he has as many tanks in Libya as all of France or maybe Europe.

7. Mr. West repeated Secretary of State Haig’s statement that the U.S. had no intention of permitting any illegal interventions.⁵ He said that the recent expulsion of the so-called Peoples Representatives⁶ was just one step to make it clear about the unacceptable international conduct of Qadhafi – especially the exportation of thugs, terrorists, and assassins. He also said it was the intention of the U.S. to work with friends for peace and security.

8. President Bourguiba said that Tunisia wants to buy the minimum necessary equipment for its defense and will pay to the best of its ability. Mr. West said a request for increased credits had already been sent to Congress.⁷ President Bourguiba indicated that at the time of Gafsa that President Carter had sent APCs and Congress sent a telegram of support.⁸ He added that he wanted to leave the Tunisian people what they need so they could fight for themselves. Mr. West said he expected that Bourguiba and Reagan would be exchanging telegrams 7 or 8 years from now and then added that the prosperity of the people versus defense needs was worldwide—a U.S. problem to help solve. President Bourguiba then said that Prime Minister Mzali and Bourguiba, Jr. would be coming to the States and he hoped that an agreement on defense requirements could be signed then.⁹

9. Mr. West said he would try. He continued by noting that President Bourguiba had mentioned support from other countries—particularly Saudi Arabia. This was good news because it was obvious that Qadhafi was a threat to many countries. On the subject of an economic plan for equipment he said he wanted to discuss it with MOD along with other means of signaling our intentions.

10. President Bourguiba closed by saying that the Sixth Fleet was welcome to Tunisia wherever and whenever it pleased. He also emphasized that he now felt more at ease now having heard the reassurances of U.S. support.

11. President Bourguiba at this point presented the Order of the Republic (Grand Officer) to Mr. West and the Order of the Republic (Commander) to LTG Graves.

Eugene A. Fox
Colonel, U.S. Army
Chief, USLOT

NOTE: A short press interview was held at the end of the meeting. Mr. West said he was heading a group from DOD for two days of mutual security discussions. The first meeting was with President Bourguiba, whom he found in excellent health. President Bourguiba had discussed his close relations with the U.S. from WW II to day. Mr. West said there had been a cordial, frank exchange of views.

1. Source: Washington National Records Center, OSD Files, FRC 330–83–0104, 1981 Official Records (Secret & Below) of the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense, and the Executive Secretary to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense, Box 26, Tunisia. Confidential. Drafted by Colonel Eugene Fox, U.S. Army, U.S. Military Liaison Office, Tunisia, on May 26. The meeting took place in the Presidential Palace.
2. See footnote 2, Document 107.
3. Reference is to Libya’s 1980 invasion of Chad.
4. Reference is to the January 1974 Djerba Treaty of Union between Libya and Tunisia. See Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, vol. E–9, Documents on North Africa, 1973–1976, Document 120.
5. Reference is presumably to a Haig statement made during a March 16 interview. In reference to a question concerning Afghanistan, Haig referenced “ongoing Soviet activity abroad which is illegal, interventionist, imperialist, and poses a great threat to international stability and peace.” (Department of State Bulletin November 1981, pp. 23–25.
6. In early May, the United States Government closed Libya’s “People’s Bureau” in Washington, D.C. See Foreign Relations, 1981–1988, vol. XLVIII, Libya; Chad. In the fall of 1980, in response to the possible renewal of a “Libyan assassination campaign” aimed at Libyan dissident émigrés, in particular the shooting of a Libyan graduate student in Colorado, the Carter administration asked the Government of Libya to arrange for the departure of 19 students and one member of the People’s Bureau from Washington. (Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, vol. XVII, Part 3, North Africa, Documents 140–144)
7. No record of the request has been found.
8. See Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, vol. XVII, Part 3, North Africa, Document 205.
9. An unknown hand drew a vertical line in the right-hand margin next to this sentence.