125.824/8–2753

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Deputy Director of the Office of African Affairs (Cyr)

restricted

Subject:

  • U.S. Representation in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia.

Participants:

  • Mr. Peter Marshall, Second Secretary, British Embassy.
  • Mr. Leo G. Cyr, AF.

Several weeks ago I asked Mr. Belcher of the British Embassy1 to let me know the British Foreign Office’s views concerning the desirability of our changing our Consulate General at Salisbury into a Diplomatic Agency as a result of the coming into being of the Central African Federation.

Mr. Marshall came to my office today to report that in the view of the British Foreign Office it would be inappropriate to change our Consulate General at Salisbury into a Diplomatic Agency because of the impression it would create. He went on to explain that the status of the Central African Federation will not be different from that which Southern Rhodesia now enjoys. External affairs will continue to be handled from London and this situation will prevail for seven years. A change in our representation in Salisbury to take care of diplomatic problems is therefore not necessary and would only strengthen the hope and conviction, which exists in some quarters, that the Federation represents “more of a change” than it really does.

While Mr. Marshall did not presume to tell us when we can change our representation in Salisbury, he pointed out that the British would prefer that we not even change our Consul General about September 4 (the change-over date) because in a lesser degree the implications mentioned above would be present.

I thanked Mr. Marshall for his information and said that the idea of a Diplomatic Agency would undoubtedly be dropped and that the tour of duty of our present Consul General would probably not end at a time that would give rise to the implications he had mentioned.

  1. R. H. Belcher, the First Secretary.