Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Africa and South Asia, Volume XI, Part 1

S/P–NSC files, lot 61 D 167, “North Africa”

Paper Prepared in the Foreign Operations Administration

secret

[Washington,] March 22, 1954.

Africa

The following checklist of major U.S. interests in Africa is suggested for Planning Board consideration:

1. Direct and vital interest to the U.S.

a. Access to strategic materials. Africa is an extremely important source of strategic minerals. The most important of these are uranium, cobalt, industrial diamonds, manganese, copper, chrome, and graphite.

b. Access to air and naval bases in the event of war. Importance of such bases in French North Africa, Libya, Kenya, etc. Problem of possible British withdrawal from Egypt.

c. Long-range importance as a potential market for the U.S. and potential area for private capital investment.

2. Importance of Africa from the standpoint of NATO and Europe.

a. Source of military manpower.

b. Source of raw materials and markets for manufactured products.

c. Strategic and political value to the metropoles.

3. U.S. interests can best be protected and furthered by satisfactory solutions to:

a. Orderly transition from colonialism. The chief problem in Africa is that increasing discontent and demands for self-government will gradually weaken European control and pose a threat to Western access to African resources and facilities. Political importance of gradual and orderly transition to self-government without undue strife.

b. Racialism. This question and method of handling it seriously affects attitudes of wide portions of the free world (Asia, Middle East, Latin America) to the U.S. Growing Indian-African relationships. Acute problem of South Africa.

c. Dangers of Communist subversion.