Accra Consulate files, lot 59 F 7, “350–Political Affairs”

The Officer in Charge of West, Central, and East Africa Affairs ( Feld ) to the Consul at Accra ( Cole )

confidential personal
official–informal

Dear Bill: When John Utter received your recent letter enclosing copies of your exchange of letters with Robert Moore in Paris,1 he called me in and we talked the whole matter over at considerable length. I emphasized to John the reliance Jim Durnan and I have come to place in your mature judgment, discretion, integrity as a reporting [Page 237] officer, and ability to analyze a complex political situation, without emotionalism or evident bias. I added that, in my opinion, Moore should have been much less inclined to accept as accurate the allegations made by the French Foreign Office official during the interview. In other words, I had no hesitation in fully supporting your conduct during your visit to French Togoland as well as your subsequent actions in Accra and I made my support clear.

I explained to John Utter that the hypersensitivity of the French regarding the activities of our Foreign Service officers in French colonial areas, has heretofore been confined, as far as I am aware, to French North Africa, and that the Togo incident was the first indication we have had that this hypersensitivity is spreading to include U.S. Foreign Service officers assigned to non-French posts in Africa South of the Sahara who are responsible for reporting on U.N. Trusteeship territories, including those administered by the French. Furthermore, I pointed out that the United States has never been convinced of the validity of the case for Ewe or Togo unification, as put by extremist Ewe nationalist leaders, but, on the contrary, has considered this as one of those problems for which no really workable solution has been suggested. Consequently, I see absolutely no reason for the representative of the French Foreign Office to have made such allegations regarding your perfectly correct and proper visit to the High Commissioner and Chef du Cabinet of French Togoland at Lomé, which you cleared beforehand with all appropriate authorities concerned.

I trust that this incident will in no way inhibit the fine work you are doing for us in Accra. As I have said previously, for the first time in many years we are receiving really good coverage of political developments in the Gold Coast and the two Togolands. It would be a great pity, therefore, if we were to be denied your careful, well-rounded and objective analyses because of incidents of this kind. In my opinion, we will not get dispassionate and factual analyses of the complex political situation in your areas if you are constrained from even hearing the nationalists state their position by calling on you at the Consulate at Accra on their own initiative. The French are all too ready to assume that we uncritically swallow everything a nationalist has to say. This, of course, is sheer nonsense, but the French seem to believe their own nonsense these days.

I hope, therefore, that you will consider the whole episode closed and will rest assured in the knowledge that we certainly intend to see that your record is kept clear of any criticism in that regard, and I am sure John Utter feels the same way.

I shall look forward to hearing from you personally and also to reading your fine despatches. With all best wishes,

Very sincerely,

Nick
  1. Not printed; Cole had written on Sept. 12 to Utter, who was Director of the Office of African Affairs, enclosing Moore’s letter of Aug. 20, Supra , and his own response of Sept. 11. (Accra Consulate files, lot 59 F 7, “350–Political Affairs”)