112. Memorandum From Acting Secretary of State Bowles to President Kennedy 0

SUBJECT

  • Moroccan Bases

In response to your letter, I have prepared the attached, rather comprehensive memorandum on Moroccan bases.1 The Moroccans are now anxious that we accelerate our evacuation and that we assist Morocco to make good use of the bases for civil aviation training and other purposes. In a recent call on me the Moroccan Ambassador urged that we send a special emissary to Rabat to discuss the utilization question with the Moroccan authorities.2

There seems to me to be an opportunity here—to help in Morocco’s technical and economic development, to insure that Communist bloc powers do not come on the bases when we leave and to preserve for as long as possible our essential military interests in the remaining facilities. Although we have an agreement permitting us to retain our bases until the end of 1963, the internal Moroccan political situation is not promising and we would do well to meet constructively and not negatively Moroccan pressures on us.

Chester Bowles 4
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 771.56311/3-2861. Secret. Drafted by Root on March 22 and cleared by Williams and McGhee.
  2. An undated memorandum, “Status and Problems of U.S. Bases in Morocco,” from Assistant Secretary Williams to Under Secretary Bowles, is attached to the source text but is not printed.
  3. The March 22 conversation was recorded in a memorandum of conversation that is in Department of State, Central Files, 751S.00/3-2261.
  4. Printed from a copy that indicates Bowles signed the original.