Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume XXI, Africa

218. Paper Prepared in the Department of Defense⁰

Washington, undated.

THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF AFRICA

Working Paper for Discussion Group Meeting May 25, 1963

Abstract

From a global perspective Africa is not an area of primary strategic importance to the US, and we therefore have a strong interest in restricting our involvement in Africa. Nonetheless, we have a considerable number of specific interests and commitments there in whose service we might have to undertake serious and extensive burdens.

Our military and technological needs include: (1) bases in support of our readiness posture; (2) transit and supply points for efforts in the Middle East; (3) overflight and landing rights to implement contingency plans in sub-Saharan Africa; (4) facilities in support of space and missile programs; (5) communications and intelligence facilities; (6) essential raw materials. In general, we will require more military and space facilities in Africa over the next decade, but they will be more difficult to obtain.

Our minimum political interests are: (1) to keep Africa free of Communist regimes and to minimize Sino-Soviet influence; (2) to restrain violence in general and preserve the present territorial order as the most feasible alternative to chaos; (3) to prevent violent racial confrontations; and (4) to prevent or control situations of internal chaos similar to the Congo. We have general commitments to act under the UN Charter and specific defense commitments to Tunisia, Ethiopia, and Liberia.

Our interests sometimes conflict with each other. There is a basic conflict between our requirements and our desire to limit commitments, which will presumably be resolved on an ad hoc basis. There are a number of more specific conflicts as well, e.g., between our desire to work with our NATO allies and the difficulty of agreeing with them on fundamental common interests in Africa; and between our desire to draw close to states that show promise of regional leadership and the domestic problems this creates for moderate regimes.

We require a basic point of departure which gives proper balance to political and military considerations in light of our overall African posture and which establishes principles for determining future courses of action in response both to our immediate needs and longer-range interests.

[Here follows the body of the paper.]

0. Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OASD/ISA Files: FRC 73 A 2226, Strategic Importance of Africa. Secret. The source text is attached to a memorandum from Colonel Howard C. Junkermann, USAF, to Lieutenant Colonel C.C. Robinson, Defense Intelligence Agency, Commander H.A. Cummings, Department of the Navy, Lieutenant Colonel E.G. Tanassy, Department of the Air Force, and J.J. Blake, Department of the Army. Junkermann indicated that the paper was drafted by Fred Greene, and would be used as a basis for discussion at a forthcoming conference to be held at Georgetown University on May 25. No record of the group’s discussion has been found.