882.635 Neep/85
Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. Henry S. Villard of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs
Mr. Ridgway of the Bureau of Mines telephoned today in regard to the sample analysis of iron ore drillings in the Bomi area of Liberia, a copy of which I had transmitted to him informally. Mr. Ridgway [Page 802] said that after examining this analysis he was under the impression that the iron deposits constituted a rather interesting body of ore and that the iron content of the deposits was probably quite high-higher, in fact, than our Lake Superior iron ore ranges.
Mr. Ridgway qualified his remarks by stating that an analysis of a single boring could not be taken to represent the entire Bomi area, and that the analysis in question moreover did not show certain elements which were usually present in iron ore, such as sulphur. Nevertheless, he said, despite the rather high phosphorus content of the ore, it was well within the limits for steel-making iron. He added that the iron deposits apparently lay rather deep, and that they would probably have to be worked by underground rather than open-pit mining methods.