Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume XIII, Western Europe and Canada

362. Memorandum of Conversation⁰

US/MC/9

Paris, December 16, 1963.

UNITED STATES DELEGATION TO THE THIRTY-SECOND MINISTERIAL MEETING OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL

Paris, France, December 16–18, 1963

PARTICIPANTS

• United States
  • William R.Tyler¹
• Portugal
  • Franco Nogueira, Foreign Minister

SUBJECT

• US-Portuguese Relations

At lunch today, and again at dinner, Foreign Minister Nogueira expressed himself with great bitterness with regard to the role and attitude of the United States Government in the recent Security Council session in New York. He said that the resolution² was worse than the previous one of July 31. He rejected all attempts to persuade him that on the contrary it had represented progress in the direction of moderation, and by keeping open the possibility of renewing talks with the Africans. He complained specifically that Ambassador Yost had been much more forthcoming in his remarks addressed to the African representatives than when he mentioned the Portuguese Foreign Minister. He also complained that Ambassador Yost had volunteered the statement that the United States had not sold any arms to Portugal and would not do so in the future, but had omitted to ask that no one should sell arms to the terrorists who were training on the soil of the Congo. He railed against the United States for insisting on the return of the F–86’s from Portuguese Guinea.

I have never known Nogueira to speak more bitterly than he did to me on these two occasions. Several times he made allusions to (a) a review which the Portuguese Government was undertaking of its relations with the United States and its own position in relation to the Alliance, and (b) to the Portuguese Government having come to the end of its patience with regard to the Congo. He hinted that his government was considering taking measures to put an end to the present situation which permitted terrorists to operate with impunity from the soil of the Congo. While he was not specific, I inferred that the Portuguese Government is considering armed action.

At the end of the evening, Ambassador de Staercke, in conversation with the Secretary, discussed Foreign Minister Nogueira’s state of mind, and said that he also had never known him as violent or bitter. He said Nogueira had also told him that the Portuguese Government had come to the end of its patience and was contemplating some form of military action in the Congo. De Staercke said he had warned Nogueira emphatically of the consequences to Portugal of any such course of action. de Staercke said that Nogueira had asked him if he would come to Portugal and see the Prime Minister (whom de Staercke knows very well) some time soon, but de Staercke was not certain whether it would be desirable for him to go in view of the Portuguese Government’s state of mind.

0. Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 66 D110, CF 2354. Secret. Drafted by Tyler on December 17.
1. Tyler was in Paris for the North Atlantic Council meeting.
2. For text of the resolution on territories under Portuguese administration, December 11, see U.N. doc. S/5481; printed in American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1963, pp. 161–162.