Office of the Historian

302. Memorandum of Conversation0

Washington, October 1, 1963, 4:30 p.m.

SUBJECT

  • Somalia

PARTICIPANTS

  • United States
    • The President
    • Ambassador Edward M. Korry
    • The Hon. G. Mennen Williams, Assistant Secretary, AF
    • Mr. Edward Hutchinson, AID
    • Mr. Frank Sloan, OSD/ISA
    • Ambassador Angier Biddle Duke
    • Brigadier General John J. Tolson, Military Aide to the Emperor
    • Mr. William Brubeck, The White House
    • Mr. David D. Newsom, Director, AFN
  • Ethiopia
    • His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia
    • His Highness Ras Imru Haile-Selassie
    • His Excellency Tsahafi Tezaz Teferra-Work Kidane-Wolde, Minister of the Imperial Court
    • His Excellency Yilma Deressa, Minister of FInance
    • His Excellency Ketema Yifru, Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs
    • Dr. Menassie Haile, Chief of the Political Section of His Imperial Majesty’s Private Cabinet
    • His Excellency Berhanou Dinke, Ambassador of Ethiopia

In a preliminary session with the Emperor (with Ambassador Korry and Dr. Menassie Haile present), the President brought up the question of Somalia with the Emperor and asked for his views. The Emperor, citing that he had said all of this to the Ambassador previously on several occasions, repeated familiar arguments that arms assistance to Somalia encouraged Somali irredentism, had caused bloodshed and unrest within Ethiopia, had been particularly harmful because of its timing, and had not precluded communist assistance. On this last point, he stated that the Somalis had received nine million sterling in assistance from Peking. The Ambassador interjected that there was no military assist-ance. The Emperor rather disdainfully asked what else would it be for.

The President in his reply made these points:

1.
The U.S. arms program was very small and provided over three million dollars of assistance over a period of five to six years;
2.
It was mostly designed for civic action;
3.
The objectives of this policy were exactly the same as Ethiopian objectives, which was to encourage the moderates in Somalia and to keep peace and stability in the Horn of Africa; and
4.
If either the Chinese or the Soviets gave military assistance in significant amounts, the U.S. Government would be forced to review its policy of arms to Somalia.

In the course of the discussion, the Emperor said that a modus vivendi was necessary between Somalia and Ethiopia and the U.S. must support this. The President agreed. The Emperor also acknowledged that there was no conflict between U.S. and Ethiopian objectives. The President said that in the United States view, Ethiopia was the key country in that part of the world and that it was with that in mind that we made our policies.

In the full session, the Emperor again expressed concern over United States military assistance to Somalia. The President reiterated the United States reasons for this action, stating that only time will tell whether these reasons are valid. The United States, he said, was aware of the Somali mission to the U.S.S.R. and the possibility that Somalia might receive some assistance from China. Assistance from these quarters could produce more instability. The United States has made no deliveries to Somalia. It will continue to watch the situation closely and will keep in touch with the Emperor on developments.

The Emperor said that he wished to make it plain that he did not feel that the United States should give no assistance to Somalia. He was preoccupied with the kind of arms assistance which would encourage [Page 480] Somalia to provoke Ethiopia. Arms from Somalia have already been used in the eastern part of Ethiopia. The Emperor knows of the United States interest in friendly relations between Ethiopia and Somalia and is prepared to work to that end. If the Somalis are stimulated through military assistance, however, the situation could get out of hand.

The President said that in the United States view by responding with some assistance, it is possible to increase influence and promote stability. The United States has had some harsh experiences when it has rejected requests for assistance in such situations. He reiterated that it was necessary to wait and see what developed.

The Emperor said that another aspect of his fears was that with the Somali election coming up, Somalis were out-doing one another in attacking Ethiopia. The opposition in Somalia has accused the Government in the Ogaden and the Ethiopians have been forced to retaliate against the tribes.

The President said there would be a better view of the situation when information was received on the Somali mission to Moscow. He promised to keep in close touch with the Emperor.

  1. Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Ethiopia, Haile Selassie’s Visit, 10/63. Confidential. Drafted by Newsom and Korry. The meeting was held at the White House. The source text is labeled “I of III.” President Kennedy’s discussion of African issues and assistance to Ethiopia with Emperor Haile Selassie on October 1 and their discussion of assistance to Ethiopia on October 2 were recorded in three memoranda of conversation that are ibid.↩