17. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson1
The attached is one of the most interesting dispatches I have seen in recent months.2 It shows our Ambassador, William Porter, in a straight out talk with Ben Bella. Bearing in mind that one man is a head of government and the other is a diplomat, I think you will agree that Porter did an astonishing job of stating his case while maintaining communication [Page 37] with his target. He also surprised Ben Bella into unusual frankness about his attitudes.
Finally, in his concluding section, Porter shows that he is not a bit taken in by Ben Bella and understands precisely how B.B. is playing into the hands of the Soviets—not because he is a Communist, but because of his own fanatical emotions.
The policy question we face, of course, is whether it helps to cut off PL–480 to a man like this. My own estimate, which the intelligence community shares, is that as a matter of cold national interest it would do us no good—in the sense that it would not bring Ben Bella “to his senses” and would only confirm him in his fundamental emotional convictions. Cutting off Algeria would also play right into Soviet hands. It’s precisely what Moscow would like us to do.
On the other hand, food does not buy his friendship, and if it is politically very unpopular here, it should be cut back gradually in ways that are not visibly connected to his foreign policy. Ben Bella, unlike Nasser, has done us no injury within his own territories—at least so far.
What we currently have is a freeze on discussion of new projects with Ben Bella, and I think this is right for the present.
One more point about this message is that it does show Porter’s own quality. He has been under something of a cloud at the State Department for reasons which I do not understand, and unless you disagree I plan to put in a plug for him over there.