Office of the Historian

355. Letter From the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Nitze) to the Under Secretary of State (Katzenbach)1

Washington, September 6, 1968.

Dear Nick:

I am writing in response to your request that the Defense Department develop a program that could serve as the basis for a plan of action for relocating our current activities from Kagnew Station in Ethiopia.

Alternate sites for the activities now located at Kagnew have been identified, together with costs and time it would take to develop alternate facilities. The activities at Kagnew consist of [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] STRATCOM and Navy communications facilities, and a small atomic explosion detection site. The duplication of these activities would entail enlarging existing facilities in Spain, Morocco, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Iran; building a new facility on Crete (or Cyprus) and a new Navy communications station in the Indian Ocean area; [less than 1 line of source text not declassified]. The over-all cost of duplicating the Kagnew facilities would be about $116 million, with completion about four years after funds are made available.

The proposed relocation sites would result in little loss in our communications capabilities, [13–1/2 lines of source text not declassified].

The Joint Chiefs of Staff [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] in commenting on the alternative arrangements, concluded that the functions presently being performed at Kagnew could not be relocated without entailing serious risks to US security interests.

I believe the impact of relocation—the financial costs, [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] and the lack of relocation sites which would [Page 607] improve our prospects for tenure—will have to be weighed carefully against the uncertain political situation in Ethiopia before any decision can be made for a phased relocation from Kagnew. In order that your staff might study these factors more carefully, I am enclosing a copy of the telecommunications plan.2 [1–1/2 lines of source text not declassified] (The changing political situation mentioned above, which has occurred since the preparation of these plans, will require some modifications in the proposed alternate sites.)

In view of the difficult situations confronting our continued presence at Kagnew and other facilities elsewhere as well, I have directed the development of a five-year plan [2 lines of source text not declassified] due in September 1969.

In the interim, in order to reduce our presence at Kagnew, I have directed the following:

  • —A joint manpower survey to determine what reductions (in addition to those resulting from current budgetary actions) can be made and that until completion of that survey present personnel strength be established as a ceiling.
  • —The cancellation of $1 million in previously approved construction projects. Future construction will be limited to that which you and I agree is essential.

Moreover, the Defense Communications Satellite System which is expected to be operational by mid-1971, should enable us to make a substantial reduction in acreage and personnel. Consequently, I have directed a study to assess the feasibility of reconfiguring the Defense Communications System facilities at Kagnew with a view toward reducing the number of high frequency radio systems, and a survey of the utilization of real estate tracts with a view toward consolidating functions where technically feasible. This review will be coordinated with the Department of State to insure that the over-all world-wide Defense Communications and Diplomatic Telecommunications Systems are not impaired.

I have requested that your staff be kept fully apprised of the results of these surveys.

Sincerely,

Paul 3
  1. Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 72 A 1499, Ethiopia, 000.1—1968. Top Secret.↩
  2. Not printed.↩
  3. Printed from a copy that indicates Nitze signed the original.↩