Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XXIV, Africa

493. Notes of Telephone Conversation¹

Washington, November 12, 1965, 9:34 a.m.

PRESIDENT JOHNSON’S NOTES ONCONVERSATION WITH SECRETARY RUSK

Secretary said:

“Mr. President, Arthur Goldberg will have to talk in about 45 minutes to the U.N. Security Council on Rhodesia. We feel that he ought to be as specific as he can on particular points for two reasons—to head off an African reaction that may bounce back on us on the Chinese communists issue and second to try to head off an African demand that armed forces be employed.

“Now the first point that we would suggest is that we put an embargo on the shipment of arms and ammunition to Southern Rhodesia, second that we suspend action on applications for U.S. Government loans or cut in credit guarantees—there is only one case now with General Electric; third that we suspend that small sugar quota (6000 tons for Southern Rhodesia) and a lot of countries will be prepared to pick that up; fourth that we discourage American private citizens from traveling to Southern Rhodesia.

“And I wanted to know if you would be prepared to go along with the aforementioned.”²

President Johnson said:

“Yes. Yes sir.” [Here follows discussion of another subject.]

1. Source: Johnson Library, Transcripts of Telephone Conversations, Alpha Series, Rusk. No classification marking. The source text bears no indication of the drafter.
2. For text of Ambassador Goldberg’s statement on November 12, see American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1965, pp. 686–688.