Office of the Historian

557. Memorandum of Conversation1

London, February 24, 1967.

SUBJECT

  • Rhodesia

PARTICIPANTS

  • Foreign Secretary George Brown
  • Donald Murray, Foreign Office
  • Walt Rostow
  • Philip Kaiser

The Foreign Secretary then turned to Rhodesia. He said that the evidence indicates that Smith is having increasing difficulties, but so far no alternative to his Government is emerging. Business is deteriorating and the Rhodesians are now faced with the problem of disposing of the second crop of tobacco since sanctions were originally imposed. The real problems, the Foreign Secretary said, are Portugal and South Africa. If sanctions are to be fully effective, the borders of Portuguese Africa had to be sealed off and, as we know, the British were currently discussing this matter in Lisbon. If we were really successful with the Portuguese, then it was essential that the South Africans not fill the gap in the Rhodesian economy resulting from Portuguese cooperation. The South Africans [Page 943] would never, of course, join in sanctions, but Brown thought there was a good chance of their cooperating “discreetly” by not increasing trade with Rhodesia above “normal” levels.

Brown also mentioned the fact that there is a good deal of informal, unofficial talk going on between various Rhodesians and the British Government. Some of the Rhodesians involved were in the Smith camp. Others were businessmen, etc., who were “anti-the present-situation” and were looking for a solution acceptable to both sides.

  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 16 RHOD. Secret. No drafting information appears on the source text. Approved in S/S on February 27. The source text is marked “Part III of III.”↩