Office of the Historian

62. Memorandum From Harold H. Saunders of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)1

Washington, July 30, 1964.

McGB:

Time may be running out on our effort to stall for time in negotiations over Wheelus. The King told Lightner Tuesday2 the Libyan parliament will be reconvened in August just to hear a report on the base negotiations.

The Libyans want a definite agreement that we’ll get out before 1971. They’ll wait till early next year to talk dates. RWK and I have argued for this right along because it makes more sense to bargain for as much as we can get than to be thrown out standing on our treaty right to stay till 1971. So far we’ve only said we can’t talk about abrogating the agreement but we’ll talk about a departure date next year after we’ve [Page 96] studied alternatives. So the Libyans think we’re sticking to 1971. We’ve tried to hint that the date will be sooner, but Air Force hasn’t let us come out and say so because it still hasn’t faced the fact that we’ll have to get out early. State sees the realities as we do, but is doing its best to buy as much time as possible for the Air Force.

Part of our problem is that bases have become a football in Libyan infighting. The PM never explained our position to the King, so we’ve lacked the help of a traditional ally. The King needs British troops more than American planes, so now he’s inclined to split the difference with the anti-base group—be tough on us and soft on the UK. The King recently got wind of Defense Ministry plotting and put the kibosh on an arms deal we’d negotiated to get the military on our side. (Fortunately, he’s relented on the jets we’ll sell to keep working with the new Libyan Air Force at Wheelus, though he sacked the Defense Minister.)

We’re considering sending Lewis Jones back next month to reassure the Libyans we’re not trying to stall indefinitely, though a note from him may be enough. The big question Air Force faces now is whether to risk further stalling or to make the best of an early out. If we keep stalling, parliament may abrogate the treaty unilaterally. When we move, we face the political and other problems of relocating the huge Wheelus operation (probably in Spain).3

Hal
  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Libya, Vol. II, 7/64–12/68. Secret.↩
  2. July 26.↩
  3. A handwritten note by Bundy in the margin reads: “Thanks for memo. Keep me informed. DOD can help with AF if need be.”↩