635. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Secretary of Defense McNamara1
JCSM–191–67
Washington, April 5, 1967.
SUBJECT
- DOD Requirements for Facilities and Contractual Support in the Republic of South Africa (U)
- 1.
- (U) Reference is made to a multiple addressed memorandum by the Deputy Secretary of Defense, dated 21 February 1967,2 subject as above.
- 2.
- (U) The Joint Chiefs of Staff have reviewed the requirements and analyses forwarded by the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of the Air Force to the Deputy Secretary of Defense and note that these submissions include matters of concern to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Joint Chiefs of Staff concur in the views on these matters expressed by the Secretaries.
- 3.
- (S) Although use of South African facilities is highly desirable, alternative solutions can be found for all current military requirements for facilities or contractual support in the Republic of South Africa. However, resort to alternative solutions would increase costs and result in less efficient use of available manpower, ship, and aircraft assets.
- 4.
- (S) Denial of airbase and overflight rights in South Africa would seriously complicate air operations in South African and adjacent areas. Loss of other South African facilities would also reduce the US capability to react to contingency situations in Africa South of the Sahara and in the Middle East. Loss of the tracking station at Pretoria, together with airfield and port rights, would degrade the tracking and telemetry capability for space flights as well as the DOD capability to support space programs. Finally, the use of facilities in the Republic of South Africa, in time of war, would be essential if control of vital sea lanes to the Indian Ocean and Far East is to be maintained.
For the Joint Chiefs of Staff:
- Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 71 A 4546, 680.1 South Africa. Secret.↩
- Document 632.↩
- Printed from a copy that indicates Cobb signed the original.↩