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

659. Memorandum of Meeting¹

Washington, May 23, 1968.

ANNEX A TO THE CHAIRMAN’S SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION AND DECISIONS AT THE 38TH SIG MEETING ON MAY 23, 1968²

III. South Africa Ship Visit

The Chairman³ asked General Johnson to introduce the problem which had been posed by General Wheeler’s memorandum.⁴

General Johnson explained the background of the proposal to permit the carrier Intrepid to stop at a South African port for refueling en route from Atlantic to Pacific waters. He cited the inability of the UK to provide a tanker for refueling at sea as they had done on three previous trips, and referred to the progressive deterioration of the capacity of the US Atlantic fleet in this regard as a result of the transfer of men and ships to the Pacific to support our efforts in Vietnam. Ordering a US oiler to proceed solely for the purpose of refueling the Intrepid at sea would mean a special 42-day round trip at an estimated cost or roughly $336,000.

The succeeding discussion centered on the question of whether the estimate could be considered a true additional cost, since the US Navy oiler would be on operational exercises in any case, and the relationship of our policy towards South Africa to a decision on a problem of this type. The Chairman stated that he felt that if we desired to change our policy towards South Africa, we should do so by means of a formal statement and be prepared to take the necessary consequences—not by taking an ad hoc decision on an operational matter. Furthermore, the Chairman said, he was by no means persuaded that the South African Government would accept a visit on the terms we would be likely to propose, i.e., only for refueling with no liberty for the crew. Finally, such a highly visible call at a South African port by a US carrier in the middle of July would almost certainly have serious repercussions for us at home.

Mr. Walt Rostow added that without doubt there would also be complications for us in the UN, where we were attempting to secure the support of African nations for the NPT. The Chairman agreed, but reiterated that the possible domestic effect of the visit in mid-summer was the decisive factor in his mind. Mr. Earle stated that he believed Mr. Clifford would agree with that view, and questioned whether the matter should be referred to the IRG/AF for consideration.

The Chairman summed up the discussion by stating that, despite his sympathy for the Navy’s problem in the case of the Intrepid, he felt that a visit to South African port this summer would be ill advised, and the possible dollar costs of arranging refueling at sea were not a factor of sufficient importance to cause him to reverse his decision. The proposal for the visit of the Intrepid therefore was disapproved. The Chairman requested that all members exercise special care to avoid publicity on this decision.

A.A. Hartman
Staff Director

1. Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 73 A 1250, South Africa 463. Secret; Exdis. Prepared by the Special Assistant and Staff Director of the Senior Interdepartmental Group in the Office of the Under Secretary, Arthur A. Hartman.
2. The Chairman’s Summary is not attached. A copy is in Department of State, SIG Files: Lot 70 D 263, SIG Records of Action, SIG/RA: #39—May 24, 1968—Chairman’s Summary of Discussion and Decisions at the 38th SIG Meeting.
3. Under Secretary Katzenbach served as SIG Chairman.
4. Not attached. A copy of JCS Memorandum CM–3332–68 is in the Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 73 A 1250, SIG Memorandums, SIG/MEMO: #69—5/21/68—JCS Request for Consideration of Ship Stop in South Africa. A record of the Department of State pre-SIG meeting on May 23 is ibid., SIG Documents, SIG/DOC: #27—5/23/68—South African Ship Visit.