Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume XVII, Part 2, Sub-Saharan Africa

68. Memorandum of Conversation¹

Washington, September 25, 1980, 11:30 a.m.–noon

SUBJECT

• President’s Meeting with Siaka Stevens of Sierra Leone

PARTICIPANTS

• President Jimmy Carter
• Warren Christopher, Deputy Secretary of State
• David Aaron, National Security Council
• Harold Horan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
• Theresa Healy, U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone
• Louis Martin, The White House
• Thomas Thornton, National Security Council
• Parker W. Borg, Country Director for West Africa, Department of State
• Siaka Stevens, President
• Abdulai Conteh, Foreign Minister
• Mohamed Turay, Ambassador

Carter: Welcome to the United States. You shoulder the burden both of President of your country and Chairman of the Organization of African Unity. I understand you made a good speech at the United Nations yesterday. I value your friendship. I want you to know that you honor me by coming to the White House to call on me. I would be interested in hearing your views during this brief meeting of some of the issues which concern the OAU. Congratulations also on your 75th birthday, your diamond birthday, which is particularly appropriate because of the diamonds your country produces. Your vigor reminds me of my mother who is in her 80’s and still extremely active. (C)

Stevens: It is an honor for us to be here. I know that the strain of electioneering takes a lot of your time, which makes this visit even more greatly appreciated. The first necessary quality for a national leader is stamina because of the amount of energy needed for all of the travel. I come as a friend of the United States and am happy to be here. (C)

Carter: I hope that you will also be able to join with me this afternoon for my meeting with the Black Caucus. It would be a great help to me politically if you were present.² (C)

Stevens: I would be happy to be present.

Carter: I understand that the OAU meeting which you hosted in Freetown was remarkably successful.³ The OAU positions on the Western Sahara, Chad and the Ogaden are complementary to our own. The OAU mediation effort in these disputes plays a helpful role in solving these problems. I am also interested in your efforts to normalize relations with Liberia. As a neighbor, you should be able to explain the situation there better than almost anyone. (C)

Stevens: On Chad and the Western Sahara, there was not much progress at the OAU summit. The mandates of the various committees were renewed. We have every hope that these Committees will play a useful role in the future. Sekou Toure has influence with the Moroccans and they have confidence in him. He is quite experienced in dealing with the Moroccans. Likewise, President Eyadema of Togo had been helpful in trying to find a solution to the problem in Chad. (C)

Carter: What can you tell me about the OAU peacekeeping efforts? (C)

Stevens: We are negotiating with the Secretary General on these issues now. It is not an easy problem because of the issue of colonial boundaries cutting across tribal boundaries. I am planning to visit Chad myself. I have every hope for progress. With regard to the Western Sahara, the Moroccans showed up for the first time at an OAU Wisemen’s meeting. This was a sign of progress, but they brought with them ten groups. The Wisemen opposed listening to all of the Moroccan sponsored groups, but I prevailed and insisted that they all be heard. The Moroccans said they did not want a referendum, but I hope the Wisemen’s Committee members can help. (C)

Carter: What about the problems between Liberia and her neighbors? (C)

Stevens: In Liberia the colonial boundaries also cut across tribal boundaries. Some of the Liberian tribes are the same as those in Sierra Leone and Guinea. My mother is a Vai, a group which lives on both sides of the border between the two countries. We have a great interest in peace with Liberia. The Mano River Union is important to us.⁴ We have found that outside powers pay greater attention to countries which are associated with this sort of union. Later this month, we hope that Sekou Toure will join us. At first I was very skeptical about the new Liberian government, but I believe they are now trying to set things straight. I had told the Tolbert Government to try to get as many people as possible involved in the government in order to create a sense of belonging. He had responded that it was very difficult because of some of the other people in his clique of important supporters. I told him to go into the bush to seek support, but he did not. (C)

Master Sergeant Doe has written to Sekou Toure to invite him to Monrovia in connection with Guinea joining the Mano River Union. I am of course a little prejudiced because of his past, but peace is most important. I recognize that this invitation is part politics on the part of the Liberians but I will try to convince Sekou Toure to participate to promote stability in the region. These meetings are difficult because of the problems of different languages. Shortly after the coup I saw Matthews and told him to watch the soldiers because when soldiers rule problems can develop. They were unable to watch the soldiers and so good people got killed. We are now in the process of normalizing relations. We are trying to prevail on the Liberians to urge the military and civilians to work together. If there is no cooperation, the civilian ministers are powerless. After elections I have told them that they should all continue to try to work together. (C)

Carter: Is Doe strong enough to run Liberia? (C)

Stevens: If you are asking me to speak diplomatically, that is the business of other people. In Yamasoukro two months ago, we found it hard to understand his English. At the airport Senghor (sic) said that Master Sergeant Doe seemed to be a hostage himself, judging from the soldiers around him. After the coup Doe made foolish promises about quadrupling salaries of military. We realize, however, that we must work with him. Matthews and Fanbullah in the cabinet make things easier. As an example of the recent changes, when one soldier PRC member wanted to see a patient at the JFK Hospital, he beat up the doctors who refused him immediate entrance. That soldier was removed from the PRC and locked up. That is some progress. (C)

Carter: Southern Africa is also a serious problem. We are very interested in progress on Namibia. I want you to know we are doing the best we can with you and others to solve this problem. (C)

Stevens: That is one of the points I want to thank you and your government on. Your interest in South Africa is welcome. Some people say that the principle of non-intervention should be maintained, but what does this mean? In some cases, non-intervention is a factor which I question. We welcome your policies. As you know nature abhors a vacuum. (C)

Carter: Through Ambassadors Turay and Healy we hope to get your continuing advice. Please let us know if something does come up on which we can help. (C)

Christopher: I have some new information on southern Africa I would like to share with you. We have heard that there are possible South African-SWAPO talks on the island of Sal scheduled for early October and a proposed visit by a UN team to South Africa on October 20 to explore next steps on Namibia. (C)

Carter: We appreciate all of the help you have provided us on the hostages, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, PLO observer status at the IMF/IBRD meetings and the Puerto Rican issue at the United Nations. We value your statesmanship. You have good relations with Britain, West Germany, to a lesser degree with the French, and others. We admire your leadership and care about your prosperity. (C)

Stevens: There is a point I would like to make. With regard to the north-south dialogue, we in the third world have serious problems. We hope that you will show a particular interest in this issue. We have problems with our balance of payments. This is one of the main subjects of discussion with the World Bank and the IMF. Whatever the U.S. can do will be highly beneficial. Current economic problems could lead to the disintegration of some countries. They might reach the point of no return. How can we be expected to balance our books on Wednesday, when because of price changes, like the recent $2 OPEC oil increase, everything changes on Thursday. The IMF told us two years ago that we had to devalue. But it is very difficult to tell your countrymen that their money is only worth half what it used to be worth. They can’t understand and think you are cheating them. A woman once approached me asking for some money. When I told her I had none she would not believe me and insisted that I must have some because after all my picture was on the money. It is very hard to explain devaluation. We are a small country. Modest help can take us a long way. There is much outside states can do to help. The oil producing states say they will help, but they have done nothing. I hope you will look into this matter before it is too late. (C)

Carter: I will. Secretary Muskie and Deputy Secretary Christopher have alerted me to the problems of your country. I also recognize the oil problem. Something we would like to see is additional U.S. investment in Sierra Leone. Our interest in Africa has only developed very recently. We are learning and hope that our political and economic influence is beneficial. Our primary interests are in peace and prosperity in Africa. Your leadership is valuable to us. Let me again thank you for your visit. It has been exciting to see you and I look forward to seeing you again later this afternoon. In closing I would like to give you two books: one which I wrote and the other which shows some photographs of the earth taken from satellites. (C)

1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, North/South, Box 114, Sierra Leone 9–10/80. Confidential. The meeting took place in the Cabinet Room at the White House.
2. Stevens attended the White House reception for the members of the Congressional Black Caucus on the afternoon of September 25. For Carter’s remarks at the reception, in which he praised Steven’s role as Chairman of the OAU, see Public Papers of the Presidents: Jimmy Carter, 1980–81, Book II, pp. 1927–1930.
3. Sierra Leone hosted the OAU summit July 1–4. (Keesing’s Contemporary Archives, Volume XXVI, 1980, pp. 30557–30559)
4. The Mano River Union was an agreement reached in 1973 between Sierra Leone and Liberia to foster economic ties between the two countries.