VIEWS OF OSCAR KAMBONA

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06712114
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: November 16, 2017
• Case Number: F-2016-01799
• Publication Date: August 30, 1962

,- _Approved for Release: 2017/11/07 C06712114_
-INFOR
ON REPORT
RMATION REPORT
B C CENTRAL' .NTELLIGENCE.:
� This material containsinformation affecUng-thp National Defense of the United S
18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 704. the-liansinissibn or revelati9n of which in v mann
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NO FOR IGN:: bISSEM
COUNTRY Tanganyika
SUBJECT -Views of Oscar KAMBOMA
DATE OF
INFO. July 19&
PLACE &
DATE ACQ.
REPORT NO.
DATE DISTR.
NO. PAGES
REFERENCES
FIELD REPORT NO.
30 August 1962
2
RD
MIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION. SOURCE GRADINGS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
SOURCE
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3))
la Oscar KAKBONA is an essentially -shy old diffident person outside the standard
(W(1)
(b)(3)
scope of African personal relations. Once he gets beyond the non-African sphere,
he makes and maintains friendships on a peculiarly emotional, all-or-nothing
basis. Not surprisingly, this means that his foreign friends are few. For ex-
ample, he maintains some sort of mail relationahin with nerhans five or siac
Americans._ He seems genuinely fond of (b)(6)
and also Mese are presumably persons (b)(6)
with whom he relatively quickly was able la) establish a 'eelina; ::: once
past this phase, he evidently relies heavily on such people forradvia7 and in- (b)(6)
formation and makes no secret of his regard for them. Although (bX6)
are special Cases among Americans, KAMBOKA does not seem to have any universal
antipathy either for Americans or for American ideals. Pablicly, he usually
confines himself to espousing Pan-Africaniom and socialism.
Z. His reputation for being abrupt and uncooperative also stems from his basic
shyness. He finds it so difficult to carry on casual conversation with strangers
that he has often broken appointments without notice and failed to turn up for
engagements previously accepted.
3. KATABONA is a definitely ambitious man-with only a modest amount of intelligence
to back up those ambitions. Although he-seers an effective politician both with
the voting public and in Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) party circles,
this arises from an apparently instinctive skill at leadership and mass sanipu-
lation (strictly in African terms), rather than from any more broad perceptivenes
or calculation. He is a person of reasonable honesty and sincerity, but seems
to have no deep convictions about democracy, individual freedom, or fair play.
And he is clearly capable of ruthlessness in pursuing his considerable ambitions.
4. He is married and has one child, born in October 1961; and he seers genuinely
fond of his wife, whom the foreign conmunity in Dar-es-Salaam consider one of
the most beautiful African women there. Both husband and wife are subject to
frasuent'illnesses which incapacitate then for two or three days at a time
KAMBONA himself seems physically robust, though perhaps too frail for the p-;avy
pace he sets for himself lie seems to e 4by flattery, prov1destaits5e=notatoo
, filM
FO SIGN DISSEM 0 in KO
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STATE # 1 X I ARMY 1 XI NAVY IX x I NSA I X1 OCR IX 1 D
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(Note: Washington distribution indicated. by "x"; Field distribution L'�)! "#".)
INFORMATION REPORT
Approved for Release: 2017/11/07 C06712114
',,,�.'��'"Approved for Release: 2017/11/07 C06712114:�
C-O-N-F-I,-D-E-N-T-I-A-L �
NO FOREIGN, DISFEM
PAGE 2 .
obvious, and takes considerable pride in his wife and child. He is in fact
quite affectionate with children generally.
5. He keeps in his office several souvenirs from Ghana and admires Kane NKRUMAH
greatly. He regularly speaks of Julius NfERERE with respect and the two men
never show any strain or animosity when they appear together. Nevertheless, it
is common gossip in Dar-es-Sala:ma that NYERERE does not fully trust.KAMBONA0
fearing that his urge to power is a peril.
6. Once he realizes that a given project is to his personal advantage, especially
If he can claim the while credit_for it, he marks easily and effectively with.
others. For 'example be delights in receiving credit for -stimulating scholar-
ship aid and is Dull; the candid politician in arranging such matters and
admitting his motivation.
;
�
NO FOREIGN DISSEM
(b)(3)
Approved for Release: 2017/11/07 C06712114