SAMORA MOISES MACHEL - MOZAMBIQUE

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06762109
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: March 8, 2023
• Document Release Date: August 29, 2019
• Case Number: F-2018-01461
• Publication Date: September 29, 1986

Approved for Release: 2019/07/30 C06762109
0.1\PCKL, SANko?-iosh,
ktozAKGIQUE
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Samora MoisisklACHELI 0
President (since June 1985)
Addressed as: Mr. President
Samora Machel, President since
independence, publicly describes himself as a
Marxist-Leninist, but US diplomats say that his
political and economic decisions are often
nonideological. He is widely viewed as the symbol
of national unity. Nevertheless,
his image has suffered because of
his inability to resolve problems, including
widespread insurgency and a dormant economy.
Machel has recently moved to deflect some public
criticism by naming Mario Machungo as
Mozambique's first Prime Minister and by
appointing a full-time Defense Minister
MOZAMBIQUE
Machel has been careful not to alienate the military, his most important constituency,
and has endeavored to build a consensus for his foreign policy initiatives within the
hierarchy of the ruling party, FRELIMO. In the past few years he has sought to improve his
ties to the West, particularly to the United States, while simultaneously attempting not to
antagonize the Soviets, from whom he receives extensive military aid. He visited the Soviet
Union in April 1986 and held talks with Mikhail Gorbachev. Machel's relations with the
United States continue to be positive. He described his October 1985 US trip as a "rousing
success," and a visit by Maureen Reagan to Mozambique earlier this year also went well.
he wants the United States to
continue to be active in the region and that he deeply appreciates US humanitarian aid and
would like to keep all channels to the United States open.
An Assessment of Machel
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Energetic,
flamboyant, and charismatic, he is an outstanding orator and a witty conversationalist. An
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adept statesman and politician, he is able to calmly discuss ideological and practical
differences and has shown considerable flexibility in dealing with international issues. He
tends to dominate conversations and does not like to be interrupted, but he is also a good
listener and is usually courteous and patient.
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Early Life and Career
After attending a mission school in Mozambique in the late 1950s, Machel worked in a
hospital and took nursing classes at night. He joined FRELIMO in 1963 and subsequently
received nine months of guerrilla training in Algeria. By 1966 he had become chief of
guerrilla operations�a post he held until the end of the war in 1974. He did not participate
(cont.)
LDA M 86-12234 (b)(3)
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directly in the transition government that oversaw Portuguese withdrawal (September
1974� June 1975). Instead, he laid the plans for his country's first independent government
from FRELIMO headquarters in Tanzania and returned to Mozambique only one day
before his inauguration as President. He is also Commander in Chief of the Mozambican
Armed Forces. He holds the military rank of marshal
Personal Data
He has had eight children by
four women�his deceased first wife, two common-law wives, and his current wife. Two of
his children are by his current wife, Graca, who serves as Minister of Education and
Culture. Machel is a physical fitness enthusiast and likes to jog, do calesthenics, and watch
boxing. He speaks Swahili, Portuguese, several tribal languages, and some English, French,
Chinese, and Russian. He is a member of the Shangan ethnic group.
29 September 1986
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Approved for Release: 2019/07/30 C06762109