BRIEFING ON SOUTHERN AFRICA FOR MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE, MARCH 18, 1976

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78M02660R000300040028-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 6, 2005
• Sequence Number: 28
• Publication Date: March 18, 1976
• Content Type: MFR

Approved For Release 2005/01/27: CIA-RDP78M02660R00030004j 28-2
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,?ti i ti,J,
March 18, 1976
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: Briefing on Southern Africa for Members of the
House International. Relations Committee,
March 18, 1976
1. Representative Bonker (D.-Wash.) had requested this
briefing with the understanding he would invite other members
of the full Committee to attend. We agreed so long as it was
understood that this was a background briefing for the members
and not attributable to the Agency. The briefing was held in
Representative Bingham's (D.-N.Y.) office. Although originally
it had been suggested we confine ourselves to about half an
.hour, questions from members continued after the appointed time
and we were there for well over an hour.
2. The members attending ranged completely across the
Committee's political spectrum. In addition to Representatives
Bingham and Bonker, we had Messrs. Fraser, Carr, Dellums, Dent,
Harrington, Biester, Bedell, Diggs, and Congresswomen Meyner,
and Fenwick. One Committee staffer, Leslie Yates, attended a
portion of the briefing. I began with a general current intel-
ligence picture of the situation as we saw it in Southern Africa.
This included a brief rundown on Angola, Rhodesia, Zambia, and
South Africa. I discussed in some detail the status of nego-
tiations between Ian Smith and Rhodesian Nationalist leader
Nkomo. I told the members that much of what was going to trans-
pire in Southern Africa over the next six months depended on
these negotiations and a black majority government in Rhodesia.
I said that, quite frankly, we saw little prospect that Smith
would actually agree to such a government within a time frame
which would be acceptable to the nationalists.
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3. I described the various insurgent groups that would
play a role in Rhodesia and discussed their backing by China
and the USSR. There were, as anticipated, many questions
about the Cuban role. I replied that the Cubans were riding
the crest of their success in Angola and without question
would like to support other liberation movements. Moscow,
however, was the real key as the Cubans would find it difficult
to operate without support from the Soviet Union. I also said
that both Havana and Moscow would have to take into consider-
ation the views of Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia and they
could not afford to get out ahead of the Africans themselves.
In connection with this I noted our feeling that the presi-
dents of the three African nations most directly involved did
not, at this time, really want massive infusions of Cubans.
I added that this attitude might change, however, if there
seemed to be no progress in Rhodesia over the next six months
or a year.
. 4. We discussed the South African position and why Pre-
toria was pushing Smith to the negotiating table. There were
questions about the impact on Rhodesia of Mozambique's border
closure and I replied that the South African's probably could
handle Rhodesia's import-export shipments without undue strain.
5. There were the usual questions about US policy to
which we gave the usual response--the question is best addressed
.to the State Department--and one from Representative Diggs ask-
ing if we had an intelligence liaison relationship with Rhodesia
and South Africa. I replied that we had intelligence liaison
relationships with many countries, but that I really was not
qualified to answer that question specifically. We also had
the anticipated question about covert action programs and again
the response that I just was not the person to answer.
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6. In general, the group was polite and seemed to be
interested primarily in getting information, not in scoring
points off the Agency or each other. There was no criticism
of CIA voiced and I think most of the members found it a useful
session.
cc: DDI
OLC
AD/OCI
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CIA JNT Sl 'i"~! US O LY
Journal - Office of Legislative Counsel Page 4
Thursday - 18 March 1976
13. Unclassified - WPB) INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING Accompanied
25X1 in the Office of Economic Research, to the office of
Representative Donald Fraser (D., Minn.). He gave Congressman Fraser
an excellent briefing on the Canadian energy situation. Fraser seemed ' --
25X1 impressed His questions were apparently answered
to his satisfaction. He was very appreciative.
14. (Unclassified - RJK) BRIEFING Spoke with Tom. Smeeton,
Minority Staff, H_ ouse International Relations Committee, about his
pending request for a briefing for Representative William Broomfield
(R., Mich.) on the Mozambique and Rhodesia situation. He said
Representative Broomfield would like to have Everett Bierman,
Minority Counsel of the Committee, and himself present for the
briefing on 22 March at 9:30 a. m. OCI,
has been advised.
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15. (Unclassified - RLB) LEGISLATION Talked to Clark
McFadden, Senate Armed Services Committee staff, regarding S. 2784
(prohibiting CIA dealings with clergy). Specifically, I asked Mr. McFadden
if the Defense Department had been requested as we had been to provide
comments on the bill since NSA, DIA, and other DOD components are
specifically dealt with in the bill. Mr. McFadden did not know offhand
whether such a letter had been sent to DOD but promised to check on it
and call me back.
16. (Unclassified - THW) BRIEFING I accompanied
OCI, to the office of Representative Jonathan B. Bingham (D. , N. Y. )
to brief members of the House International Relations Committee can
Rhodesia and South Africa. This meeting had been set up by Representative
Don Bonker (D. , Wash. ). The briefing lasted from 0945 til 1100 hours.
Hepworth is doing a Memorandum for the Record.
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