THE VICE PRESIDENT'S REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON TRIP TO AFRICA FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 21, 1957

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01676R004200140015-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 17, 2002
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: April 7, 1957
• Content Type: REPORT

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THE. VICE PRESIDENT' S ' Saco"
February 28 ---- March 21, 1957
r REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON TRIP TO AFRICA
basis' of my visits to Morocco, Ghana, Liberia,
On. th
e
.
.
Uganda, .,Ethiopia, Sudan, Libya, Italy, and Tunisia, from., February
28 to March 21, I submit the following observations and:recom=.
mendations:
IMPORTANCE OF AFRICA
No one ;'. c'an travel .in Africa, even as briefly as- I did,
without'realizing,'the tremendous potentialities-of this. great
contiz exit.`, : Africa is the most rapidly. changing area in the
world''today. 'The course` of its development; as its people
continue to emerge, from a colonial status arid assume the -
re'sponsibi'ities of independence and self-government, -could
well''prove to' be the': decisive factor in` the conflict between
the forces of freedom and international communism.
The .leaders and peoples.': of the countries" I- visited in
Africa have many, things in common . They 'cherish their 'inde-
pendenee, 'which most of them -have only recently acquired, and
are determined to protect it against'any form of foreign domina-
tion.., They rightfully expect recognition fromus".and others
of their dignity and equality, as individuals an`d peoples in
the family of nations. They want economic progress . for their .
undeveloped economies.
`The great question- which is presented to the leaders of
Africa_ is whether they can, attain these justifiable objectives
and at' the same.time.maintain and develop governmental institu-
tions..th ch are based on principles of freedom . and. democracy
I bel'iev.e: they' all` are convinced that they can, and. that, the
Free' World. has a* vital interest in assisting them to do so.
For the success or fai'lure_. of. these new members of- -the family
of nations to ' realize their 'a'spirations in this manner will-
have profound effects upon the development of Afriea and'nn the
world in the years to come.
Herein lies the wider significance of the emergence of
the new. nation of Ghana. The eyes of the peoples of Africa
south of the Sahara, arid of We.etern Europe particularly;, will
be upon this ' new state .to see whether the orderly transition
which has ta1eh'place from dependent to independent_' status, and
whether the retention. of close ties on a basis of'e.qualty with
the Britie'h' Commonwealth, will. continue to work, successfully
and thereby present a formula of possible application in other
cases..-.$y the sam.e'token; inimical forces will be closely fol-
lov, ..ngthe.-situation to see whether any openings present them-
se]ve.for exploitation in 'a manner which would'enable them to
disrupt" o ~ elt a gV&RWAWP16Yj P4 1'&0t'7achieve .
Nor
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Nor is this a situation peculiar to Ghana. The same
factors are present everywhere::among .the independent states
which I visited., Africa. is epnergin . as. one of, the great
forces in the world today., ; In. . a.. world in which, because of
advances in technology, the influence of ideas and principles
is becoming increasingly important in the battle for men's
minds, we in the United States must come to know, to under-
stand and to find.: common,, ground with the peoples,. of - this
great continent. It is;n this: context that the recommendations:
in this. report,? together with ,others previously made. to the
appropriate government agencies are presented.
APPRAISAL OF AFRICAN LEADERSIgP
Africa - is , producing: great ,. leaders, dedicated to the,
principles of Independence..". wor;ld.- res.ponsibil?tyy and the - , ,
welfare of their..: pe.pp Les. Such men.: as the Sultan o-f Morocc:o,.
Prime M3.n ..seer; Nkrumah pf,::Ghana;:.: President: Tubma4 of Diberia,.
the Emperor.: of Ethiopia,;.,and- pri ne Ministers Abdulla).l Khalil.
of the- - Sudan, Ben , HaiimL of.: ,Dibya at?d: Habib: Bourgu ba of Tunisia,
certainly;, .compare most; favorably'., with. the.., great leaders,: of the
world. Nor should. one omit?ng Tdris. of. Libya, whom. I un-
fortunately missed seeing on this trip because of an engine
failure, but. whose w .sdom:anl statesmanship- I remember, moat..
vividly,.:from my previou$ trip t?; that country in 1953. These
are .all men who..,command:. spec:, beyond the; borders of their.
own country .. They are backed? : p:by, othe.r.equally. dedicated .
leaders,: who have: much to; contra butt bath..,to: tYa problems of
their own.: countries - and. to;, those , rh Oh plague, the world today.
RECOMMENDATION
The. -United States must., come to know. these leaders better,
to understand their:. hopes abd,aspirations and to. support them..
in. . their . plans, . and programs for strengthening. theirown. nation:8_
and contributing to ,world peace, and stability. To..thi,s, end,
we must encourage the greatest-possible interchange -.ofpersons,
and ideas with the leaders and peoples of these ' countries. Ode
must assure. the strongec,t possible. diplomatic and ponsular.
representation.: to -those countries and stand ready.: to. consult.
these ,cQUntriee,,. pn all matters. affecting .thei interests.. and
ours.
ATTITUDES TOWARD . THE : UNITED STATES
There is no area in,the world today in which. the.,,, prestige
of the.United Staten?is more;un.iformly-high than in the
countries.. wh4.ch X. visited on this-trip.. The President is
respected, as.. the acknowledged leader of . the Free World. There.
is a most encouraging understanding of. our programs and
policies... These countries, know that we have no ambitions.tq
dominate, and, that the ;cornarstone of. our foreign. policy is
to apsist:countries in.r.esisting domination by. others. .,,.They
understand that : the . United States, stands on principle ; and.., that
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as we did in the recent Suez'crisis. They approve the stand
which we, took at that time and look confidently to us to act
consistently-with that'stand,in the future. They understand
that the'Anierican.'Doctrine for the Middle East is dedicated
to the principle of assisting the states of the Middle East
to maintain their. independence. They know that the United
States stands for the evolution of dependent peoples toward
self-government and independence, as they become able to dis
charge the responsibilities involved.
RECOMMENDATION
This understanding of the principles for which we stand as
a nation is a tremendous asset to us in this area. The mainten-
ance of.the present high prestige we are fortunate to have in
Africa will depend upon whether the people of the Continent
continue to understand our dedication to the principles of in-
dependence, equality and economic progress to which they are
so deeply devoted. We must staff our diplomatic and informa-
tion establishments in these countries with men and women
capable of interpreting and explaining our policies and actions
in a way which will guarantee that they are so understood.
EFFECT OF DISCRIMINATION IN U,,S,. ON AFRICAN ATTITUDES
As a result of skillful propaganda primarily inspired
by the enemies of freedom, a consistently distorted picture
of the treatment of minority races in the United States is,
being effectively presented in the countries I visited.
Every instance of prejudice in this country is blown up in
such a manner as to create a completely false impression of
the attitudes and practices of the great majority of the
American people. The result is irreparable damage to the
cause of freedom which is at stake.
RECOMMENDATION
We must continue to strike at the roots of this problem.
We cannot talk equality to the peoples of Africa and Asia and
practice inequality in the United States. In the national
interest, as well as for the moral issues involved, we must
support the necessary steps which will assure orderly progress
toward the elimination of discrimination in the United. States.
And we should do a far more effective job than. we are presently
doing in telling the true story of the real progress that is
being made. toward realizing this objective so that the people
of Africa will have a true picture of conditions as they really
are in the United States.'
ECONOMIC
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ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE
All of the African states which I visited are'underdevelop-
ed. Most of them have great economic potential. Their leaders
are anxious to strengthen the economies of their countries in
order to assure.f or their peoples a larger share of'the advan-
tages of. our.modern civilization. They seek economic, as well
as political independence insofar as this is possible:i'n the
world of today.
Their needs are great in terms of education and public
health. They require roads and other eommunicationsin.order to
open inaccessible parts of their territory to economic develop-
ment. They need agricultural development to sustain their
expanding populations. They want assistance in developing their
great mineral and forest resources. 'They foresee great'oppor-
tunities f'or'developing small industrial enterprises. In most
cases,.these developmental needs are beyond their capacity to
finance.
..All of.the leaders with whom I talked expressed perference
for developing their economies through,encouraging the invest-
ment of private capital and through loans from in
agencies such as the World Bank where feasible rather than
through government-to-government grants. It can truly.be said
that the,welcome sign is out for investment of foreign private-
capital in Africa. African leaders are aware of the great role
that such private-capital can play in the development of their
countries and many:of them have adopted, or are in the process
of adopting, special legislation designed to create an atmos-
phere.conduciv'e to expanded fore.ign.investment.
RECOMMENDATION '
Consistent with the desires of African leaders, the United
States Government through its agencies should,'as appropriate,
draw the attention of private American capital to opportunities
for investment in those areas where the conditions for such
investment are propitious. Strengthening the economic sections of
American Embassies in this area is needed if this objective is
to be-carried out.
We. should support applications before the,appropriate inter-
national agencies for financing 'sound economic development pro-
jects in the:area.
To the. extent that our resources and the demands of other
areas permit, we should extend economic and technical assistance
to the countries of Africa in helping them to further their
economic.devel,opment.
In this connection, I think it is appropriate to place in
proper context the United States economic assistance programs.
These programs should be approved only when they are in the
mutual interests of the United States and the recipient country.
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But while these programs should be constantly re-examined'.
and improved so that they can better serve the national interest,
shotgun attacks,on'our foreign assistance programs as such
cannot be justified..
In this connection, I believe a comment on what has happened
in Italy is pertinent. While my visit to Italy was not on an
official basis, I did have the opportunity to discuss economic
and political problems with President Gronchi, Prime Minister
Segni and other Italian. officials. It was significant-to me .
that at the time I.arrived in Italy, the last American aid office
was being closed. I recalled that ten years before when I
visited Italy as a member of the Herter Committee on Foreign Aid,
the most dire predictions. were being made as to the future of
the Italian economy. It was said that American assistance would
be thrown down a rat hole, that-the Italian people should live
within their own means, that they should work harder, and that
in any event, once the-economic-program, began,:we would never
see the end of it. The fact that Italy today.-.has--one of the
soundest, most productive economies in.Europe is eloquent proof.
of the validity of economic assistance properly . administered and
properly used by the recipient country.
While the economic problems of Italy were obviously.differ-
ent from those Africa now faces, I am confident that in the
African countries I visited, we shall have similar success'as
we work in cooperation with the enlightened leaders of these'
nations towards the development of their great natural and human
resources
/
SPECIAL RELATIONS WITH OTHER COUNTRIES:
.Africa and Europe have much-in common. To-?a large extent,
their economies are complementary. Certain of the independent.
states on the African continent maintain close ties of an,
historical, cultural and economic nature with the states of
Europe. The maintenance of these relationships, on a basis of
equality, can greatly benefit both Africa and Europe.
We should encourage the continuance of these special ties
where they are considered mutually advantageous by the states
concerned. We should take them in account in formulating
our own policies to the extent compatible with the fundamental
requirement of conducting our own relations with those states on
a fully equal and independent basis.
The task of providing the economic assistance which is
needed by the newly independent countries of Africa cannot be
done by the United States alone. We should make it clear that
we desire no exclusive position in any country in that area and
that we want to work with other Free World nations in providing
the assistance which will build strong, free, and independent
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COMMUNISM
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COMMUNISM
Africa is a priority target for the international communist
movement, I gathered the distinct impression that the communist
leaders consider Africa today to be as important in their designs
for world conquest as they considered China to be twenty-five
years ago. 'Consequently, they are mounting a diplomatic propa-
ganda and economic.offensive in all parts of the continent. They
are trying desperately to convince the peoples of Africa that
they support more strongly than we do their natural aspirations
for independence, equality and economic progress.
Fortunately, their efforts thus far have not been generally
successful and, for the present, communist domination in the
states of the areais not a'present danger. All of the African
leaders to whom 1-talked are determined to maintain their indepen-
dence against communism or any other form of foreign domination.
They have taken steps to bring under control the problem of
communist subversion of their political,. economic and social life.
It would be a great mistake, however, to be complacent about this
situation because the Communists are without question putting
their top men in the fields. of diplomacy, intrigue, and subversion
into the African, area to probe for openings which they can exploit
for their own selfish and disruptive. ends.
The c-o xaunist threat underlines the wisdom and necessity of
our ass: s", r? the countries of Africa to maintain their indepen-
dence ant: o alleviate the conditions of want and instability on
which co mSn3.sm breeds. The importance of Africa to the strength
and stability.of the Free World is too great for us to under-
estimate or to become complacent about this danger without taking
every step within our power to.assist the countries of this area
to maintain their effective independence in the face of this
danger.
TRADE UNIONISM
In every instance where my schedule permitted, I made it a
point to talk to the leading labor leaders of the countries I
visited, 1 w . ~ - ` couraged to find that the free tr de union move-
ment is rnak. _:;,_-,~ great advances in Africa, parti(nala-rI In Ghana,
Morocco, anr,d. Tunisia, The leaders of these countries have recog-
nized 1;'L---e importance of providing an alternative to communist.
dominated unions and they, thereby, are keeping the communists
from getting a foothold in one of their favorite areas of exploita-
tion. In this connection, I wish to pay tribute to the effective
support'that is being given by trade-unions in the United States
to the free trade union movement in the countries which I visited.
These close and mutually advantageous relationships are in the
national interest as well as in the interest of developing a strong
labor movement.
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RECOMMENDATION
It is vitally important that the United States Government
follow closely trade union developments in the Continent of
Africa and that our diplomatic and consular representatives
should come to know on an intimate basis the trade union
leaders..in these countries. I believe, too, that American
labor unions should continue to maintain close fraternal
relationships with the African free trade union movement in
order that each may. derive the greatest possible advantage of
the wisdom and experience of the other.
N DEVELOPMENT
...The Nile is one of the world's greatest international
rivers. Perhaps in no other part of the world are the
economies of s.o many states tied to a ,particular waterway.
The river is so located-geographically that whatever projects
are undertaken on it within the territorial domains of one
state;are bound to have their effect on the economies of
other, states.
RECOMMENDATION
The United States-.must. take into. account the common:
interests of the riparian states in the development of this
great river and, at such time as political conditions permit,
should support a cooperative approach to its development which
would accord with the common interests of all'the states
involved
OPERATION OF UNITED STATES PROGRAMS
Specific recommendations as to the operation of American
programs in the countries I visited have been made on a
classified. basis to: the various interested agencies. In general,
I found that our political.,-economic and information programs
in the countries which-,I visited, are being administered in
accordance with our obligations to the United States taxpayer.
There.is, however, always room for improvement and,-in the spirit
of constructive criticism, I'wish to make the following public
recommendations
RECOMMENDATIONS'
On the political side, I believe that our diplomatic and
consular missions are generally under-staffed.. We must assure
that these establishments have sufficient personnel to enable
them-to interpret our policies., to consult fully with the local
governments on matters of mutual interest and to report on
developments of importance to the United States.' We must
assure, that our diplomatic and consular offices have sufficient
funds.toenable them to travel about the vast territories within
their jurisdiction for the purposes of. reporting on'developments
outside t e.ma 20'3/ORP 3&X- 1@f6F ~00f94' acts
with the ?d$ V~N!Ngse(s~ areas.
We m ust
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We must recognize that the posts in this area are, in many
instances, unhealthful and trying climatically to those who are.,
raised in a temperate zone. We must, therefore, endeavor to
ameliorate hardship conditions for our personnel in order to
enable them more effectively to.perf orm their tasks. We must
recognize that the importance of the African area and the
difficult living conditions there necessitate our. assigning
officials of the highest possible competence and stability.
The emphasis. should be on youth, vigor and enthusiasm.
Insofar as our economic programs are concerned, I believe
that our technicians in the .field e doing an excellent job in
working alongside the African and ;thing him to perform the
various functions of social and ec?ic development for himself.
Obviously, the maintenance and sup t of these technicians in
the field require a headquarters staff in the country capitals.
From my own observations, I believe these headquarters staffs-,
sometimes tend to become inflated a,d I, therefore, recommend
that they be carefully reviewed to see whether economies in
personnel could not be effected. I believe also that there is
sometimes a tendency to scatter programs over a number of fields.
of economic and social development, whereas greater concentration
on a few key projects would bring more lasting returns to the
country concerned. Our programs should constantly be reviewed
from this point of view. The same comments which I made with'
respect to the calibre of our diplomatic and consular
representation apply as well`. to our. economic and information
personnel. .- `
On'the informational side, I believe that the most worth-
while projects are the libraries and reading rooms which we
have established in a number of centers overseas and the exchange
of persons programs. The funds available for these-,prggrams in
.'.
the African area should be substantially increased-over the
present level.
To the extent that the Africans'become familiar with.the
culture and technology, the ideals and aspirations and the,
traditions and institutions'which combine to make up the American
character, we shall have made great' advances in common
understanding. This can be done through. books and periodicals,
through student exchanges and through the leader grant program
for bringing outstanding Africans to the United States for study.
and travel. We should also assist as we can in the development
of indigenous educational facilities in Africa. In.this way,
we can get to know them and they to know us.
I'believe,that the information output from our radio and?
news programs, in the African area have in the past not been as
effective as they should be if we are. adequately to counter the
propaganda` being disseminated by the Communists. In the studies
which are currently being made of these programs by the USIA,
I believe,it is important that the highest. priority be assigned,..
to this areaboth as to improving the quality o'f personnel .in?the
field and In more adequately providing information which is
particulvfels~~0~'A(a~l?~~~~169 5-7
04
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CONCLUSION
For too many years, Africa in the minds of many Americans
has been regarded as a remote and mysterious continent which
was the special province of big-game hunters, explorers and
motion picture makers. For such an attitude to exist among
the public at large could greatly prejudice the maintenance of
our own independence and freedom because the emergence of a free
and independent Africa is as important to us in the long run as
it is to the people of that continent.
It is for this reason that I strongly support the creation
within the Department of State of a new Bureau of African
Affairs which will place this continent on the same footing as
the other great area groupings of the world. I recommend
similar action by the I.C.A. and U.S.I.A. These bureaus,
properly staffed and with sufficient funds, will better equip us
to handle our relationships with the countries of Africa. But
this in itself will not be enough. There must be a corresponding
realization throughout the executive branches of the Government,
throughout the Congress and throughout the nation, of the
growing importance of Africa to the future of the United States
and the Free World and the necessity of assigning higher
priority to our relations with that area.
Sta'--FD, Wash., D. C.
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