WHITE HOUSE CHOSE NOT TO REPORT DENIAL BY CASTRO

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81M00980R000600250053-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 30, 2004
• Sequence Number: 53
• Publication Date: June 13, 1978
• Content Type: NSPR

White House Chose Not to Report Denial by Castro
By MARTIN TOLCHIN
Special to The New York Times
WASHINGTON, June 12-The White
'House was aware of the contention by
President Fidel Castro of Cuba that he
had tried to stop the invasion of Zaire's
Shaba Province by Kantangans based in
Angola, but chose not to make it public,
Jody Powell, the President's press secre-
tary, said today.
"I know of no obligation of this Gov-
ernment to release all private statements
in a public forum," Mr. Powell said at
a news briefing.
The Administration made the Castro
message available to the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee last week, almost
one month after it had been received on-
May 17, and when Congressional ques-
indicated that the White House did in-
deed doubt that Mr. Castro had taken
steps to restrain the invaders. They noted
that Mr. Castro had said that one reason
his intercession failed might have been
that President Agostinho Neto of Angola
was ill and staying in the Soviet Union
at the time.
One Administration official said that,
given the seriousness of the situation,
had Mr. Castro sought to stop the inva-
sion he would not have been deterred
by Mr. Neto's absence and would have
gone to other Angolan leaders and to
leaders of other Africa nations to head
off the attack.
Mr. Castro's statement came to light
last weekend after Administration offi-
cials briefed members of the Senate For-
eign Relations committee.
In a related development, Mr. Powell
said that Secretary of State Cyrus R.
Vance would be available to brief senior
members of the House International Rela-
tions were being raised about the evi-
dence to support the President's denunci-
ation of the Cuban role in the Katangan
attack.
Mr. Powell said that before President
Carter denounced the Cubans last month
the White House was aware of Mr. Cas-
tro's contention, which had been com-
municated through Lyle F. Lane, the chief
United States diplomat in Havana, on
May 17.
`All the Factors Available'
The President charged at a news con-
ference in Chicago eight days later that
the Cubans not only had known of the
Katangans' invasion plan but "obviously
did nothing to restrain them from cross-
ing the border."
Mr. Powell said that the President's
tions Committee who had written to
President Carter to request a clarification
of the Administration's policy on the
Soviet Union.
Mr. Powell said that the Administration
had been considering holding foreign
policy briefings for members of Congress,
and added that Secretary Vance planned
to honor Congressional requests for ex-
planations of American foreign policy.
Representative Clement J. Zablocki,
chairman of the House International
Relations Committee, and 13 other com-
mittee members, wrote President Carter
asking for clarification of American-Sovi-
et relations.
"Many members of Congress are em-
barrassed by their current inability to
answer questions from their constituents
as to what is U.S. policy on such issues
as Soviet-American relations and Africa,"
the letter said.
"There is confusion and doubt as to
just what our policy is with respect to
charge "was an assessment with all the
factors available, appropriately consid-
ered."
"It has not changed," Mr. Powell said.
In response to questions, the press sec-
retary said that he did not know if the
President himself had been aware of Mr.
Castro's contention before last month's
speech, but other White House officials
were aware of the Cuban leader's posi-
tion, and "the statement was made with
that in mind," Mr. Powell said.
Mr. Powell sidestepped reporters' ques-
tions about whether the White House be-
lieved that Mr. Castro had simply lied.
But he noted that the Cubans hard denied
any involvement in the Katangan inva-
sion and said that they had a poor record
for telling the truth.
Other Administration officials privately
several critical areas of foreign policy."
the letter continued.
The Congressmen also expressed con
cern over the potential negative effects
of this confusion on the negotiations for
a strategic arms limitation treaty with
the Soviet Union "There is concern in
the committee whether. it is in our own
national security interests to permit
developments in Africa to adversely af-
fect our overall relations with the Soviet
Union," the letter said.
Thailand Reports Border Attack
BANGKOK, Thailand, June 12 (AP)-
Thai border policemen repulsed a force
of Cambodian soldiers and Thai Commu-
nist rebels in northeast Thailand, killing
six, when they tried to seize a frontier
village over the weekend, police head-
quarters reported. The police said two
Thai villagers were killed and three po-
licemen were wounded during the battle
300 miles northeast of Bangkok.
 Approved For Release 2004/08/19 : CIA-RDP81 M00980R00060025O
Castro Summons a U.S. A ROtE ~.
enter Cuban: Involvement in Zaire
M, nlvr$.
By BERNARD GWER'1ZMAN
Sxweta tp The New York Imes
I IN INVASION OF ZAIRE
1 9 MAY 1979 nMES 19 l AY 1978 `~?
Continued From Page Al co
WASHINGTON, May 18 - President I Because Cuba's offices in Washington lived in Angola since leaving Zaire, then
del Castro has given the United States and those of the United States is Havana d 196U'
Fi
personal assurances that Cuba is not tak-
ing part, directly or indirectly, in the in-
vasion of Zaire by rebel forces based in
Angola, Administration officials said
today.
They added that the Cuban leader, in
a highly unusual move, summoned the
chief American diplomat.in Havana to
his office last night to deny charges by
Zaire that Cubans were involved in the
fighting on the side of the invading
rebels. The rebels were originally-from
the province of Katanga, now known as
Shaba, in southeastern Zaire.
It was the first time . that Mr. -Castro
received the diplomat, Lyle F. Lane, since
he arrived in Havana last. September to
take over the American interest-section,
under the Swiss.Embassy.
arb less than formal embassies, the two known the Congo, in t m~ -
Mr. Castro, however, would not discuss
governments agreed that their diplomats Cuba's, role in the massive Ethiopian ef-
would not have access to higher than fort to crush the Eritrean independence
third-ranking diplomatic officials. movement. The United States has been
critical of Cuban and Soviet support for
U.S. Did Not Endorse Zaire's Charge
*, is offor*
The United States, although highly 'No Cuban Troops We Know of'
critical of the estimated 20,000 Cuban When asked today about whether
troops in Angola, did not endorse Zaire's United States believed Cuba was involy
charge that Cubans were involved in the in the fighting in Zaire, Tom Reston. a
fighting in Zaire, centering on the copper State Department spokesman. said that
center of Kolwezi. But some high officials -"there are no Cuban troops we know
were willing to believe the charge, espe. ' of" in Zaire.
cially since Cuban forces have been ac- Mr. Castro was categorical in his deni-
al, according to Mr. Lane's report.
tive in other parts of Africa and- in South-. Officials here said that the go-ahead
ern Yemen. had been given for the speed up in deliv-
If Zaire's accusation of Cuban involve- .; ery of "nonlethal" military equipment al-
ment was. confirmed it-could the I re ady ordered by Zaire and newly re-
I t d recent da s
a in y
e
United States with stronger justification
to intervene"inAfrica than has existed
up to now.
in Angola and in Ethiopia-the main; JL
areas of conflict involving Cubans-the " This This has been setteld and such supplies
Cubans were invited by the governments
to put down insurgents and invaders. The
invasion of Zaire from Angola has been
condemned, by contrast, by Washington
as a violation of Zaire's sovereignty.
r Mr. - Lane's report of his meeting with
Mr. Castro, which occurred in the Cuban
leader's office, received priority attention'
in Washington, since it seemed to offi-
cials that Mr. Castro intended his assur-
iances to be read by President Carter.
According to officials, it was impossible
Ito tell whether Mr. Castro was being
6 completely candid since it has been as-
t sumed here for some time that Cuban
forces in Anogla had at least some advi-
sory role with the Katangans, who have
s
qu
The aid had been held up by a technical
problem-Zaire had been in arrears on
munications equipment and gasoline were
on theirway.
Officials would not say what role the
United States was playing, if any, in the
airlift apparently under way from Bel-
gium and France to rescue foreigners in
the Kolwezi region.
Approved For Release 2004/08/19 : CIA-RDP81 M00980R000600250053-1