BRIEFING FOR SENATOR PERCY'S STAFFERS ON AFRICA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81M00980R002100020009-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 11, 2006
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: May 25, 1978
• Content Type: MFR

Approved For Release 2006/12Lt1 : CIA-RDP81 M00980R002100020009-
NFIDENTT AT. i
710,
OLC #78/ 9 ?l C J
25 May 1978
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: Briefing for Senator Percy's Staffers on Africa
1. Scott Cohen and Allison Rosenburg of Senator
Percy's S t a f f adqu ate for a briefing
on Africa. I I and of ORPA and the
undersigned participated.
2. Cohen began by saying that he was less convinced
than others about the scale and significance of the Cuban
presence in Africa. We showed him the chart with the num-
bers of Soviet and Cuban military personnel in African
countries and discussed in some detail the Cuban involve-
ment i
i
n run
n military operations and civilian minist
in AnCm1 -1
_uijii 6r statwoUyears.roWeac
training of the ex-Katangans over thepa
pointed to the better show by the invading forces when com-
pared with 1977 as further evidence of expert training.
3. On Ethiopia, we described the factions operating
in Eritrea, the countries supporting those factions, the
mixed equities of the Soviets and Cubans, and Mengistu's
strong desire to end this problem by military means once
and for all.
4. Cohen and Rosenburg.were particularly interested
in what non-African countries could or would do to thwart
the Soviets and Cubans. We noted the French military in-
volvement, British interest in Rhodesia, a much reduced
Chinese role, and the largely commercial interests of other
West European countries and Japan.
5. Rosenburg asked what the US administration could
do "if, as some say, its hands weren't tied by Congress."
We said we were not prepared to comment on the wisdom of
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US involvement in any particular country or in any particu-
lar way. We did, however, note that to the extent the
Soviets perceived a pattern of US inaction, this would be
a factor in their own behavior. Many other factors would
go into the calculation, but the expectation of no US re-
action could only encourage Soviet and Cuban involvement.
Congressional Support Sta.
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