Gerald R. Ford Library

1000 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI  48109-2114

www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

National Security Adviser

PRESIDENTIAL COUNTRY FILES FOR AFRICA, 1974-1977

 

 

 

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

 

     Memoranda of the National Security Adviser and National Security Council staff,   cable traffic between the State Department and U.S. embassies, and comparable material concerning U.S. relations with countries in Africa.  Arranged by name of country, with separate sequences for NSC documents and State Department telegrams.

 

 

QUANTITY

3.1 linear feet (ca. 6,200 pages)

 

DONOR

Gerald R. Ford (accession number 77-118)

 

ACCESS

Open, but some materials continue to be national security classified and restricted.  Access is governed by the donor's deed of gift, a copy of which is available on request, and National Archives and Records Administration regulations (36 CFR 1256).

 

COPYRIGHT

Gerald Ford has donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.  The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them.  Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain.

 

Prepared by Helmi Raaska, April 2002

[S:\bin\findaid\presidential country files for africa.doc]

INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

The Presidential Country Files for Africa is one of many subcollections that comprise the National Security Adviser Files.  The provenance and nature of the National Security Adviser Files as a whole are described in Appendix A. 

 

These Presidential Country Files relate to U.S. relations with existing and emerging countries in Africa, and address regional concerns as well as issues specific to individual countries.  Materials in the first five folders are filed under “Africa,” and the remainder of the collection is arranged by name of country.  Memoranda, briefing papers, and comparable materials created by the National Security Adviser, National Security Council staff, and State Department officials, and telegrams exchanged between the State Department and U.S. embassies are contained in these files.

 

Scope and Content of the Materials

            The folders titled “Africa” contain a series of issues papers prepared for presidential briefings regarding the Sahel and the drought in West Africa, and the situation in Southern Africa (Angola, Mozambique, Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia).  Other materials concern the Cuban presence in Africa, Secretary Kissinger’s remarks at a dinner with representatives of the Organization of African Unity, correspondence from the Presidents of Zaire and Senegal, and U.S. membership in the African Development Fund.

 

            The prevalent topics in this collection are the move to independence and establishment of new government in many countries, especially Angola, and the effort to bring about majority rule in Southern Africa.  Just about every country had an interest or involvement in the events taking place in Angola, Mozambique, Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia.  Materials relating to these countries are filed throughout the collection.  Materials in the folders for Zaire and Zambia are particularly relevant for research on these two main topics.  In addition to the relationship between the U.S. and individual countries, the materials also show U.S. interaction with the former colonial powers and the role of the Organization of African Unity.

 

            Other significant issues are the Ethiopian/Eritrean conflict, the dispute between Algeria and Morocco over Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara), and the Soviet presence in Somalia. 

 

In general, the individual country folders also contain materials relating to military and economic development aid to Africa, appointment of ambassadors to and from various  countries, and meetings between U.S. and African officials.

 

 

Related Materials (April 2002):

Materials relating to Africa are available in various categories, especially the CO-Countries categories of White House Central Files Subject File.  The papers of Stanley Scott, Assistant to the President for Minority Affairs, contain small amounts of materials relating to the Nixon administration’s response to a drought in Africa and his later service as Assistant Administrator for Africa in the Agency for International Development.

 

Related materials are available in other processed segments of National Security Adviser Files.  Researchers can identify the file locations of these materials from PRESNET search reports, which are available upon request.  Additional related materials will undoubtedly become available as processing continues on National Security Adviser Files.

 

Container List

 

Box 1       Country Files

Africa - General (1)-(4)

Africa - General: State Department Telegrams

Algeria (1)-(2)

Algeria - State Department Telegrams:

From SECSTATE - NODIS

To SECSTATE - EXDIS

To SECSTATE - NODIS (1)- (3)

Angola (1)-(3)

 

Box 2       Country Files

Angola (4)-(5)

Angola - Presidential Message

Angola - State Department Telegrams

Benin (formerly Dahomey)

Botswana

Botswana - State Department Telegrams:

From SECSTATE - NODIS

To SECSTATE - EXDIS

To SECSTATE - NODIS

Burundi

Cameroon

Cape Verde

Central African Republic

Chad

Congo

Ethiopia

Ethiopia - State Department Telegrams:

From SECSTATE - EXDIS

From SECSTATE - NODIS

To SECSTATE - EXDIS

To SECSTATE - NODIS

Gabon

 

Box 3       Country Files

Gambia (empty)

Ghana

Guinea

Guinea - State Department Telegrams

Guinea Bissau (formerly Portuguese Guinea)

Ivory Coast - State Department Telegrams:

From SECSTATE - EXDIS

From SECSTATE - NODIS

To SECSTATE - EXDIS

To SECSTATE - NODIS

Kenya (1)-(2)

Kenya - State Department Telegrams:

From SECSTATE - EXDIS

From SECSTATE - NODIS

To SECSTATE - EXDIS

To SECSTATE - NODIS (1)-(2)

Lesotho

Liberia

Liberia - State Department Telegrams

Libya

Libya - State Department Telegrams

 

Box 4       Country Files

Malagasy Republic

Malawi

Maldives (empty)

Mali

Mauritania

Mauritius

Morocco (1)-(3)

Morocco - State Department Telegrams:

From SECSTATE - EXDIS

From SECSTATE - NODIS

To SECSTATE - EXDIS

To SECSTATE – NODIS (1)-(2)

Mozambique

Mozambique - State Department Telegrams:

From SECSTATE - NODIS

To SECSTATE - EXDIS

To SECSTATE - NODIS

Niger

 

Box 5       Country Files

Nigeria

Nigeria - State Department Telegrams:

From SECSTATE - NODIS

To SECSTATE - EXDIS

To SECSTATE - NODIS

Rhodesia

Rwanda

Senegal - State Department Telegrams:

From SECSTATE - NODIS

To SECSTATE - EXDIS

To SECSTATE - NODIS

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Somalia (1)-(3)

Somalia - State Department Telegrams

South Africa (1)-(4)

 

Box 6       Country Files

South Africa - State Department Telegrams:

From SECSTATE - EXDIS

From SECSTATE - NODIS

To SECSTATE - EXDIS

To SECSTATE - NODIS (1)-(4)

Sudan (1)-(2)

Sudan - State Department Telegrams

Swaziland - State Department Telegrams

Tanzania - State Department Telegrams:

From SECSTATE - EXDIS

From SECSTATE - NODIS (1)-(2)

To SECSTATE - EXDIS

To SECSTATE – NODIS (1)-(4)

 

Box 7       Country Files

Togo

Tunisia

Tunisia - State Department Telegrams:

From SECSTATE - EXDIS

From SECSTATE - NODIS

To SECSTATE - EXDIS

To SECSTATE - NODIS

Uganda

Uganda - Cable Traffic on Entebbe Raid

Upper Volta - State Department Telegrams

Zaire (1)-(3)

Zaire - State Department Telegrams:

From SECSTATE - EXDIS

From SECSTATE - NODIS

To SECSTATE - EXDIS

To SECSTATE - NODIS (1)-(6)

 

Box 8       Country Files

Zambia

Zambia - State Department Telegrams:

From SECSTATE - EXDIS

From SECSTATE - NODIS (1)-(2)

To SECSTATE - EXDIS

To SECSTATE - NODIS (1)-(7)