WASHINGTON POST STORY ON ANGOLA-ZAIRE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-102-3-14-9
• Release Decision: RIPLIM
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: March 23, 2011
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: August 15, 1975
• Content Type: CABLE

No Objection to Declassification in Part 2011/03/23: LOC-HAK-102-3-14-9
a
Department of ;State
TELEGRAM
N0D453
PAGE 01 KINSHA 07510 151722Z
47
ACTION NODS-00
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 /001 W
0 151555Z AUG 75
FM AMEMbASSY KINSHASA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4096
S E C R E T KINSHASA 7510
NODIS/CHEROKEE
TAGS: PFOR, CG, A0, US
E.O. 11652: GUS
SUSJ: WASHINGTON POST STORY ON ANGOLA.~ZAIRE
ON-FILE NSC RELEASE
INSTRUCTIONS APPLY
REF; LUANDA 1127
1. WASHINGTON POST CORRESPONDENT DAVID OTTAWAY CAME TO
SEE ME AS PRE?FIGUREO IN REFTEL ON AUGUST 15. HE TOLD ME
THAT THE STORY HE WAS GOING TU FILE CLNIEREU AROUND HIS
CONCLUSION THAT MOBUTU HAD THROWN HIMSELF COMPLETELY bEHIND
THE FNLA ANU THAT SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF' ARMS WERE COMING
FROM ZAIRE. BUT AS PART OF THAI STORY, UTTAWAY INTENDS TO
REPORT WHAT HE FOUND IN ANGOLA TO BE THE MPLA CONTENTION
THAT US ARMS WERE BEING SENT IN FUR THE FNLA VIA MGdUTU,
HE SAID THAT HE HAD NOT SEEN SUCH WEAPONS--hE WAS ONLY SHOWN
AN 81MM MORTAN SHELL WITH ENGLISH WRITING ON IT WHICH HE WAS
NOT PREPARED TO SAY WAS US MADE--bUT WAS GOING TO REPURT THAT
MPLA AND OTHER FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS WERE SAYING THAT THEY
HAD SEEN AT CARMONA M-161S# US-MADE 120MM AND 81MM MUWTARS
AND SOME "SELF-PROPELLED ROCKETS". IN AUDITION, THESE SUUHCE:S
SAID, AND OTTAWAY WILL tiEPORT, THAT ZAIRIAN C-1301S AND C-4?tS
ARE USED TO FLY THIS EQUIPMENT IN. OTTAWAY SAID HE WAS TELLING
ME THIS BECAUSE HE WAS CERTAIN HIS ARTICLE WOULD RAISE QUESTIONS
WITH THE DEPARTMENTIS PRESS SPOKESMAN,
2.. OTTAWAY ALSO SAID THAT HE SAW HUGE QUANTITIES OF
SOVIET ARMS IN THE MPLA HANDS AND THAT ME WOULD bE
REPORTING THIS AS WELL. WHAT WAS SIGNIFICANT, HE
NOT TO BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE AUTHORIZATION OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2011/03/23: LOC-HAK-102-3-14-9
 No Objection to Declassification in Part 2011/03/23: LOC-HAK-102-3-14-9
Department of State
SECRET
PAGE 02 KXNSHA 07510 151722Z
TELEGRAM
THOUGHT, WAS THAT EVEN THOUGH THE MPLA KNEW THAT THERE
WERE CHINESE ARMS IN THE FNLA'S HANDS, THEIR PROPAGANDA
LINE HAS CENTERED ONLY UN THE THEM 1HAT THE FNLA AND
MObUTU WERE THE STOOGES OF YANKEE IMPERIALISM,
3. HE ASKED ME SPECIFICALLY IF THE ZAIRIANS HAD M"1615
IN THEIR INVENTORY, I RECOUNTED THE HISTORY OF OUR
DECISION NOT TO SLLL M-16'S IN AFRICA, THE SUBSEQUENT
CHANGE IN SEPT 1974 WHEN WE INFORMED MOBUTU AMONG OTHERS
THAT SUCH WEAPONS COULD BE PURCHASED UNDER FMS AND MY
UNDERSTANDING THAT ZAIRE HAD RECEIVED SEVERAL VISITS PROM
COLT AND THAT IT LOOKED AS IF ZAIRE MIGHT USE SOME OF ITS
FMS CREDIT TO BUY M-1615 DIRECTLY FROM THE SUPPLIER.
I SAID THAT I DID NOT KNOW IF THIS TRANSACTION MAO bEEN
COMPLETED BUT I DOUbTED IT, I FURTHER SAID, CONCERNING
THE MORTARS AND THE "SELF-PROPELLED ROCKETS" THAT NONE OF THESE
WEAPONS WERE INCLUDED IN PREVIOUS OR ON-GOING MAP/FMS DELIVERIES,
4, IT SEEMS EVIDENT--AS I HAVE SUGGESTED
I-THA U56 FKL55 L MAN IN WASHINGTON
WILL , SOON bE UUERIEOAS TO THE VERACITY OF THE RUMORS THAT
HAVE NOW BEGUN TO CIRCULATE IN THIS NECK OF THE WOODS,
WALKER
NOT TO BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE AUTHORIZATION OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2011/03/23: LOC-HAK-102-3-14-9