African Activist Archive

This paper was apparently circulated at the conference "Legislative and Judicial Approaches to racism in Southern Africa" at New York University (NYU) held on May 11, 1973, sponsored by the Center for International Studies at NYU and Project Dialogue - a Joint Venture of the Student Advisory Council and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The paper explores possible legislation concerning U.S. corporations in Southern Africa. It points to legal precedents for attempting to regulate external activity of individuals and corporations. Two examples are currently in effect: the Export Administration Act of 1969 and Trading with the Enemy Act. Salient features of these acts provide for criminal penalties, fines, and denial of export licenses for violations of their provision. A number of national and state bills have been introduced which are relevant to racial discrimination in Southern Africa. Introduced June 29, 1972 in an amended form, the Diggs Bill (H. J. Res. 1244) is designed to assure the application of fair employment practices by individuals and domestically controlled U.S. corporations operating in South Africa. New York Assemblyman Franz S. Leichter of Manhattan proposed a similar measure regarding New York State contracts with and State fund investments in firms operating abroad, involving creating a Fair Business Employment Practices Board. In 1971, Congressmen Dow, Binghamton and Reid introduced a bill to end the sugar quota for South Africa and redistribute it to Swaziland, Mauritius, Malagasy, and Uganda, but the bill failed. (Rep. W. R. Poage, Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture, disagreed with this position,) Another bill has been proposed that would not allow companies to avoid double taxation for taxes paid to South Africa on income earned from their operations in Namibia because the U.S. does not recognize South Africa as the government of Namibia. The document mentions the World Court, the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Council on Namibia, Newmont Mining, AMAX (American Metal Climax), sales to the Portuguese armed forces, the United Nations Trust Fund, NATO, the Export-Import Bank, liberation movements, PAIGC, humanitarian aid, the Swedish government, mineral resources, the Byrd Amendment, USIS (United States Information Service), Soweto, black communities, and educational and cultural programs.

African Activist Archive

LEGISLATIVE APPROACHES TO SOUTHERN AFRICA

Place Created

Date

Type of Item

Length/duration

Description

Coverage Africa

Language

Digital Format

Collection