African Activist Archive

Memorandum to the ACOA Executive Board about meetings with people at the State Department, Congress, and unions in Washington, D.C. on January 21-22 by George Houser, Homer Jack, Frank Montero, and Bill Scheinman. The ACOA team wished to share their observations about the All African People's Conference. At the State Department, they met with Joseph C. Satterthwaite, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs; George LaMont, Acting Director of the Office of Middle and Southern African Affairs; Robert Ross, West African Affairs desk; and three people in the Intelligence Bureau - Robert Baum, Head of the Division; Ed Holmes, the person in charge of Intelligence on the Accra Conference; and Fred Burin. They also met with Michael Ross, Director of the Department of International Affairs of the AFL-CIO; and Victor Reuther, UAW international representative. The topics discussed included: U.S. policy as reflected at the Accra Conference and attitudes of Africans toward the United States; a possible tour to the U.S. for Sekou Toure, President of the Republic of Guinea; the forthcoming U.S. tour of Tom Mboya of Kenya; possible U.S. aid to the Republic of Guinea; plans for Africa Freedom Day on April 15; and the South Africa Defense Fund and treason trial in South Africa. People we met with were interested in the All African People's Conference. The State Department is trying to push for certain liberalization in policy. The ACOA seems to be looked on as an effective and responsible organization. State Department personnel seemed to admit that their mistake in communicating with the Conference, and they got a message from Vice President Nixon before the end of the Conference. The memorandum mentions the Industrial Union Fund, James B. Carey, Frank Thompson, Stewart Udall, Frances Bolton, Chester Bowles, Brigadier-General R. E. Cushman, Mrs. Frances Henderson, and Senators Hubert H. Humphrey, Jacob Javits, Eugene McCarthy, William Proxmire, and Clifford Case.

African Activist Archive

Re: Trip to Washington

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