African Activist Archive

Statement by George M. Houser, Executive Director of the American Committee on Africa, to the Subcommittee on African Affairs of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. The statement cites Secretary of State Kissinger; President Ford; and David Newsom when he was Assistant Secretary of State for Africa. The testimony quotes Amilcar Cabral of the African Party for Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC); Agostinho Neto of the MPLA; and Lopo do Nascimento, the Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Angola. The testimony mentions Gulf Oil. Houser points out that the rationale presented for U.S. involvement in Angola is based on cold war competition, not African or Angolan realities. It is portrayed as a struggle primarily between a "Soviet-backed" or "Marxist" group (the MPLA) and two "pro-West" factions (UNITA and FNLA). Most western media have the same perspective. The U.S. is suffering from having consistently refused to give its support to the southern Africa liberation struggle, instead remaining allied with Portugal.

African Activist Archive

NEEDED: AN AFRICA - CENTERED ANGOLA POLICY

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