UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2014-04164 Doc No C06020026 Date 07 26 2018 s PAGE 01 PARIS 23834 01 OF 03 1718292 ACTION NODS-00 INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 001 W ----1170187 1718322 42 0171806ZAUG 77 FM AMEMBASSY PARIS TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7228 jRELEASE IN FULLJ S E T SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 23834 NODIS CHEROKEE E O 11652 XGDS-1 2 3 TAGS PARM MNUC TECH FR SF SUBJECT DISCUSSIONS WITH GOF ON POSSIBLE SOUTH AFRICAN NUCLEAR TEST REF A STATE 194977 8 STATE 194980 C PARIS 23625 1 BEGIN SUMMARY AMBASSADOR SMITH AND I MET THIS MORNING AUGUST 17 WITH QUA SECRETARY GENERAL SOUTOU EXCEPT FOR WILLIAMSON ACDA NO ONE ELSE WAS PRESENT CONVERSATION CENTERED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON SOUTH AFRICAN SITUATION THOUGH SOUTOU DID TOUCH BRIEFLY ON GENERAL SITUATION IN AFRICA SOVIET MOTIVATIONS GERMANY AND ON THE PAKISTANI AND BRAZILIAN NONPROLIFERATION QUESTIONS 2 DURING CONVERSATIONS SOUTOU WAS BRIEFED ON BASIS FOR US CONCERN AND NEED FOR URGENT ACTION TO WARN SOUTH AFRICANS AGAINST TESTING SOUTOU AGREED THAT STRONG MEASURES WERE REQUIRED TO HEAD OFF A SOUTH AFRICAN TEST HE JOT REITERATE INTEREST IN HAVING UK JOIN IN AN SEc T S ET PAGE 02 PARIS 23834 01 OF 03 1718292 APPROACH TO-THE SOUTH AFRICANS AND WAS RATHER NEGATIVE ON A POSSIBLE ROLE FOR THE IAEA HOWEVER HE FELT SOME ACTION MIGHT BE NEEDED TO INVOLVE THE GERMANS IN LIGHT OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR SUPPLY TO SOUTH AFRICA END SUMMARY 3 AMBASSADOR SMITH BEGAN DISCUSSION BY EXPRESSING SECRETARY'S APPRECIATION FOR THE QUICK AND FORTHCOMING RESPONSE OF THE GOF ON THE SOUTH AFRICAN NUCLEAR QUESTION HE SUMMARIZED THE EVIDENCE AVAILABLE TO US REVIEW AUTHORITY Marvin Russell Senior Reviewer UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2014-04164 Doc No C06020026 Date 07 26 2018 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2014-04164 Doc No C06020026 Date 07 26 2018 POINTING OUT THAT IT SEEMS TO VALIDATE THE SOVIET ALLEGATIONS AND NOTING THAT HE WOULD BE ABLE TO BE MORE SPECIFIC IN REVIEWING THIS EVIDENCE FOR THE FRENCH PRESIDENT THIS AFTERNOON EVEN PRIOR TO THIS NEW EVIDENCE THE US HAD BEEN CONCERNED OVER SOUTH AFRICAN INTENTIONS IN THE NUCLEAR FIELD 4 DRAWING ON REF A HE STATED THAT THE US WAS WILLING TO DROP ITS PREVIOUS INTEREST IN HAVING CANADA PARTICIPATE IN ANY JOINT INSPECTION OF THE TEST SITE WHICH SOUTOU WELCOMED BUT NOTED THAT THERE WAS SOME INTEREST IN INVOLVING THE IAEA WITH OUR APPROACH AS TO PARTICIPATION BY THE UK AMBASSADOR SMITH EXPRESSED THE VIEW THAT THE UK SEEMS TO BE PREOCCUPIED WITH THE RHODESIAN ISSUE NOTING THAT THE LAGOS CONFERENCE AND THE POSSIBILITY OF UN SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION COULD MAKE THE QUESTION OF SOUTH AFRICAN INTENTIONS A MATTER OF CONSIDERABLE URGENCY HE OUTLINED THE PROPOSED US APPROACH CONTAINED REF B AND PASSED SOUTOU A NON-PAPER CONTAINING THE TEXT OF THE PROPOSED TALKING POINTS FOR USE BY AMBASSADOR BOWDLER HE REITERATED OUR HOPE THAT THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR IN P RIA COULD GIVE A SIMILAR WARNING FINALLY S ET SE ET PAGE03 PARIS 23834 01 OF 03 1718292 HE EXPRESSED A HOPE THAT IF NEEDED THE FRENCH WOULD ALSO JOIN IN A SUBSEQUENT APPROACH TO THE SOUTH AFRICANS REQUESTING AN INSPECTION OF THE SITE IN THE KALAHARI 5 SOUTOU REPEATED HIS MINISTER'S SUPPORT FOR THE GOF TO MAKE AN URGENT APPROACH IN PRETORIA ALONG THE GENERAL LINES OF THE US TALKING POINTS AND THOUGHT SUCH AN APPROACH WOULD BE A GOOD BEGINNING HOWEVER FRENCH WILLINGNESS TO TAKE THE FURTHER STEP OF REQUESTING A JOINT INSPECTION WOULD DEPEND ON A DECISION BY THE PRESIDENT HE INDICATED THAT FRANCE WAS IN AGREEMENT THAT STEPS MUST BE TAKEN TO AVOID A NNN s PAGE 01 PARIS 23834 02 OF 03 1718322 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2014-04164 Doc No C06020026 Date 07 26 2018 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2014-04164 Doc No C06020026 Date 07 26 2018 ACTION NODS-00 INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 001 W ----170242 171837Z 42 0 171806Z AUG 77 FM AMEMBASSY PARIS TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7229 S E ET SECTION 02 OF 03 PARIS 23834 NODIS CHEROKEE NUCLEAR TEST BY SOUTH AFRICA AND MAYBE EVEN MORE STEPS TO RESTRAIN SOUTH AFRICA'S TEMPTATION TO USE NUCLEAR FACILITIES FOR WEAPONS PURPOSES SOUTOU DID NOT PERSONALLY FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT UK PARTICIPATION IN A FOLLOW-ON APPROACH THOUGH HIS MINISTER HAD RAISED THE POSSIBILITY HOWEVER HE THOUGHT THE FRG SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN LIGHT OF THE IMPORTANCE OF GERMAN SUPPLY' TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN ENRICHMENT PLANT AND THE CLOSER COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIPS PARTICULARLY IN COMPARISON TO THE MODEST SCALE OF FRENCH ASSISTANCE HE THEN MENTIONED FRENCH-SOUTH AFRICAN NUCLEAR COOPERATION POINTING OUT THAT EXCEPT FOR URANIUM PURCHASES FROM SOUTH AFRICA AND THE SUPPLY OF THE KOEBERG REACTORS THE FIRST OF WHICH WOULD NOT ACHIEVE CRITICALITY UNTIL 1982 FRENCH COOPERATION WAS MINIMAL FRENCH GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE INDUSTRY ASSISTANCE FOR THE ENRICHMENT PLANT VIRTUALLY NONEXISTANT THE FRENCH HAD TOLD THEIR INDUSTRY THAT NO MATERIALS OR EVEN SPARE PARTS COULD BE SHIPPED TO THAT SITE AND HAD RECENTLY DENIED AN EXPORT LICENSE TO SOME '' DUAL CAPABLE VALVES WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN DESTINED FOR ULTIMATE USE IN THE EXPLOSIVES PROGRAM AMBASSADOR SMITH THEN GAVE SOUTOU A BRIEF NON-PAPER OUTLINING US NUCLEAR COOPERATION WITH THE SOUTH AFRICANS HE ALSO WENT OVER THE FACTS AS WE UNDERSTAND THEM WITH RESPECT ET SE ET PAGE02 PARIS 23834 02 OF 03 171832Z TO PAST GERMAN COOPERATION WITH THE SOUTH AFRICAN ENRICHMENT PROGRAM AND PROMISED TO SUPPLY ADDITIONAL DETAILS SOUTOU WAS GENERALLY NEGATIVE ON THE POSSIBILITY OF IAEA INVOLVEMENT PARTICULARLY AT EARLY STAGES WHICH COULD RAISE QUESTIONS AS TO THE AUTHORITY OF THE IAEA TO TAKE ON SUCH A TASK 6 SOUTOU AFTER NOTING THAT FRENCH EXPERTS AGREE THAT SOUTH AFRICA HAS THE CAPABILITY NOW TO EXPLODE A DEVICE THEN DISCUSSED AT SOME LENGTH HIS VIEW OF SOUTH AFRICAN MOTIVATIONS FROM A POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE HE DOUBTED THE SOUTH AFRICANS HAD ANY MOTIVATION TO EXPLODE A DEVICE BUT RATHER WERE SEEKING LIKE THE UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2014-04164 Doc No C06020026 Date 07 26 2018 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2014-04164 Doc No C06020026 Date 07 26 2018 ISRAELIS TO ACQUIRE THE DETERRENT CAPABILITY OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS WITHOUT THE POLITICAL COST OF ACTUALLY EXPLODING A DEVICE AMBASSADOR SMITH DISAGREED NOTING THAT THE SITE PREPARATIONS APPEARED TO BE TOO ADVANCED TO SUPPORT SUCH A THEORY THAT US INTELLIGENCE SOURCES THOUGHT THE SOUTH AFRICANS WERE LIKELY TO CARRY THROUGH WITH THEIR PROGRAM AND THAT SAG MILITARY COMMANDERS WOULD NOT BE HAPPY WITH DEVICES THEY COULD NOT DEMONSTRATE HAD BEEN ADEQUATELY TESTED MOREOVER WHILE TESTING NUCLEAR DEVICES MIGHT NOT MAKE RATIONAL SENSE RATIONAL THINKING IN THINGS ATOMIC OFTEN DOES NOT OBTAIN AND THE SOUTH AFRICANS MIGHT WELL PROCEED EVEN IF IT WERE CONTRARY TO THEIR POLITICAL INTERESTS 7 SOUTOU FELT THAT SUCH A STEP BY THE SOUTH AFRICANS AT THIS TIME COULD ONLY HURT THEM IN THE ENTIRE SOUTHERN AFRICAN QUESTION AND MAKE WESTERN COOPERATION VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE IN ALL FIELDS HE FELT THAT PR SSURE WOULD DEVELOP FORCING THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT TO S RET S RET PAGEb3 PARIS 23834 02 OF 03 1718322 STOP EVEN ITS PRESENT ARMS RELATIONSHIP WITH SOUTH AFRICA-- HE MENTIONED SPARE PARTS AND DID NOT INDICATE WHETHER SHIPS ON ORDER MIGHT NOT BE DELIVERED 8 SOUTOU EXPLAINED IN SOME DETAIL HIS VIEWS OF SOVIET MOTIVATION THE SOVIETS ALWAYS LIKE TO LEAVE THEIR VISITING CARD AT TIMES WHEN THIRD WORLD MEETINGS WERE TAKING PLACE THEY HAVE HAD A LONG HISTORY OF DISPUTE WITH CHINA WHICH ACCUSES THE SOVIET UNION OF BEING ALLIED WITH THE CAPITALIST WORLD THE SOVIETS HAVE MADE GREAT EFFORTS TO SHOW THEY ARE PART OF AND CLOSE TO THE NONALIGNED WORLD AND ANTI-IMPERIALIST THIS IS WHY THE STATEMENT BY TASS AND PARTICULARLY THE WORDS USED IN THAT STATEMENT IS SIGNIFICANT AS A MESSAGE TO AFRICA PRIOR TO THE LAGOS MEETING HE ALSO NNN SE ET PAGE PARIS 23834 03 OF 03 1718392 ACTION NODS-OD UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2014-04164 Doc No C06020026 Date 07 26 2018 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2014-04164 Doc No C06020026 Date 07 26 2018 INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 001 W -----u70380 1718412 42 0171819ZAUG 77 FM AMEMBASSY PARIS TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7230 S E' R ET SECTION 03 OF 03 PARIS 23834 NODIS CHEROKEE THOUGHT THAT THE PARTICULAR ATTACK ON FRANCE AS BEING ONE OF THE COUNTRIES THAT SUPPLY SOUTH AFRICA WAS DESIGNED TO SHOW SOVIET UNHAPPINESS WITH RECENT FRENCHAFRICAN POLICY PROBABLY EVEN WITH THEIR FOREIGN MINISTER'S PRESENT TRIP THE SOVIETS WERE SEEKING WAYS TO BOLSTER THEIR STANDING IN AFRICA OF WHICH ATTACKING SOUTH AFRICA NATO SUPPLIES ETC WAS A USEFUL TACTIC HOWEVER HE SAID THE SOVIETS WERE ALSO VERY CONCERNED OVER THE NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION IMPLICATIONS OF A SOUTH AFRI CAN TEST 9 SOUTOU PHILOSOPHIZED ABOUT GERMAN ACTIVITIES HE RECALLED A CONVERSATION WITH THE GERMAN AMBASSADOR THE PREVIOUS DAY ON BERLIN AND HIS OWN PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE ON GERMAN MATTERS TO MAKE THE POINT THAT GERMANY AS A DIVIDED COUNTRY SHOULD NOT EVER BE IN POSITION OF TAKING ON THE SOVIET UNION BY ITSELF THUS THE THREE POWERS US UK FRANCE SHOULD CONTINUE TO ACT TOGETHER ON BERLIN 10 AT THE CLOSE OF THE MEETING SOUTOU TOUCHED BRIEFLY ON THE PAKISTANI AND BRAZILIAN CASES HE PERSONALLY HAD NEVER LIKED THE PAKISTANI DEAL BECAUSE IT SET A BAD PRECEDENT WHICH WAS THEN FOLLOWED BY THE GERMANS IN THE CASE OF BRAZIL HE THQ_UGHT THE SOUTH AFRICAN CASE SHOWED THE NEED FOR S T S T PAGE 02 PARIS 23834 03 OF 03 1718392 SOME URGENCY IN DEALING WITH CASES OF THIS KIND AND INDICATED THAT THE FRENCH WERE THINKING OF MODIFYING THE DEAL WITH PAKISTAN THEY WOULD RAISE THIS QUESTION WITH THE PAKISTANIS DURING THE VISIT NEXT MONTH OF PAKISTANI ACTING FOREIGN SECRETARY SHAHI 11 COMMENT THE MEETING WENT WELL SOUTOU APPEARED PLEASED THAT WE ARE CONSULTING CLOSELY ON THIS QUESTION APPEARED GENUINELY CONCERNED OVER ITS IMPLICATIONS AND WISHED TO BE HELPFUL SOUTOU WAS IN AN EXPANSIVE MOOD AND IN THE COURSE OF THE CONVERSATION GAVE A NUMBER OF INSIGHTS INTO QUA THINKING NOT ONLY ON THE SOUTH AFRICAN NUCLEAR QUESTION BUT ALSO ON A NUMBER OF OTHER ISSUES SOUTOU AGAIN UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2014-04164 Doc No c·o6020026 Date 07 26 2018 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2014-04164 Doc No C06020026 Date 07 26 2018 DISPLAYED HIS STRONG ANTIPATHY TO THE FRG-BRAZIL DEAL AND SOME DISTRUST OF GERMAN MOTIVES AND ACTIONS IN BOTH BRAZIL AND SOUTH AFRICA END COMMENT 12 DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO EMBASSY PRETORIA AND OTHER POSTS AS APPROPRIATE HARTMAN s NNN UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No M-2014-04164 Doc No C06020026 Date 07 26 2018