Supplement [box] Note: This supplement is presented in order to enable most of our people understand what was the cold war and its impact on Africa and especially the Horn before I continue dealing with what I have started. I would appreciate all OLF leadership including Dr. Gidaada to give reply to the questions I raised before the final draft is made public. I kept it locked for all of them to give the opportunity to contribute fact for the truth to be known. COLD WAR II: USSR, USA, UK, CANADA, TURKEY, IEG The term “COLD WAR” was coined years back after concrete evidences saw sun’s light. When I was a student I used to hear people arguing “cold war” is a CIA created fiction. The CIA was non-existent when all preparations were made to start the undercover espionage activities within the western countries. The CIA itself was attacked 2 years after its existence although it was born with certain microbes that were transferred from the SIS of the British. Others argued that no situation which could be described as such existed. Still there were others who related it with American congressmen. It is true that there was a cold war era. A year and some months back the current president of Russia, V. PUT-IN, in public, acknowledged the cold war era and its contribution to communist gangs (the COMINTERN, ITS MEMBERS WERE UNDER THE DIRECT CONTROL OF THE KGB OF THE USSR. For instance when Burgess said “I am a COMINTERN agent” he was not bluffing although his friend then thought that he was drunk and was making some noises.). Since we could expect no other authority to confirm about it, I would leave this argument here, but I have referred to it as Cold War I. In addition to this numerous communists, socialists and espionage agents from the west had given their testimony of this situation. Other sources which would help as to cite as examples include: 1) From scholars, politicians and diplomats we could site Fred Halliday (1974 at 255) as an example. He described IEG as “A SINGLE-MINDEDLY PRO-US REGIME.” 2) Of African leaders we could cite Emperor Haile Selassie who complained as a victim of the cold war. He said “Ethiopian cooperation with the West is not liked by the Arabs and by the Soviet Union. The danger is a convergence of views of the Arabs and the soviet Union” [To President R. Nixon, Oval Office, White House; Tuesday, May 15/1973 at about 11:25am local time]. Emperor Haile Selassie, who in secret said this two days before he addressed the 10th anniversary of OAU in Addis Ababa, had bno idea about what was waiting for him. Please note that Emperor Haile Selassie might not be a good example to represent Africa South of the Sahara. All Black African countries attained independence after 1957. Therefore, they were all victims of the Cold War era. They had to choose between two camps although their former colonizers had prepared favorable situations to keep them under their domain or camp. Three months before the Emperor’s visit to the White House, the then PM Aklilu Habtewold was invited on February 23/1973 for a conversation with the then Ambassador of the USA, Mr. Adair, imperative to the question of invitation for the Emperor to the White House. The objective of the call was to explain what was discussed about the case of Ethiopia’s request by the authorities of the USA and to dissuade them from pressing for invitation and from sending a delegation before the Emperor visits the White House. PM Aklilu was accompanied by the then Foreign Minister, Minassie Haile, although he was expected to arrive alone. Mr. Adair, by then, had spent a few days after his trip to Washington and his discussion with officials of the State Department. Mr. Adair had all the necessary answer dealing with the repeated request for military aid from the USA. IEG’s concern then was Somalia and ELF. By then Somalia had modern arms, planes, tanks, and radar facilities which it got from the USSR. In addition to these, there were hundreds of Russian military advisers in Somalia to train and organize Siad Barre’s troops. Although Ethiopia was said to be the dominant force in the Horn by the said time the balance of force was tilted to the other side. This was done based on a cool calculation of the Soviets. Haile Selassie was frustrated and desperate. At the end of the conversation Mr. Adair asked Aklilu whether they have talked to the Soviets or not. Both Aklilu and Minassie, reportedly smiled, and replied positively. Then they informed the Ambassador that the Soviets told the Ethiopians, “Why don’t you ask us for military assistance and then we will see who gets the most.” Aklilu Habtewold then added that Ethiopia did not wish to be constrained and rely up on the USSR. Instead, IEG hoped that their friends of long standing (the USA) could and would provide IEG with the requested assistance [Telegram to secretary of State, Washington D.C., priority 3346 from Amembassy AA2197, February 24/1973]. The answer of the Russians reminds me what Major Dawit Woldegiorgis repeatedly said about the Russians during Mengistu’s regime. They wanted to have a place both in the IEG and in Somalia and get rid of the Americans from the Horn. This is a specific example how the cold war theater was being staged in Africa, especially the Horn of Africa. Aklilu Habtewol’s remarks were in line with the understanding of Nixon’s administration. Nixon’s officials apparently had made meticulous investigation and analysis on USSR’s interests and moves. In the early 1960s, the USSR launched numerous projects in Africa, but these “earlier Soviet projects were not entirely successful.” For instance, a) in 1959 the USSR offered IEG a credit of 100 million USD. It was a very large sum of money. However, the IEG used “a small part of it”. b) The USSR installed “Petroleum refinery in Assab, Ethiopia. This refinery is found to be “obsolete and inefficient” according to the evaluation of USA’s authorities in the 1970s. This refinery was one of the controversial issues between the PFDJ and Isaias’ state. The Ethiopians decided to stop using this refinery because of the disagreement of transactions which all of a sudden and without conferring with the Ethiopians Isaias demanded payment in dollar. Above and over this, Nixon’s administration was well aware of USSR’s long standing aim in IEG. It “has been to get the Americans out of Kagnew.” They were also aware that certain Soviet officials “have suggested to Ethiopians” that if Kagnew Station is pushed out, “Moscow would provide generous military aid package to IEG” [NIE 75/76-72, The Horn Of Africa, October 4/1972, Paras. 46, 47]. AKLILU’S ARGUMENT AND THE PERCEPTION OF OFFICIALS OF THE National Security, Department of State and the Pentagon were correct. Emperor haile Selassie’s visit to Moscow in May 1970, which was ihis third visit, were indicative of USSR’s interest. The Emperor paid the visit: i) On his own initiative. He was not invited by the authorities of the USSR. ii) Having the governors of Eriteria and Bale among his delegation was a calculated move. These administrative regions were where armed forces created havoc to his rule. Both were supported by Arab countries. The aim of the Emperor was to discuss the problem he had at home because of the rebels groups that were supported by the Communist block and the so referred to “progressive Arab countries” because they had direct relationships with the USSR and have joined the communist block. Despite his serious issues he had and despite his expectations he was not received by the two top officials of the USSR. L. Brezhnev and Aleksey Nikolayevich Kosygin didn’t see him. He dealt with lower officials of the Communist hierarchy. His visit also got no wide coverage by the local media of the USSR. In short, his visit was fruit less. It is reported that the USSR authorities forwarded a precondition. The demanded if the Emperor severe his close relationship with Israel they will press Arabs to stop their support for the rebel groups. It was clear that the USSR, PR of China and N. Korea were behind the rebels in Eriteria. Please note that these three countries stood against the IEG partly because of the Emperor’s sending his troops to the Korean war of 1950-1953. These three countries were fighting against the USA supported regime of S. Korea and USA troops commanded by General MacArthur. Getachew Mekasha (then IEG’s Minister of Information) for the first time identified the so referred to progressive Arabs behind the rebel groups on July 21/1970 in his interview with the AFP in Paris. Ketema Yifru ( then Minister of FA) December 24/1971 against identified the so called “progressive Arab countries which were supporting ELF rebels as Iraq, Syria, South Yemen (Peoples Democratic Republic of Yemen) and the newly added Libya of M. Gadaffi [AC, June 12/1970, 11(12), “Emperor’s Visit”; Kessing’s Contemporary Archives, March 20-27/1972 at 24507A]. On May 14/1970 a spokesman from IEG’s FA Ministry condemned Libya’s “fund raising campaign for ELF.” Six months after the Emperor’s visit to Moscow the Commander of the second Division in Eriteria, M/G Teshome Ergetu, was ambushed and killed by ELF rebels on the Asmara – keren road on November 21/1970. An unknown number of his troops also died while attempting to save the life of their commander. The number of ELF rebels dead or wounded was not given [Nairobi Radio, November 22/1970; AP (Addis Ababa) November 23/1970]. By this time the USSR and Arab countries claimed presence of Israeli Military personnel in Ethiopia and an Israeli Military base in an island of the Red sea. These allegations were categorically denied by Getachew Mekasha. In short, the USSR and its communist allays as well as the so called “progressive Arab countries” were pressing the IEG: a) To severe its diplomatic and other relationships with Israel. b) To close Kagnew Station that was found in Asmara. c) They also wanted the Emperor to get out of the camp led by the USA. These are some of the direct manifestations of the Cold War I era. IEG was a despotic monarchical state. Emperor Haile Selassie claims to be a descendant from the House of Solomon. He called himself “the Lion of Judah and Elect of God”. How did the USSR authorities and the Arabs expect Emperor Haile Selassie to go against his own life, state and system? They were demanding the impossible. By implication they were interested to see his toppled somehow and his political power taken by another body who will be a friend to them or who will satisfy their interests. Why were the Soviets unhappy of Kagnew Station? What do these examples tell us? How did the situation developed to political, military, diplomatic, economic and other parallelism? Who began this game which became to be known as the cold war era? When and how did this mess launched? Where? When? By whom? By the 1970 Nixon’s administration had a problem over the financial arrangements or agreements with the IEG. A Senate Sub-Committee was investigating the distribution of USA’s military aid to Africa. It was also questioning why the IEG was donated the lion share of USA’s military aid. By then it was taking not less than 60% of the total USA military aid to Africa. Robert A. Diamond and David Fouquet (1972), AFRICA TODAY Winter 1972, at 37 raised this problem. They observed that, “Both countries [the USA and the IEG] were embarrassed by the disclosures in 1970 by a U. S. Senate subcommittee investigating U. S. military bases overseas. The group’s detailed findings showed a secretive U. S. commitment which resulted in Ethiopia’s receiving more U. S. aid than all African countries combined in recent years”. The report of the investigating Senate subcommittee “Both countries were embarrassed by the disclosures in 1970 by a U. S. Senate subcommittee investigating U. S. military bases overseas. The group’s detailed findings showed a secretive U. S. commitment which resulted in Ethiopia’s receiving more U. S. aid than all African countries combined in recent years.” In addition to this the report of the subcommittee recognized the generosity of the USA and questioned, “whether this generosity was “rent” for the large U. S. communications-intelligence facility in Ethiopia [i.e. KAGNEW STATION] or whether the base might be an executive branch pretext to provide Congress with a rationale for supporting the government of emperor Haile Selassie.” According to the investigation of this subcommittee, “Projections of U. S. figures of fiscal 1973-77 recently revealed in the Senate indicate no substantive change in the U. S. military and economic aid to Ethiopia. The total for the five-year period was projected at $169. 1 million, compared with $ 31.8 million requested for fiscal 1972 – showing a general extension of the existing flow. But for fiscal 1972 and the subsequent five-year period the aid total for Ethiopia will be surpassed by the amount given another black African country -- $ 34.3 million in fiscal 1972.” I found these data correct after checking declassified documents and comparing the info we have from archival documents of the IEG. Emperor Haile Selassie was repeatedly informed about the budgetary problem faced by the Nixon administration as a result of Congressional decision. On the other hand he got the worst sort of response from the USSR. He had no choice. After his visit to Moscow in May 1970 he and his officials continually contacted USA State department and the Embassy in Addis Ababa and demanded a visit by a delegation of IEG to the USA and an invitation from the White House for the Emperor to have a direct talk with the president (see the meetings of Aklilu with Adair in Addis Ababa deliberated above). Emperor Haile Selassie found himself sandwiched between the two camps of the cold war. Socio-economic situations and political realities on the main land are also were going from worse to the worst in his life. The famine in the northern part of the country was deliberately ignored and a cover-up was on the move. Now let’s pose the following: Why was the senate subcommittee questioning the existence of Kagnew Station? Was it based on the same political stand with the USSR authorities or did it have a different ground? Why was the Senate Subcommittee unhappy of the distribution of USA’s aid to IEG and why did it question the nature of the agreement signed on May 22/1953 and the executive secret agreement of 1960? Was the subcommittee unaware of the content of the agreements? Who was running the country and how? Were the agreements signed without the approval of the Congress? These questions lead us to look at the features of Kagnew Station. It is unquestionable that the Senate subcommittee was not against the interest of the USA or the USA’s need for political, military, diplomatic, economic and other sorts of intelligence. It was not unaware of the espionage problem faced by the USA and the UK. According to the reports it was rather interested why the large chunk was awarded to the IEG. The answer rests on the content of the agreements signed between the two governments. KAGNEW STATION AND THE COLD WAR I
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 16:13:24 +0000