In Search of Enemies - A CIA Story - John Stockwell

[124] IN SEARCH OF ENEMIES
reprisals against the FNLA guerrillas. As times had changed, so had
Castro's loyalties. Now he worked for his lifetime enemy, Holden
Roberto, as chief of staff in the FNLA army.
Castro's "key" to Angola turned out to be a little shopworn. Six
hundred Portuguese army veterans, he claimed, were poised in South
Africa, awaiting his call. All were white Angolans., experienced in
dealing with black guerrillas. They lacked only plane tickets and the
means to fight. With them, Castro would have no trouble retaking
Luanda, for Roberto, or for Dr. Kissinger.
It was a typical white colonial solution to a black African problem.
"Give me a company of commandos and I'll straighten this place out
in two weeks flat!"
I suppressed an urge to argue with him. He was after all the best
source of information I had found. Instead, I asked him about
Luanda, and other Portuguese still on the scene who might influence
the course of the war.
Castro wanted what all such adventurers want-money-in this
case money to field his six hundred men, even though they were not
mercenaries, he proclaimed earnestly. Nevertheless, they had families
to support. How much? He was grandly vague. Perhaps s1,ooo
each; s6oo,ooo would get them started. Plus some airplanes and
arms. Oh, yes. There was another requirement-an exclusive agreement
which would eliminate rival Portuguese adventurers such as
Bento. Roberto could be the figurehead, although we should deal
with Castro on substantive matters.
When I was confident I knew everything he was going to tell me
that night I rose to leave. We worked out future communications;
he gave me addresses where he could be contacted in South Africa
and Madrid, as well as Ambriz. In turn I passed him a discreet
identification phrase which would get a message to me through the
Kinshasa embassy telephone.
Gesturing for him to keep the Scotch, I stepped outside.
The: other effect of having no electricity is that everyone is up at
dawn. I joined them and spent the morning walking about, seeking
answers to the obvious questions. We knew almost nothing about the
war front in northern Angola. How big was Ambriz? Small, 1,000
whites and 10,000 Africans before it became a ghost town. How
important? Vital, it was the FNLA's forward command post and
airstrip. Our tons of arms would come in here. How many FNLA