In Search of Enemies - A CIA Story - John Stockwell

IN SEARC H OF ENEMIES
work with Americans or Canadians. Maybe French. South Africans
can help. But never Portuguese!!"
Roberto was choking down his resentment and working with the
Portuguese while the war was hot and the FNLA desperate for
advisors. Savimbi was too proud to turn to the Portuguese, but
otherwise he had no prejudice. And no profound ideology. He was
neither Marxist nor capitalist, nor even a black revolutionary. He
was an Angolan patriot, fighting for the freedom of the Ovimbundu
people. He had accepted North Korean training for his men, and
Chinese money and arms. He liked Americans. If South Africa
would give him the help he needed, he would accept.
Both he and Roberto were making mistakes, but of the . two,
Savimbi's mistake would be more costly. Once his acceptance of
South African aid became known, he would be discredited as a black
nationalist. He would win a few battles, but eventually lose the war.
Early the next morning Savimbi took me to a training camp a few
kilometers from Silva Porto. The commanders, who knew we were
coming, had assembled the garrison in a large clearing. Three companies
formed on three sides of a quadrangle and a platoon of women
in civilian dress squared the fourth. As we approached, singing and
dancing women blocked our car, forcing us to walk the last fifty
yards while they clapped, stamped and swirled around Savimbi. I
recalled from the Congo that such singing and rhythm were historic,
cultural things; in two tribes I had lived among, the Lulua and
Bakete, the people moved readily into stirring chants on any occasion-when
rowing a boat, returning from a successful hunt, or
honoring a chief.
Savimbi made another speech, then showed me his meager armory,
counting weapons and giving his personal opinion of each. In
the two days, I had counted twelve different types of shoulder weap·
ons, including some Portuguese G-3s, Belgian FNs, NATO FALs,
Chinese AKs, and Soviet Kalashnikovs. They also had American
bazookas, 81 and 60 mm. mortars, hand grenades, and 106 mm.
recoilless rifles, but only a paltry number of rounds for each. There
was no apparent logistical system, other than Savimbi's memory of
what he had, and I shuddered to think of the confusion that would
result from our delivery of tons of equipment and supplies.
On the way back I questioned him again about UNITA's troop
strengths.