The Libertarian Review July 1978 - Libertarianism.org

I The PluUlb LineGetting tough in Zaireby Murray N. RothbardThe Establishment media put it thisway: After shilly-shallying in a weak andindecisive manner, the Carter administrationanything-directly or indirectly-to dowith the invasion. Now, the Cubans areno more above a little deception thanhas at last decided to "get any other government; but the un­tough" in Africa against the Cuban settling point is that, until now, the(and behind them the Soviet) menace.President Carter himself has kept up adrumfire of hysteria about the spectre ofCuban troops in the recent invasions ofthe Shaba province of Zaire from basesin Angola. This bogey was used as theCubans have not been at all shy in proclaimingtheir role in responding to invitationsby friendly left-wing governmentsin Africa. In Angola and in Ethi­0pia they have boasted of their militarysuccess; why the sudden attack of bashfulnesspretext for America's decision to goin Zaire?military in its continuing intervention inAfrica. Paratroopers of the 82nd AirborneFurthermore, the sources of Carter'sinformation on the alleged role of theDivision were kept on the alert Cubans are highly tainted. The in­while American planes were used to flyBelgian and French paratroopers intoformation comes, proximately, from theCIA, which has lied through its teeth toKolwezi, in Shaba province, to successfullyeveryone, especially the American pub­put down the rebellion. The lic and Congress, for many years, not"integrity" of Zaire was, temporarily, the least on its role in the civil war insaved once again, and the Cubans beatenAngola. Senator McGovern has challengedback.Except there are several things verywrong with this picture. For one, theCubans deny vehemently and absolutely,privately and publicly, that they hadthe CIA to prove its contentionsabout the Cubans, so far without success.Reports are that the CIA got its informationfrom the French, who in turngot the charge from Dr. Jonas Savimbi,r~}1rlOYl.----- .the colorful "pro-American" guerrillaleader in Angola, who is hardly the mostsober of reporters.From Carter's whining about Congres&tying his hands on interfering withAngola, it is clear that the real purposeof his getting tough in Zaire was as aprelude to resuming U.S. interventionin the civil war in Angola. Carter isdisplaying unmitigated gall in trying torevive our Angolan adventure, for thewhistle has just been blown on the hiddenand nefarious CIA role in the Angolanconflict of 1975-76 in a new bookby John Stockwell, In Search ofEnemies: A CIA Story. Stockwell, itshould be noted, was· no less than thehead of the CIA operation in Angola. Inhis book, Stockwell confirms what a few"paranoid" antiwar Americans chargedat the time: that at each step escalatingthe Angolan conflict, the Soviets intervenedwith aid only after the UnitedStates did, through the CIA; the Sovietrole was never initiatory but only reactive.Furthermore, the Cuban troopshipment came only after South Africasent its troops into Angola on behalf ofthe "pro-Western" side, an interventionthat was hailed by and coordinated withthe CIA. Moreover, Stockwell revealsthat "after the war we learned thatCuba had not been ordered into actionby the Soviet Union. To the contrary,the Cuban leaders felt compelled to intervenefor their own ideological reasons."Not only was Holden Roberto, the"pro-Western" Angolan leader, on theCIA payroll for years, but dozens of CIAofficers were dispatched to manage allthe branches, military and propaganda,of the Roberto side during the civil war.Furthermore, Stockwell reveals thatFord, Kissinger, the Pentagon, and theCIA were pondering about escalatingthe Angolan intervention into a fullscale,Vietnam-type conflict-this, astoundingly,only months after thedebacle in Vietnam itself! The administrationworking group in chargeof the covert operations in Angolacontemplated sending in Americanarmy units, a show of American navalstrength, and even weighed "the feasibilityof making an overt military feintat Cuba itself to force Castro to recallhis troops and defend the home island."Only one thing stopped these nefar-10Libertarian Review