243. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rogers to President Nixon, Washington, March 9, 1973
THE SECRETARY OF STATE
March 9, 1973
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
Subject: Return of Ambassador Melady to Uganda
I understand and share your reluctance to have Ambassador Melady return to Uganda to avoid dignifying the Amin regime with the presence of your personal representative.
Nonetheless, I would ask that the decision be reconsidered with a view to insuring to the extent possible the safety of American citizens during the phase-out of our AID program in Uganda and withdrawal of our 120 AID-related personnel, which will be completed by June 30. Given President Amin's paranoiac behavior, we hope to manage this operation quietly in such a way as to avoid incurring his wrath against the 570 American citizens in Uganda, 200 of whom are missionaries and their families. Because of the host of problems we have had with the Amin regime and his unpredictability, I believe we might be running a serious risk of aggravating Amin personally by reflecting our strong official displeasure toward him at this critical time.
I would therefore recommend that Ambassador Melady be allowed to return to Uganda until the end of June to oversee our AID withdrawal, at which time we would then reduce our representation to the Charge level in keeping with your and our basic outlook toward the Amin regime.
William P. Rogers
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