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White on Chrome: Southern Congressmen and Rhodesia 1962—1971

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 May 2019

Raymond Arsenault
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Extract

In the fall of 1971 the United States Congress startled the international community by voting to allow American corporations to resume chromium ore imports from Rhodesia. Clearing the Senate on October 6 and the House of Representatives on November 10, Section 503 of the 1971 Military Procurement Bill stipulated that the President could no longer restrict the importation of a strategic material from a non-communist country when that same material was being imported from a communist country. The official intent of Section 503 was to reduce American dependence on Soviet chrome imports. However, many outside observers, both foreign and domestic, claimed that this “national security” decision was as much pro-Rhodesian as it was anti-Soviet. In any case, Section 503, popularly known as the Byrd Amendment, committed the United States government to participate in a direct violation of the United Nations' mandatory economic sanctions against Rhodesia's illegal white minority government.

Type
Research Article
Information
African Issues , Volume 2 , Issue 4 , Winter 1972 , pp. 46 - 57
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 1972 

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References

Footnotes

1 Congressional Record, November 10, 1971, H10859-65 (un- bound version); Congressional Quarterly, Weekly Report, October 2, 1971, 2049; Ibid., October 16, 1971, 2149, 2158.

2 See Ralph Zacklin, Challenge of Rhodesia-Toward an International Public Policy (International Conciliation Pamphlet, November 1969, No. 575), 36-45.

3 New York Times, November 12, 1971; reprinted in Congressional Record, November 30, 1971, E12749 (unbound version).

4 William A. Hance, ed., Southern Africa and the United States (New York: 1968), 19-25; Alfred O. Hero, Jr., The Southerner and World Affairs (Baton Rouge: 1965), 183-222, 383-434; Charles O. Lerche, Jr., The Uncertain South: Its Changing Patterns of Politics in Foreign Policy (Chicago: 1964).

5 Congressional Record, November 20, 1971, E12538 (unbound version).

6 Ibid., November 22, 1971, E12614; December 13, 1971, E13369.

7 Congressional Quarterly, Weekly Report, November 27, 1971, 2477.

8 Congressional Record, September 23, 1971, S14933-47 (un- version).

9 Congressional Quarterly, Weekly Report, October 16, 1971, 2149, 2158.

10 Congressional Record, March 7, 1963, 3690-3705; see also Drew Pearson and Jack Anderson, The Case Against Congress, A Compelling Indictment of Corruption on Capitol Hill (New York: 1968)210-221.

11 Congressional Record, March 7, 1963, 3696-702.

12 With the British government's approval, Nyasaland withdrew from the Federation on December 19, 1962; the formal dissolution took place on December 31, 1962; see Zacklin, Challenge of Rhodesia, 29-30.

13 Congressional Record, October 30, 1963, 20557.

14 Ibid., March 2, 1966, 4692.

15 Ibid., March 22, 1966, 6501, 6503.

16 Ibid., March 22, 1966, 6502.

17 Ibid., March 22, 1966,6501; Eastland accompanied this charge with a supportive article written by columnist David Lawrence.

18 Ibid., March 22,1966, 6503.

19 Ibid., March 22,1966, 6504.

20 Ibid., March 22, 1966, 6505.

21 Ibid., March 22,1966, 6501.

22 Ibid., March 22,1966, 6509-16.

23 Ibid., June 24, 1966, 14191-92.

24 Ibid., April 5,1966,7716.

25 See especially “Press Comment on Rhodesia” in Ibid., February 1, 1967, 2173-4.

26 Ibid., July 24,1967,19903.

27 Ibid.. July 25, 1966, 16930; November 22, 1967, 33649-50.

28 Ibid., November 22, 1957, 33549-50.

29 Ibid., December 1, 1967, 34464-5.

30 Ibid., September 27, 1967, 27088.

31 Ibid., October 10, 1967, 28371-2; See Senator Mundt's comments on Senator Byrd's amendment in Ibid., November 1, 1967, 30722; favorable editorials are also included.

32 Michael Barone, Grant Ujifusa, and Doublas Matthews, The Almanac of American Politics 1972 (Boston: 1972), 309.

33 Ibid., 309.

34 Congressional Record, March 7, 1967, 5750-1.

35 Ibid., September 14, 1967, 25680.

36 Ibid., September 28, 1967, 27266.

37 Ibid., April 22, 1968, 10268.

38 Ibid., June 4, 1968, 15900-1.

39 Ibid., June 4 1968 16041-2.

40 The Congressional Quarterly, Weekly Review, February 2, 1968, 167, provided some interesting background material on the Rarick-Abernethy junket: ”. . . Ashbrook Jan.23 criticized the American Southern Africa Council, a right-wing group which supports the independent government of Rhodesia. Ashbrook said that the Council in 1967 had invited some , House members to participate in a “Congressional task force” tour of Rhodesia. After receiving tentative acceptance from nine Members. the Council had used their names without permission in its campaign to raise $66,670 for the trip. Only two House Members — Thomas G. Abernethy (D Miss) and John R.Rarick (D La) actually went to Rhodesia, how ever. They were accompanied in early January by Wainright Dawson, chairman of the United Republicans of America, and by Karl Hess, a speech writer for Barry Goldwater in the 1964 Presidential campaign. John Acord, chairman of the Council, Jan. 23 said that the 10-day trip cost about $4,000 for the four men. The nine House Members whose names were used in t n e fund solicitation were: Ashbrook, Tim Lee Carter (R Ky), William L. Dickinson (R Ala), John J. Duncan (R Tenn), Durward G. Hall (R Mo), Dan Kuykendall (R Tenn), M.G. (Gene) Snyder (R Ky), James B. Utt (R Calif), and Albert W. Watson (R S C )”

41 Congressiona Record, March 14, 1968, 6620-1.

42 Ibid., March 21 1968 7288-9.

43 Ibid., December 12, 1969, 38638.

44 Ibid., March 10, 1970, 6717.

45 Ibid., March 4, 1970, 5946-7.

46 Ibid., March 10, 1970, 6565-7.

47 Ibid., March 10, 1970, 6669.

48 Ibid., March 10, 1970, 6760.

49 Ibid., March 10, 1970, 6696-7.

50 Ibid., March 13, 1970, 7300-1.

51 Ibid., March 12, 1970, 7189-91.

52 Ibid., March 18, 1970, 7941-2.

53 Ibid., March 31, 1970, 9881-2.

54 Ibid., June 3, 1970, 18242.

55 Ibid., August 13, 1970, 28876-7.

56 Ibid., August 13, 1970, 28877.

57 Ibid., see index of resolutions and bills.

58 Ibid.

59 Ibid., March 15, 1971, E188-1 (unbound version).

60 See John Grimond, “Rhodesia,” Atlantic Monthly, October 1971, reprinted in Ibid., September 21, 1971, S14680 (unbound version). For an illuminating overview of the Nixon Administration's policies towards Southern Africa see Terence Smith, “U.S. Widens Ties to African Whites,“ New York Times, April 2, 1972, 1, 14.

61 Congressional Record, March 25, 1971, E2192 (unbound version).

62 Ibid., March 29, 1971, S3994-5, E2368 (unbound version).

63 Ibid., April 15, 1971, E3721-2 (unbound version).

64 See Ibid., June 29, 1971, E6728-9; June 28, 1971, H6002 (unbound version).

65 See Ibid., May 25, 1971,S7699 (unbound version).

66 Ibid., May 12, 1971, E4274; May 18, 1971, E4578 (unbound version).

67 Ibid., July 22, 1971, S11906-7 (unbound version). The Treasury Department later conducted tests on Soviet chrome which seemed to disprove the Senators' allocations. See the New York Times, August 25, 1971.

68 Ibid., September 10, 1971, S14102-3 (unbound version).

69 Ibid.

70 Ibid., September 23, 1971, S14933-47 (unbound version).

71 Ibid., September 27, 1971, S15115-19, (unbound version).

72 Ibid.

73 Ibid., September 29, 1971, S15319-20 (unbound version).

74 Ibid., September 30, 1971, S15438-9, S15583-98 (unbound version).

75 Ibid., September 30, 1971.S15589 (unbound version).

76 Ibid., September 30, 1971, S15594 (unbound version).

77 Congressional Quarterly, Weekly Report, October 2, 1971, 2049; October 16, 1971,2149,2158.

78 Congressional Record, November 10, 1971, H10859-65 (unbound version).

79 Ibid., November 10, 1971, H10861-2, H10864 (unbound version).

80 See above Table 1.

81 Congressional Record, November 12, 1971, E12118 (unbound version).

82 Ibid., November 17, 1971, E12313-4 (unbound version).

83 Meyers, Marvin, The Jacksonian Persuasion-Politics and Belief, (Stanford, Calif.: 1960), V.Google Scholar