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18
DEFENCE AND OVERSEA POLICY COMMITTEE
CONFIDENTIAL ANNEX
(OPD(67) 33rd Meeting Minutes, Item 1) WEDNESDAY, 18th OCTOBER 1967 at 4.15 p.m.
:
RHODESIA
(Previous Reference: OPD(67) 21st Meeting Minutes)
The Committee had before them a memorandum by the Foreign and
Commonwealth Secretaries (OPD(67) 75) on Rhodesia and a note by the
Secretaries (OPD(67) 76) covering a report by the Official Committee on
future policy in Africa.
THE COMMONWEALTH SECRETARY said that, in preparation for his
forthcoming visit to African Commonwealth countries and to Rhodesia, a
thorough appraisal had been made, in the light of the present situation
of the prospects of success for our present policies for dealing with the
Rhodesian problem and of all conceivable alternatives to them. We faced
a sombre prospect with little room for manoeuvre; economic sanctions had
not so far brought about the political change in Rhodesia at which they
were directed and, with South Africa supporting the Rhodesian economy,
there was no immediate prospect that they would do so; for the future it
might be that the illegal regime would declare a Republic which would make
a Constitutional settlement more difficult and we had awkward decisions
to take on our arms policy towards South Africa which were closely linked
to the Rhodesian problem. In the meantime, our political reputation and
our balance of payments were being damaged.
There seemed however to be no alternative to continuing broadly with our
present policies towards Rhodesia. At one extreme the arguments against the
use of force to overthrow the illegal regime remained overwhelming and we
could not afford to seek a major intensification of sanctions which would
involve economic confrontation with South Africa and Portugal; equally
wo could not contemplate a settlement on any terms that currently
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