Good morning and thank you for taking the time to meet with me. On behalf of the Belgian people, we look forward to strengthening our friendship through continued cooperation in matters of commerce, cultural and defense. These are quite dynamic times we live in, with many moving parts across the world.
Firstly, increased commerce between our nations would be a welcome development for Brussels, and surely increasing the flow of American goods through the port of Antwerp would benefit American firms as well. Additionally, there are plans to increase rail capacity from the port to the German and French borders, ensuring the throughput of NATO allies’ equipment.
On the note of defense, there are a number of systems in service with our military which are in need of replacement. Much of our equipment is of American manufacture, graciously donated after the war, though we have out eyes set on several new systems which we would be interested in either purchasing outright or acquiring the licenses for.
Our recent withdrawal from the Congo has been a significant setback, however as they say, when one door closes, another opens. I feel a common approach to the Congolese question benefits all involved, with an emphasis on maintaining our companies’ access to minerals and preventing them from falling into the Soviet sphere. Before we fully invest in this effort, we find it prudent to at least discuss this with our most important ally.
Dean Rusk Secretary of State United States of America
Minister Spaak,
I appreciate you taking the time out of your own schedule to meet with me. I believe the matters you raise are important topics to discuss, and can be done in whatever order you deem suitable. The United States stands firmly with our European allies, and is prepared to negotiate deals related to trade, commerce, and infrastructure that would see both economic and defensive benefits for Europe.
To further the topic of defense, I would defer to my colleagues at the Pentagon for such matters. I have heard that Secretary McNamara has been having discussions with counterparts in Portugal, Germany, and France recently. I am sure that he will be able to find time to appropriately assist our friends in Brussels to discuss such matters, as well.
Finally, the topic of the Congo is certainly a tricky one. With the death of Prime Minister Lumumba just last month, there is much to discuss regarding the ongoing crisis here. We understand this to be a sensitive topic for the Belgian government, as the young nation is a former colony of yours. Likewise, we agree it is of utmost importance to see that the Congo does not fall into the Soviet sphere, as its position in Africa is significant to American geopolitical interests on the continent.
Would you be prepared to offer where the Belgian government would like to begin these talks? Should we start with matters on the homefront, or start our discussions on the Congo Crisis?
Naturally, my colleagues will take these matter up with their respective counterparts at the Department of Defense.
Indeed, Congo is both a sore spot for Belgium, but it poses many opportunities. Lumumba’s death is a tragedy, and will undoubtedly be destabilizing for the fledgling Congolese state. Officially, the Belgian state rejects any implications of complicity in the incident. Privately, we see this as a welcome development as it gives the West a chance to install someone more sympathetic and cooperative to our goals in the region. While official ties between Belgium and the Congo have been all but severed by Lumumba, we see Tshombe as someone we can work with. Should this remain the case, then Brussels sees a long and productive relationship between Belgium and the newly independent Congo. I believe it is in our best interests to couch Tshombe’s position in the Congo and ensure he remains in power until the Congo reaches the point where it can serve as a shining beacon for what the “freedoms and liberty” we love so much.
Dean Rusk Secretary of State United States of America
It should be noted that the United States does condemn the death of Lumumba, regardless of his political stance. It shows instability and danger within the young nation, and can increase instability that the United Nations mission is now needing to face. That being said, you are right that it does present the opportunity to push for a more friendly face in Leopoldville. The United States can see the benefit of Tshombe being a party to work with, but we are concerned with his desire to break apart the Congo in favour of a separate Katangan state - which is counter-productive to American policy in the Congo and Africa as a whole.
We are willing to work with Tshombe, but he would need to end his independence movement in favour of something that would help with bringing a more stable central government to Leopoldville. We would be supportive of autonomy for the Katangan state, and would support negotiation on other matters related to resources for Katanga, but we would much prefer seeing a more stabilizing figure as the figure to support in the Congo.
On that note, the United States feels that Cyrille Adoula could be the right figure that could be a leader in the Congo that could be part of a reconciliation effort that would see Tshombe as part of that reconciliation in the Congo going forward.
Cyrille Adoula in an interesting choice, given his past with the Belgian Socialist Party. That said, his experience in governance is a welcome quality given the current caliber of potential leaders in the running. If we could arrange for some sort of power sharing agreement where a competent man like Adoula could work with a pro-Western figure like Tshombe, I believe we could see the way paved for a stable and business-friendly Congo. This would require the resolution of the Katangan question first, which we can undoubtedly be steered towards this end. I would expect this would be much easier to achieve if we could secure a guarantee that Adoula would be open to such an arrangement before we make the offer to Tshombe. Would this be an outcome the United States would be open to?
Dean Rusk Secretary of State United States of America
The United States strongly believes that an arrangement can be made that would allow for an Adoula-Tshombe axis to exist and cooperate in the Congo, and would work with Belgium to ensure such an arrangement could be made between the two camps going forward.
On the matter of Katanga, we are aware of the significance of the territory to not only Tshombe’s ethnic group but also the Congo as a whole. We would support efforts to reintegrate Katanga into the Congo properly, while still giving it some autonomy as well, should Tshombe agree to make arrangements. We will likewise speak with Adoula and the current President of Congo-Leopoldville to work towards a sort of “unity” government that sees this arrangement be agreeable to all sides in The Congo.
Very well, let us agree to pursue these avenues and reach out to our respective contacts. The sooner we can get the parties to sit down and hammer out an arrangement, the better, for all involved. I would like us to keep our own lines of communication on this matter close, to ensure we both continue to work in the same direction.
On to other matters. There is a plan in the works to radically change the way Belgium runs its internal affairs, namely towards regionalism between the north and south of our nation - while we are a small nation, the two regions are as different as can be in terms of culture, language and their economies. This transformation would pave the way for outside investment to occur much more freely according to the characters and needs of the regions themselves instead of being viewed through a national lense. This, naturally, would open the doors for American firms to expand their operations in Europe, with access to world class logistics facilities allowing resources to flow in through the Port of Antwerp, and finished goods to flow directly into the Benelux, West Germany, and beyond. Brussels would love to garner the investment of American companies, and would consider tax incentives for them to do so - were Washington to agree.
Dean Rusk Secretary of State United States of America
This is certainly something of interest for the United States, and I believe that the United States would certainly have an interest in seeing an expansion of investment from American companies into Belgium and Europe as a whole. What sort of internal policies is the Belgian government seeking to commit to in order to address the Walloon and Flemish divide that you have mentioned? Further, what sort of incentives is the Belgian government considering for foreign investment?
