United States Diplomacy Concerning Military Bases in Morocco, 1950-1963
Subsequent Statement of Responsibility
Chase, Robert
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
State University of New York at Stony Brook
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2019
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Specific Material Designation and Extent of Item
150
DISSERTATION (THESIS) NOTE
Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree
Ph.D.
Body granting the degree
State University of New York at Stony Brook
Text preceding or following the note
2019
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
This dissertation examines American diplomatic efforts with France and Morocco to secure military bases for the U.S. Navy (Port Lyautey) and four U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC) sites: Ben Guerir, Nouasseur, Sidi Slimane and Boulhaut. As the Cold War intensified during the Korean War (1950-1953), the United States faced the possibility of a conventional attack by the Soviet Union and its satellites on Western Europe. To counter this threat, the United States engaged in negotiations with France to secure the facilities in the Moroccan colony. However, the French colonial Protectorate, extant only since the Treaty of Fez in 1912, quickly unraveled in a violent rebellion led by Morocco's Istiqlal (Independence) Party and King Mohammed V. After achieving independence from France in 1956, Morocco demanded bilateral negotiations with the United States concerning the bases, eventually getting a commitment from Washington that at the end of the agreement, the American military would leave Morocco. This study closely examines the policy making process in Washington, Paris and Rabat. While the negotiations with France in 1950 proceeded rapidly, the Moroccan talks dragged on for over three years. The Moroccans sought to maximize aid, as exemplified by their participation in Food For Peace - an enormous agricultural assistance program which delivered millions of tons of nutritional assistance around the world. Morocco also sought arms, including from the Soviet Union, a situation that deeply troubled Washington. As my dissertation demonstrates, through skillful diplomacy, continuity of policy, and quid pro quos, the U.S. State Department preserved the strategic relationship with Morocco while the bases were evacuated by the end of 1963.