US embassy cable - 04MAPUTO1427

UNCLAS MAPUTO 001427 
 
SIPDIS 
DEPT FOR IIP/G/AF; AF/PD (RSEVER); AF/S (HTREGER) 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, OIIP, MZ, OPRC, FRELIMO 
SUBJECT: SCHNEIDMAN CLAIM THAT FRELIMO FOUNDER WAS CIA 
MAKES MAPUTO HEADLINES 
 
1. Independent publications in Mozambique have 
featured former AF DAS Witney Schneidman's claims that 
FRELIMO founder Eduardo Mondlane received funds from 
the CIA. The October 28 edition of the Beira weekly 
Zambeze led with the back-page headline, "FRELIMO 
founder financed by CIA" On October 27, the 
independent Maputo fax daily Correio da Manha opened 
with the headline, "Mondlane financed by the CIA." The 
October 28 Maputo fax daily Expresso da Tarde 
headlined, "CIA financed Eduardo Mondlane." The 
subsequent LUSA-based stories cited in detail 
Schneidman's new book, "Washington and the Fall of 
Portugal's Colonial Empire," focusing on comments about 
FRELIMO founder Eduardo Mondlane's ties to the United 
States. 
 
2. The articles underscored Schneidman's remarks that 
in 1963 Mondlane had supposedly received a CIA 
"subsidy" of USD 60,000 funneled through the African 
American Institute. They also cite a letter to 
Attorney General Robert Kennedy that,"it would be 
idiocy to try to control him (Mondlane), because the 
very attempt to do so would damage his usefulness..To 
support Mondlane would be a good investment for us, 
because his program represents the best and only hope 
for a relatively peaceful solution to the Mozambican 
problem"(Post translation). 
 
3. COMMENT: Mondlane studied at Oberlin, received a 
doctorate from Northwestern, taught at Syracuse, and 
married an American, who lives in Mozambique and 
remains highly visible by virtue of her work with 
dealing with HIV/AIDS and the Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane 
Foundation. Accordingly, revelations about his ties to 
the U.S. come as no surprise to educated Mozambicans. 
The articles, moreover, speak to Mondlane's strength of 
character, thus conforming to his place in the 
nationalist pantheon. Nevertheless, tarring the 
founding father of FRELIMO with the CIA brush sells 
newspapers and may stimulate some discussion, 
especially coming as it does in the midst of a 
presidential election campaign. 
LA LIME