LIBYA COUNTRY READER TABLE OF CONTENTS Norman L. Pratt 1948-1952 Political Officer, Tripoli Richard M. ashin 1950-1951 USAID, Tripoli urtis F. Jones 1950-1951 Political/,conomic Officer, Tripoli -illiam A. Stolt.fus, Jr. 1950-1952 onsular Assistant, /en0ha.i Da1ton S. Ma2 1951-1954 ,conomic Officer, Tripoli 3enr1 S. 4illard 1952-1954 Minister, Lib1a David 7. Nes 1954-1958 Deput1 hief of Mission, Tripoli harlotte Loris 1954-1959 Secretar1, Tripoli Donald S. /rown 1958-1958 Junior Mana0ement Intern, USOM, Tripoli and 1renaica Llo1d Jonnes 1957-1958 ,conomic Anal1st, ,conomic ooperation Administration, Tripoli Da1ton S. Ma2 1957-1959 Lib1a Des2 Officer, -ashin0ton, D ,verett L. 3eadric2 1957-1980 USAID, 1rene John -esle1 Jones 1958-1982 Ambassador, Lib1a Samuel 3. /utterfield 1959-1980 USAID, Lib1a Des2, -ashin0ton, D Richard /. Par2er 1959-1981 Lib1a Des2 Officer, -ashin0ton, D 3arrison M. S1mmes 1959-1982 ,conomic Officer, Tripoli Richard St. F. Post 1981-1983 Lib1a Des2 Officer, -ashin0ton, D -inifred -eislo0el 1981-1983 Personnel Officer, Tripoli Andrew Stei0man 1982-1984 ,conomic Officer, Tripoli 7rant 4. Mc lanahan 1982-1985 Near ,astern Affairs, Lib1a Des2, -ashin0ton, D -illiam ,. 3utchinson 1983-1988 Public Affairs Officer, USIS, Tripoli 3ermann Frederic2 ,ilts 1984-1985 Deput1 hief of Mission, Tripoli 3ume 3oran 1984-1988 Principle Officer, /aida David D. Newsom 1985-1989 Ambassador, Lib1a 3olse1 7. 3and1side 1985-1970 Political Officer, Tripoli Richard L. Jac2son 1988-1988 Political Officer, Tripoli John 7. Kormann 1988-1988 Principal Officer, /en0ha.i 3owell S. Teeple 1988-1989 Information Officer, USIS, Tripoli 3ume 3oran 1987-1989 Near ,astern Affairs, Lib1a Des2 Officer, -ashin0ton, D Roscoe S. Suddarth 1987-1989 Political Officer, Tripoli 7eor0e M. Lane 1988-1970 Principal Officer, /en0ha.i Keith L. -auchope 1988-1971 Political/,conomic Officer, Ft. Lam1, had David L. Mac2 1989-1970 Political Officer, Tripoli James A. Plac2e 1989-1971 ,conomic ounselor, Tripoli Roscoe S. Suddarth 1989-1971 Lib1a Des2 Officer, -ashin0ton, D 3arold 7. Josif 1989-1973 Deput1 hief of Mission, Tripoli John R. ountr1man 1970 hief ,conomic Officer, Tripoli David L. Mac2 1970-1972 Officer in har0e, /en0ha.i harles ,. Marthinsen 1970-1972 Political Officer, Tripoli Maril1n A. Me1ers 1970-1972 North African Affairs, ,conomics, -ashin0ton, D Keith L. -auchope 1977-1979 Sudan Des2 Officer, -ashin0ton, D Stephen /osworth 1979-1981 Ambassador, Tunisia -illiam P. Pope 1981-1983 Lib1a Des2 Officer, -ashin0ton, D hester Arthur roc2er 1981-1989 Assistant Secretar1 for African Affairs, -ashin0ton, D David M. ,vans 1982-1988 Political Advisor to ommander-in- hief, US Naval Forces in ,urope, London Kenton -. Keith 1983-1985 Deput1 Director for Near ,ast and South Asia, USIA, -ashin0ton, D Par2er -. /or0 1984-1988 Office of ounterterrorism, -ashin0ton, D David ,. Lon0 1984-1988 Office of ounterterrorism, -ashin0ton, D Michael Usser1 1985-1988 Deput1 Assistant Secretar1 for North Africa, -ashin0ton, D Leonard 3. Robinson, Jr. 1990-1993 Deput1 Assistant Secretar1 for African Affairs, -ashin0ton, D 7. Jonathon 7reenwald 1991-1993 Office of the Special Representative for ounterterrorism, -ashin0ton, D harles O. ecil 2008-2007 har0é d>Affaires, Tripoli NORMAN L. PRATT Political Officer Tripoli (1 48-1 52) Norman L. Pratt was born in Buffalo, New York. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and estfield, New Jersey. He received a bachelor$s degree in economics from Dartmouth College and a master$s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School. He immediately entered the U.S. Army after graduate school. Mr. Pratt$s Foreign Service career included positions in Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Lebanon, and South Africa. He was interviewed by Dayton Mak on November 19, 1991. PRATT: From Alexandria we were transferred to Tripoli in Lib1a. It was a new post bein0 opened up. Our interests in Lib1a revolved around the air base there which at that time was merel1 a small operation. It would have served, as I understand it, as a recover1 field in the event of an air attac2 on the Soviet Union. A place where our planes could come bac2 if need be for relief and repair. ./ How did we manage to get a base in Libya0 PRATT: At that time the Lib1an base was under the auspices of the /ritish. Aou must remember that Lib1a had been occupied durin0 the war b1 the /ritish Forces ,i0hth Arm1. The Italian authorities had been thrown out. The /ritish continued to hold that 0overnin0 authorit1 ri0ht up until the end in 1951 when the1 finall1 turned it over. /ut in 1948 when the field was opened it was almost the case of reopenin0 a field we alread1 had there. ./ hat was the attitude of the Libyans there at that time towards Americans and our presence0 PRATT: The1 had no problems with us as I recall. Our people were basicall1 out of si0ht. The1 were out on the base and seldom came into town. So our people 2new we were there, but there was ver1 little opportunit1 for irritation. Some of our people, of course, lived in town in residential areas within the Italian Buarter...,uropean Buarters. ./ You mentioned the Italian .uarter. I believe it had been an Italian colony. PRATT: It had been an Italian colon1. ./ hat was the influence and the presence of Italians in Libya at that time0 PRATT: In Lib1a at that time the Italians were still ver1 active in Tripolitania. 3owever, in 1renaica the Italians basicall1 had all left when the Italian forces withdrew in 1942. The ,mir and the 1renaica did not let them bac2 in except for a few at the athedral in /en0ha.i. ./ ill you e2plain what the Emir of Cyrenaica0 PRATT: The ,mir of 1renaica at that point in 7reece had a lon0 histor1. The Senussis started out as a reli0ious order with stron0holds in Lib1a 0oin0 bac2 into the 19th centur1. I have rather for0otten the histor1 of it now. ,vans Pritchard has written a lon0 boo2 on the Senussis. /ut basicall1 in 1renaica, which was their stron0hold, the Senussis represented and acted as the resistance to the Italian conCuest of the countr1. In fact it was not until 1931 that the last part of the 1renaica, Kufra Oasis, was occupied b1 the Italians. There was a blood1 period with concentration campsD local leaders bein0 chuc2ed out of airplanes without benefit of parachutes, etc. ./ ere the Senussiss like the ahhabis0 ere they very puritanical0 PRATT: The1 were not puritanical in that respect. The1 traced their ancestr1 bac2 to the Saudi Arabian peninsula. The1 were another one of the m1stical orders, but Cuite orthodox in their views. ./ ere they anti3 estern0 PRATT: No, the1 werenEt anti--estern. The ,mir of 1renaica, himself, had 0one bac2 to Alexandria in exile after the Italians had come into the northern part of 1renaica. 3e had actuall1 cooperated with the /ritish durin0 -orld -ar II in re0ainin0 1renaica. 3e was the beneficiar1 of a promise b1 Anthon1 ,den in 1942 that the Italians would never be allowed to return to 1renaica, which became one of the cardinal principles eventuall1 at tr1in0 to arrive at some settlement of the Italian colon1 Cuestion after the war. ./ But that did not apply to Tripolitania0 PRATT: Tripolitania was outside that but it was not reall1 Senussis territor1. ./ hat sort of problems did you have at the Consulate that re5uired your presence0 PRATT: Our primar1 obFect of bein0 there, besides the odd visa, was as a listenin0 post. To 2now what the local people were thin2in0, what the /ritish 0overnment was doin0 with the territor1 and how this would affect the operations of our air base in Tripolitania. The whole Cuestion of Italian colonies sta1ed with us the entire time we were there. First there was an attempt to brin0 the Italians into the UN which was defeated b1 one vote in the sprin0 of 1949. This was followed b1 massive demonstrations in the streets of Tripoli. ./ Anti31talian0 PRATT: Anti-Italian and in front of the /ritish for permittin0 this sort of thin0 to happen. The solution with the defeat of that resolution...we had actuall1 made a recommendation for a US trusteeship to be considered for Tripolitania, but that was shot down up on the 3ill as too much of a commitment that the United States just was not prepared to ma2e. The eventual development was that, after puttin0 to0ether all the speeches and the pros and cons in the UN, our position emer0ed that we would support eventual independence of Lib1a arrived at under UN auspices. ./ Am I right that there was a UN presence there0 PRATT: The UN presence 0rew out of this decision which was ta2en b1 the Department in Ma1/June 1949 and leadin0 eventuall1 to the 7eneral Assembl1 in November of that 1ear creatin0 the UN ouncil for Lib1a to be chaired b1 a neutral observer and with members from the two occup1in0 powers, namel1 France, which had the southern part, the Fe..an, under their control and the /rits because of Tripolitania and 1renaicaD ourselves because of our position in the Securit1 ouncil and our interests in the air base; the Italians because of their interests in the minoritiesD and representatives of the local people from 1renaica, Tripolitania and Fe..an and from the local Italian colon1 in Tripolitania which numbered about 40,000. Added to this to 0ive it a proper third world flavor, we had representatives of ,01pt and Pa2istan. ./ So it was rather an interesting time, wasn6t it0 PRATT: It did become interestin0 after a while. ./ How long were you in Libya0 PRATT: I was in Lib1a for about 3 and a half 1ears. -e left in late Januar1, 1952. /1 that time the Lib1an UN ouncil had done all the necessar1...the Dutch 3i0h ommissioner, Adrian Pelt, shepherded constitutional deliberations to a conclusion.