8/11/2019 American Committee on Africa -- Exxon Stay Out of Angola

1/2

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Exxorc

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Angla O UN

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NGOL

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e

. -,,s

Angola

i ....

1

r p

tI

cease

plan

to

dig

frican

oil

The

American

Committee

on

Africa

as

called

up~n the

EXXOnCorporation,

iformerly

Standard

Oil

Company

New

,,erseyt

to

cease

its

plans

to

start

explora

tion

for

oil

in

Angola,

a country

in

outhern

Africa

hro,

he

people

are

noA,

fighti;:

far

unduependence

rom

Portuguese

,oonial

role

,n

:n

open

letter

of December

11.

192,

o

MjN

Briwco,

the

President

of

Exxon

Corporation.

(;crge

',1

lie

u

-.

xcutive

Director

cf

the

American

Committee

On

Africa,

stated

:hat

Exxon

i

pli,

to

xplore

for

oil

ith

the

possibility

of

dis

covering

it

and

starting

pre

duction)

%ould

not

oxl

prosvd,

aid

to

1hi

h

k)

Portu:

u'se

colonial

systemi,

tt

alsodir

nt.

y

and

adv

rsely

affect

the

lives

of

millions

of

pecp e

in

Angola

tozamhique.

and

Guinea

Aus

.

a

who

are

now

working

for

political

con~trol

over

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F/I

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8/11/2019 American Committee on Africa -- Exxon Stay Out of Angola

2/2

EXXON AND

THE LIBERATION

STRUGGLE

IN

ANGOLA

AND

SOUTHERN

AFRICA

The Exxon Corporation,

largest oil company in the world,

with total revenues

of

22.5 billion

and

total

profits

of 1.5 billion

for

1972 (1972

Annual

Report)

is

currently negotiating

with

the Portuguese

government

to start

exploration

for

oil

in

Angola,

in Africa.

Angola,

as well

as

Mozambique

and Guinea-Bissau,

is

still

claimed

by Portugal

as

a

colony,in

open

defiance

of

the African

peoples

of these

countries

and

numerous

United

Nations resolutions.

In

Angola there

has been open

armed

revolt for

independence

from Portuguese

domination

since

1961.

The

MPLA

(Peoples

Movement

for the

Liberation

of

Angola)

now

controls

approximately

one-third

of

Angola

and has

organized

school

and

medical

services

in

these

liberated

areas.

The

African

liberation

movements

in Mozambique

(FRELIMO,

the Mozambique

L-beration

Front)

and

in

Guinea-Bissau

(the

PAIGC,

African

Party

for

the

Independence

of Guine

and

Cape

Verde)

have

also liberated

large

areas

of

their

countries

from

Portuguese

rule.

The

PAIGC

is preparing

to announce

formal

independence

this

year.

All of

the

African

liberation

movements

have

called

for

an

end

to

foreign

investments

under

Portuguese

control

in their

countries,

since

these

investments

pro

vide

tax and

royalty

revenues

to support

the

Portuguese

colonial

wars.

For

example

the

Gulf Oil

Corporation

is

now

operating

in Angola

and

paid 52

million

in taxes

to Portugal

in

1972

alone

(as

reported

at

Gulf's

April stockholder's meeting). Gulf

is

now the tar

get

of nation-wide

boycott

activities.

Portugal

also

receives

arms

from

its

NATO allies,

including

the

U.S.,

and

in

1971 the

Nixon

administration

signed

the

Azores

Pact,

which

provided

Portugal

with

y435

million

in

credits

and

loans.

Portugal,

the

poorest

country

in Europe,

could

not

maintain

its

150,000

man army

in

Angola,

Mozambique,

and

Guinea

Bissau

without

the aid

and

investments

of its

western

friends.

XXON

STAY

OUT

OF

ANGOLA

Many

voices

have

protested

the

role

of

U.S.

and

other

foreign

corporations

in the war

situation

in

southern

Africa:

Angostinho Neto, President

of

the

MPLA

stated

in

1970:

Investments

by U.S.

corporations

such

as

Gulf

Oil can

only

help the

Portuguese

as

they

fight

us, and rein

force

their

determination

to

stay

in

Angola.

The

Organization

of

African

Unity,

representing

the 41

independent

countries

of Africa

has

called for

an end

to

all

foreign

investments

under

Portuguese

colonialism,

as

well as

in South

Africa

and

racist

Rhodesia

(Zimbabwe).

The World

Council

of

Churches

last

year

announced

the sale

of all

stock

holdings

in

corporations

operating

in southern

Africa

and

called for

an

end

to the

operations.

The United

Nations

General

Assembly

overwhelmingly

passed

Resolution

2918

in

November,

1972

calling

on

all

countries to

discourage

their

nationals

and

corporate

bodies

under their

jurisdiction

from

entering

into

any

transactions

or arrangements

that

contribute

to

Portugal's

domination

over

Angola,

Mozambique,

and Guinea-Bissau.

The

issue

is clear:

the resources

of

Angola,

as

well

as Mozambique

and

Guinea

Bissau,

belong

to the

people

of these

countries

and

are not

Exxon's

or

Portugal's

to

trade

or barter.

We

call

on Exxon

t stay

out of

Angola

and to

end

its exploration

in Guinea

Bissau

and

its

operations

in racist

South

Africa.

American

Committee

on

Africa,

164

Madison

Avenue,

New

York,

N Y

Southern

Africa

Ci:mmittee,

244

West

27th

Street,

5th Floor,

New

York,

N.Y.

May

17, 1973.