Promised Tentacle

Each year when the time comes for Morocco's three-day independence blowout, a kindly foreign friend is called upon to pick up most of the tab. In 1959 the U.S. donated a fleet of trucks and armored vehicles to roll in the parade down the palm-lined streets of King Mohammed V's old capital of Marrakech. This year the U.S. dutifully came through with another $3,500,000 worth of motorized equipment and weapons--part of a fiveyear, $20 million military-aid program.

All this, however, failed to satisfy Moroccan Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, who, as boss of his nation's armed forces, decided that the 1960 parade would not be complete without some jets flying in close formation overhead. To fulfill his dream, the prince got a promise from Morocco's former French masters of twelve Mistral jet fighters to form the nucleus of a new Royal Moroccan Air Force. Last week, on the eve of the "three glorious days," the French welshed, irritated with Morocco's increasingly active support of the Algerian rebels.

Presumably, Moulay Hassan could have called on the U.S. for planes. But the Moroccan government was already in hot water with the country's left-wingers, who were howling that King Mohammed had let American military advisers infiltrate the Moroccan armed services. Accordingly, the prince called in Moscow's balloon-faced Dmitry Pozhidaev, who for weeks had been heavily hinting that Russia wants to aid Morocco "in all spheres." And on the day of the great parade, Moulay Hassan was able to unveil the next best thing to a new air force: a Russian promise to supply Morocco with an undisclosed number of MIGs and Ilyushins within a few months.

Strategically, Russia's new penetration of Morocco (an estimated 150 Soviet technicians will come along to service the planes) did not materially alter the world balance of power. The U.S. has long since agreed to surrender its three B-47 bases in Morocco, in a phased-out withdrawal scheduled for completion in 1963. Meanwhile, B-525 operating from newer bases in Spain supply the same, or greater, deterrent power. But by extending even a small tentacle into Morocco, based only on a promise, Russia once again enhanced its diplomatic strength in North Africa--an area where only a year ago Western influence was unchallenged.

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