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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Mr Neels Muller, Assistant Archivist in the Department of Foreign Affairs Archives, Pretoria, and his staff for their assistance in the identification of these documents. I would also like to thank Mrs Kenau Barlow for her invaluable help with the translation from the original Afrikaans.

Notes

 [1] The country's name was changed three times in 1979–1980; from Rhodesia, to Zimbabwe-Rhodesia in October 1979, then to Zimbabwe in April 1980.

 [2] See Report on South African Archives, Cold War History 5, no. 2 (2005): 369–77.

 [3] South African Department of Foreign Affairs Archives (SA DFAA) BTS 1 / 156 / 3, volume 4.

 [4] SA DFAA BTS 1/156/3 Vol. 16.

 [5] South African Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

 [6] Elections were scheduled for April 1979.

 [7] British Deputy Under Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

 [8] American Deputy Under Secretary for African Affairs, State Department.

 [9] SA DFAA, BTS 1/156/3 Volume 4, SVR Guidelines for ZR (repeated in SVR Guidelines the London Conference and the Actions which may arise in consequence. Strategic Information Summary and Threat Analysis. October 1979).

[10] The South African National Security Force Base representative, responsible for the management of national security in Zimbabwe/Rhodesia. The acronym was later modified to ZRGBS.

[11] SA DFAA, BTS 1/156/3 Volume 4, PRIORITY 251430B, FROM RGBS, TO ZEN/NGBS (CAPE TOWN), INFO ZEN/SECEXTERN PRETORIA HSAW 2 HSAW 3, TOP SECRET, RGBS/252/MAY 79, NO RGBS/OO2/MAY 79 (SECEXTERN PRETORIA).

[12] Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army, commanded by Josiah Tongogara.

[13] Zimbabwe Independent People's Revolutionary Army, the military wing of ZAPU. Joshua Nkomo was its commander in chief, while the military commander by the end of the armed struggle was General Lookout Masuku.

[14] SA DFAA, BTS 1/156/3 Volume 4, R. F. Botha, 1 September 1979.

[15] SA DFAA, BTS 1/156/3 Vol. 4.

[16] SA DFAA Archives, BTS 1/156/3 Vol. 4, SVR 6/3 dd October 1979.

[17] SA DFAA, BTS 1/156/3 Vol. 4.

[18] SA DFAA Archives, BTS 1/156/3 Vol. 4.

[19] SA DFAA, BTS 1/156/3 Vol. 4.

[20] SAA DFA, BTS 1/156/3 Vol. 4.

[21] SAA DFA, BTS 1/156/3 Vol. 4, Meeting of the Honourable The Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister with Bishop Muzorewa, Cape Town, 28 December 1979, Top Secret.

[22] Josiah Tongogara died in a traffic accident in Mozambique on 25 December 1979. The public British line was that this was a tragic accident; M16 felt the evidence of foul play was inconclusive, while Rhodesian and South African intelligence reports pointed to an East German contract killing, on behalf of disaffected elements within ZANU/ZANLA irate at Tongogara's moderate stance at Lancaster House.

[23] Flower, Serving Secretly, 258.

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Notes on contributors

Sue Onslow

Dr Sue Onslow has taught and lectured at the London School of Economics since 1994. She is currently a Tutorial Fellow in the International History Department; and a Cold War Studies Fellow, and the programme coordinator for the Southern Africa Initiative in the Cold War Studies Centre (CWSC). Her forthcoming book is on South Africa and the Rhodesian UDI years.