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Abstract
By far the most contentious issue in the postcolonial relationship between the UK and Uganda was the 1972 expulsion of British Asians by President Amin. Although it is well documented that Idi Amin refused to bow to international pressure to reverse this decision or extend its compliance period, our knowledge of the numerous schemes, especially the covert ones, that were considered and/or operationalized by the British government in order to influence a revision of this decision remains limited. This essay, using newly available evidence mainly from the British National Archives in London, attempts to fill this gap. Such insights enhances the utility value of this episode for our understanding of bilateral and multilateral relations among states.
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to Abel Ezeoha and Victor Onyebueke for comments on an earlier draft of this essay. The usual disclaimer applies.
Notes
1 Throughout, there was a lot of confusion about the number of Asians in this category.
Much like Amin himself, the British authorities had only sketchy intelligence about the actual number of people affected by the decree. Unpublished census figures suggested that there were 80,000 people of South Asian descent living in Uganda. In the early days of the crisis, the British high commission in Kampala estimated that about 55,000 of these were potential United Kingdom passport holders … It was not until October 1972 that the initial estimates were proven to be grossly exaggerated. Only about 30,000 Asians holding British passports had left Uganda by the 8 November deadline … Yet most of those who initially seemed to have been excluded from the expulsion order, namely Asians who had taken out Ugandan citizenship, were also forced to leave the country, either because their citizenship had been revoked, or because they had reason to fear for their safety regardless of the validity of their Ugandan passports … Between August and November 1972, some 50,000 Asians, including most of those who had become Ugandan citizens after 1962, fled Uganda. Only about 2 per cent of the country’s South Asian community remained. (Neumann Citation2006, 10.3)
2 “Speech by His Excellency, the President, General Idi Amin Dada at Rukungiri on Saturday 19 August 1972” (BNA FCO 89/10).
3 “Secret: Extract from letter by Colonel Senior”, 5 February 1966 (BNA DO 213/210).
4 Secret record of conversation between Major I. Grahame and Colonel Idi Amin as told to the High Commissioner by Colonel V.J. Senior on 9 February 1966 (BNA DO 231/210).
5 Confidential East African Department FCO paper for IC Committee Meeting of 11 August 1972 (FCO31/1376).
6 See “Main Points from Mr C.P. Scott’s Report on his Visit to Kampala from 23–25 September Inclusive”, undated (FCO31/191).
7 Confidential memorandum by C.M. La Quesne, “Uganda: Commonwealth Secretariat”, 9 August 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1377).
8 Confidential memorandum by C.M. Le Quesne, “Uganda”, 8 August 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1375). See also A.R. Pearce to C. Mather MP, letter dated 16 August 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1380).
9 Confidential memo by S.Y. Duwbarn, “Ugandan Asians”, 28 September 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1391).
10 The National Archives in London, for instance, has a minimum thirty-year rule in this regard.
11 Poor record keeping and maintenance has made it difficult for the author to use the archives in Uganda. See Tough (Citation2009).
12 Restricted internal memo by the FCO Research Department (African Section), “The Migration of Asians to East Africa”, 17 August 1972 (BNA FCO31/1380).
13 See First Schedule. Newfoundland later became part of Canada.
14 “Secret Minutes of UK Cabinet Meeting”, 15 February 1968, p. 8 (BNA CAB/128/43).
15 “Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Answers to Parliamentary Questions”, 23 October 1972 (FCO 31/1380).
16 “Background Brief, United Kingdom Immigration Policy”, prepared by the FCO, 8 September 1972 (FCO/50/404).
17 From a speech at a meeting of the Conservative Political Centre in Epsom on 30 August 1972 (NA FCO 31/1386).
18 From the same speech by Sir Peter Rawlinson (NA FCO 31/1386).
19 Second Schedule, Section 1.
20 Undated FCO confidential background note (BNA FCO 31/1375).
21 BBC News, 4 February 1968. Accessed 17 March 2015. http://www.news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/4/newsid_2738000/2738629.stm.
22 Confidential FCO brief on Uganda, 14 August 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1376).
23 “As the pressure for these vouchers increased, a large queue was created and there were continual attempts to evade the regulation by queue jumping. In August 1971 the number of vouchers was increased to 3,000 annually, and there was a once-for-all issue of an extra 1,500. In return for this increase, the Kenya and Uganda Governments agreed not to prosecute those who had overstayed their residence permits and to readmit queue jumpers. These arrangements, which are confidential though widely known, have been working reasonably well” (BNA FCO 31/1376).
24 “Conclusions of a Meeting of Cabinet held on 15 February 1968”, Secret UK Cabinet paper no. 33 (BNA/CAB 128/43).
25 UK government memorandum to the Uganda Independence Conference Citizenship Committee, 15 June 1968 (BNA FCO31/1414).
26 Memorandum on the interplay of the registration provisions of Uganda citizenship law and the renunciation provisions of the UK citizenship law prepared by the Nationality and Treaty Department of the FCO, 17 December 1969 (BNA FCO 50/268).
27 “Uganda”, confidential memo by the East African Department of the FCO, 11 August 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1376).
28 BNA FCO 50/268.
29 “UK Citizens of Asian Origin in Uganda”, confidential FCO memo by R.H. Mason (with attachments), 17 October 1968 (BNA FCO 50/267).
30 BNA FCO 50/267.
31 Letter from Brian Lea (BHC Kampala) to A.D. Rutter (Nationality and Treaty Department, FCO), 30 September 1969 (BNA FCO 50/267).
32 The Times, January 24, 1969 (FCO 50/267).
33 Confidential telegram from Sir Alec Douglas Home to Slater, 8 August 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1375).
34 See undated FCO confidential background note (FCO 31/1375)
35 Confidential telegram from Slater (BHC Kampala) to FCO, 9 August 1972 (BNA FCO31/1375). This point was later repeated by Amin during his meeting with UK Cabinet Minister Gregory Rippon on 15 August 1972. This loan never materialized and the UK later cut its aid to Uganda as a consequence of the expulsion of the Asian UK passport holders. See the confidential minutes of the meeting between Rippon and Amin (BNA FCO 89/110). See also the statement by Douglas Home, UK Parliamentary Debates, 29 January 1973, p. 914.
36 BNA FCO31/1375.
37 BNA FCO 89/10.
38 Confidential letter from J.A.N. Graham (FCO) to F.E.R. Butler (10 Downing Street), 8 August 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1375).
39 Confidential FCO telegram from Phillips, 9 August 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1375).
40 Confidential FCO internal memo from S.Y. Dawbarn to Le Quesne, 23 August 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1380).
41 Confidential letter from W.L. Allinson (BHC Nairobi) to S.Y. Dawbarn (EAD FCO London), 9 August 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1376).
42 BNA FCO 31/1380.
43 “Main Points from Mr C.P. Scott’s Report on his Visit to Kampala from 23–25 September Inclusive”, undated (FCO31/191).
44 “British Asians from Uganda”, undated confidential memorandum by Praful Patel (Member, Uganda Resettlement Board and Honorable Secretary, All Party Committee on UK Citizenship) to Sir Alec Douglas-Home (Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs) (BNA FCO 31/1398).
45 Secret FCO telegram from Duff, 9 August 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1375).
46 “Ugandan Asians: Statement on Legal Position”, undated FCO memo (BNA FCO 31/1389).
47 Speech to the Beaconsfield Young Conservatives at the Council Chamber, Beaconsfield on 20 October 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1389).
48 Confidential FCO telegram from Crowe, 8 September 1972 (FCO 31/1386).
49 Letter dated 19 September 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1389).
50 Extracts from various FCO telegrams (FCO 31/1392).
51 Question by John Biggs-Davison to be answered by the prime minister, 17 October 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1386).
52 “East African Asians: Uganda”, confidential memorandum by I.K.C. Ellison, 8 August 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1375).
53 Confidential FCO telegram no. 481, 3 October 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1392).
54 Secret FCO memo from Scott to Mr Counsell (East African Department), 11 August 1972 (FCO 31/1376).
55 “Uganda”, secret internal memo by Scott, 11 August 1972 (FCO 31/1376).
56 There is no evidence that Colonel Obitre Gama was involved in this invasion.
57 “Background to the Uganda Situation”, undated FCO internal confidential report (BNA FCO 50/404). See also Plender (Citation1972, 424).
58 BNA FCO 50/404.
59 “Ugandan Asians”, confidential memo by S.Y. Duwbarn, 28 September 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1391).
60 BNA FCO 31/1391.
61 BNA FCO 31/1391.
62 Confidential memo from A.A. Acland (FCO) to Lord Bridges (10 Downing Street), 29 August 1972.
63 Letter (with attachments) from Vincent Evans to W.G. Winton, 5 October 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1386).
64 Confidential FCO internal memo from S.Y. Dawbarn to Le Quesne, 23 August 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1380).
65 Letter from W.L. Allinson (BHC Nairobi) to S.Y. Dawbarn (EAD FCO), 9 August 1972 (FCO 31/1376). See also Republic of Uganda (Citation1973, 66–7).
66 Letter, Bruce Douglas-Mann MP to Douglas Home, 12 October 1972 (BNA FCO 31/1386).
67 “FCO Parliamentary Questions (Notes for Supplimentaries)”, 18 October 1972 (BNA FCO /1386).
68 Confidential telegram from Slater (BHC Kampala) to FCO, 4 September 1972 (BNA FCO 89/9).
69 See, for instance, Prime Minister Edward Heath to President Amin, letter, 22 August 1973 (BNA PREM 15/2229).
70 Amin to UK Prime Minister, letter, 29 August 1973 (BNA PREM 15/2229).
71 Secret memo from Burke Trend (cabinet secretary) to prime minister, 2 July 1973 (PREM 15/2229).
72 This is beyond the scope of the present study.