Somali officials covertly reported to the US embassy during the 1960s

Evidence

There is plenty of evidence of a substantial number of Somali government officials, MPs, senior party figures, and senior civil servants reporting to the US embassy. For instance, senior officers from the Foreign Ministry reported to the embassy. See US Department of State, Airgram A-57, August 15, 1964, US National Archives, in which an American officer describes a young Somali officer’s brief about dealings in the parliament regarding the vote of confidence. The Somali officer “apologized for not having visited me at home or especially in the Embassy for some time since, as he said, government employees are on notice not to call on foreign embassies unless it is strictly on business and that his ‘sensitive work’ has made him especially careful.” — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 1433

Categorization

• QUESTION: How extensive was foreign intelligence penetration of the Somali state, and what were its consequences for sovereignty and the 1969 coup?