International records / Foreign Relations of the United States

160. Memorandum of Conversation

to officer the Zimbabwe Defense Force. Owen then explained that the new government in Zimbabwe would probably want to retain Rhodesia’s airforce, (almost all [of] which is white), for prestige reasons. It might be possible to get New Zealand or even Nigerian or Kenyan officers to serve as the leaders of the 1200-man airforce. On the ground, Owen said, he would conceive of 3 batalions of 6–700 men each, one Gurkha, one UK, and one Commonwealth. The Nigerian attitude about participation is unsure at this point although Lagos could afford to do so. Ghana is interested in providing a batalion but …