The South African Ambassador to the United States writes about the reorganization of Congressional committees in Washington. The Ambassador is concerned with the new Subcommittee on Africa that is to travel to South Africa soon. It contains a number of vocal opponents to the Pretoria regime and three black members, most prominently Charles Diggs.

The South African Ambassador to the United States analyzes the new arms control policies under the Carter Administration.

Press statement by SWAPO accusing the West of stalling the UN resolution for Namibian independence, and of working with South Africa to exploit Namibia. Questions whether some aspects of the resolution have been ignored or discussed without consultation of Namibia.

With South Africa’s status as a pariah state, its nuclear program was a thorny problem for a series of U.S. presidents. In August 1977, the Carter administration, working with the Soviet Union, lodged protests against South Africa’s apparent preparations for a nuclear test, forcing a shut-down of the Kalahari test site if not the entire nuclear program itself. Indeed the CIA’s analysis of South Africa’s innovative “aerodynamic” uranium enrichment plant at Valindaba brought it to the conclusion that South Africa would be able to produce enough weapons-grade uranium “to make several nuclear devices per year.”

This draft reply to Leonid Brezhnev's August 1977 message to Jimmy Carter on the suspicious site in the Kalahari Desert includes a number of interesting points, among them a request for the "geographic coordinates, size, configuration, and exact nature of the facility." Presumably this information would be used by the US to better target its reconnaissance satellites on the site.

Message from U.S. Ambassador Bowdler to the South African Minister of Foreign Affairs Botha in which President Carter’s warning that the detonation of a South African nuclear device would have “most serious consequences” for U.S.-South African relations was conveyed.

Statement from the French embassy in South Africa reaffirming their position that South Africa not pursue a nuclear weapon. Specifically, France sought a clear statement from the South African government that they not "endow [themselves] with means of proceeding with nuclear explosions” or risk continued French-South African cooperation in several areas.

US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance explains the evidence which lead the US to suspect that South Africa was developing nuclear weapons and developing a testing site in the Kalahari Desert.

Memorandum on UK position at Lagos Conference on Apartheid about Soviet allegations of South African nuclear weapons development.

The South African Embassy in the US reports to the South African Foreign Ministry on President Carter’s press conference on the kalahari nuclear test site and related US media coverage. Carter called on the South African government to place their nuclear programs under international safeguards and monitoring and cease attempts to develop and explosive device.

Extract from a speech during which South African Prime Minister Vorster discusses Soviet allegations that South Africa has developed a nuclear bomb.

Summary of New York Times editorial regarding Carter's press conference on South Africa's alleged development of nuclear weapons.

South African department of Foreign Affairs cable to its embassies addressing the Soviet charge that South Africa is on the precipice of developing a nuclear bomb. The message states that South Africa has no intentions of developing a weapon, that the Kalahari facility is not being used to test explosives, and that “there will not be any nuclear explosive testing of any kind in South Africa.” Attached is a copy of the Prime Ministers’ 24 August 1977 speech in Cape Town.

In a statement Horwood said that South Africa's nuclear program was for peaceful purposes, but that if it choose to, the country would make the decision to develop weapons "according to its own needs and it alone would make the decision."

Telegram from the South African embassy in Washington to the Secretary for Foreign Affairs in Pretoria in response to a Washington Post article which alleged that South African had developed an untested nuclear weapon and became "the seventh nuclear power even though it will not be recognized as such." The conclusion drawn is that the article will lead to a watershed moment in South Africa’s international relations.

Nye stated that at present the United States preferred to "concentrate on pressing South Africa to adhere to the NPT rather than continuing to enquire about the nature of the Kalahari facility." The State Department assessment was that while South Africa was capable of building a bomb at short notice, they did not actually plan to test one at this time.

This report for the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) pointed to downsides of US and international pressures against pariah or otherwise beleaguered states such as South Africa and Israel and against would-be nuclear proliferants. They might cooperate to advance their goals.

J.S. Wall of the UK Foreign and Commonweath Office reports on a conversation with David Aaron of the US National Security Council on concerns about South Africa's possible nuclear testing facility in the Kalahari desert.

Mallaby outlines the UK position on South African accession to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Summary of Washington Star newspaper article on Carter administration concerns that South Africa was developing nuclear weapons.