THE
FRIENDSHIP IS ESTABLISHED
At the outbreak of the American Revolution, American
merchant ships sailing under the British flag lost
the protection of British tribute payments to the
North African coastal states. The American peace commissioners
in Paris vainly tried to secure French assurances
of protection against the Barbary powers. On December
20, 1777, in what amounted to virtual recognition
of the United States’ independence, Sultan Sidi
Mohamed Bin Abdullah, ruler of Morocco from 1757 until
1790, instructed the European consuls and merchants
in the Moroccan ports of Tangier, Sale, Larache and
Essaouira to give all American ships the right to
freely enter Moroccan ports to "take refreshments
and enjoy in them the same privileges and immunities
as those of the other nations with whom his Imperial
Majesty is at peace." Sidi Mohamed was considered
to be the most progressive of the Barbary leaders.
Shortly after the Sultan opened his ports to American
ships, he appointed Stephen D'Audibert Caille, a French
merchant in Sale, to act as Consul for all countries
lacking consular representation in Morocco. In late
1779, acting on instructions from the Sultan, Caille
wrote to the American Congress through the American
Commissioner in Paris, one Benjamin Franklin. The
letter informed Congress of the Sultan's appointment
of Caille as Consul and also stated Sultan Sidi Mohamed's
desire to conclude a treaty of peace with America.
On November 28, 1780, Congress directed Franklin to
correspond with Caille and assure him that the United
States wanted to "cultivate the most perfect
friendship" with the Sultan and that the United
States would like to negotiate a commercial treaty
with Morocco.
In May 1784, the American Commissioners in Paris,
Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson,
were authorized by Congress to conclude treaties of
friendship and commerce with Morocco, Algiers, Tunis
and Tripoli. In 1785, Thomas Barclay, the Consul General
of the United States in Paris was appointed to travel
to Morocco and conduct the negotiations.
Mr. Barclay arrived in Marrakech, on June 19, 1786,
and had two audiences with the Sultan. Barclay's proposals,
based on a text drafted by Jefferson in Paris, formed
the basis of the agreement that was eventually signed.
Offering only the friendship of the United States
in return for a treaty, Barkley had no difficulties
in negotiating and concluding the agreement with Sultan
Sidi Mohamed. The major points of the twenty-five
article agreement provided for the protection of American
shipping along the Moroccan coast and for commerce
between the two nations on the basis of most favored
nation status. The Sultan sealed the treaty, binding
for 50 years, on June 28, 1786; an additional article
was added July 6th. Signed and sealed by Ministers
Plenipotentiary of the United States, Thomas Jefferson
in Paris on January 1, 1787, and John Adams in London
on January 25th, it was ratified by Congress and entered
into force on July 18, 1787. The significance of this
treaty is that is was the first between the United
States and any Arab, Muslim or African country and
demonstrated the commitment of both nations to peace
and friendship.
THE RELATIONSHIP IS STRENGTHENED
Shortly after the organization of the government
of the United States under the new Constitution,
President George Washington wrote a letter of appreciation,
to his "Great and Magnanimous Friend"
Sultan Sidi Mohamed. Dated December 1, 1789, the
letter informed the Sultan that the United States
had adopted a new Constitution and apologized for
the delay in communicating with Morocco. Washington
added:
"...It gives me pleasure to have this opportunity
of assuring your majesty that I shall not cease to
promote every measure that may conduce to the friendship
and harmony which so happily subsist between your
empire and these. Within our territories, there are
no mines of either gold or of silver, and this young
nation, just recovering from the waste and desolation
of a long war, has not, as yet, had time to acquire
riches by agriculture and commerce. But our soil is
beautiful, and our people industrious, and we have
reason to flatter ourselves that we shall gradually
become useful to our friends.... may the Almighty
bless your Majesty with his constant guidance and
protection...”
During his rule, Sultan Sidi Mohamed faithfully abided
by the terms of the treaty. However, the struggle
for succession that followed his death in April 1790
caused President Washington and his Secretary of State
Thomas Jefferson to be concerned. Both men recognized
the importance of peace with Morocco and quickly acted
to obtain the new Sultan's affirmation of Moroccan
commitment to the treaty. As Jefferson told Congress,
"...the friendship of this power is important
because our Atlantic as well as Mediterranean trade
is open to his annoyances and because we carry on
useful commerce with his nation." To maintain
the peace, Barclay was again appointed to negotiate
with the Sultan and given the title of Consul. Unfortunately
he died enroute and was replaced by James Simpson,
the American Consul at Gibraltar. Simpson was successful
in getting Sultan Moulay Suleiman to reaffirm Morocco's
commitment to the Treaty of Marrakech.
The Sultan wrote a letter to President Washington
in which he conveyed his commitment to the Treaty
of Friendship saying "…. we are at peace,
tranquility and friendship with you in the same manner
as you were with our father who is in glory. Peace."
Sultan Suleiman admired the American people and said
so publicly. As he told Consul Simpson "…the
Americans, I find, are the Christian nation my father
most esteemed…I am the same with them as my father
was and I trust they will be so with me." With
good relations thus reaffirmed, Simpson was appointed
Consul to Morocco and took up his post in Tangier
in 1797.
In 1821, Sultan Suleiman again demonstrated his admiration
for the United States when he provided a house to
be used by the American Consul General, John Mullowny,
and all future American Consuls. This action placed
the American diplomats in Tangier on an equal footing
with those of the other major powers. His high regard
for the United States was further established when
he wrote Consul Mullowny that "…. I order
and permit free trade with all Americans in any part
of my empire…..the Americans mean more to me
than any other nation, and whatever footing the most
favored nation is on, they are to be favored more
than any other."
In 1835, as the fifty-year term of the Treaty of Marrakech
was about to expire, President Andrew Jackson dispatched
James R. Leib to secure a renewal of the treaty with
Sultan Abderrrahman. Leib was directed to secure greater
privileges for American ships and to make every effort
to insert a clause that would make the treaty permanent
unless a twelve-month notice was given by either party.
Negotiations went smoothly with the Sultan, and the
Treaty was renewed with the requested changes included.
The Treaty, with the original text in Arabic, was
signed in Meknes on September 16,1836, endorsed by
Leib in Tangier on October 1, 1836, and officially
proclaimed on January 30, 1837. As Leib noted in his
report to the Department of State, one of the most
remarkable features of the negotiations was that the
treaty was sealed by the Sultan solely on the basis
of friendship, without any stipulations and before
the presentation of gifts.
Morocco reaffirmed its commitment to a friendly relationship
with the U.S. government during the American Civil
War, when the Minister of Foreign Affairs assured
American Consul Jesse H. McMath that his country,
"being a sincere friend of the American nation,
would never air or give countenance to the insurgents."
The United States and nine other countries signed
the Cape Spartel Lighthouse Treaty in 1865. The lighthouse,
located in the Strait of Gibraltar, was first proposed
by American Consul General John Mullowny in 1821.
Construction began in 1861 and it was completed in
1864. The Sultan granted neutrality for the lighthouse
under the condition that the ten naval powers that
used it would supervise and maintain it. The Treaty,
ratified by President Andrew Johnson on July 14, 1866
and proclaimed March 12, 1867, was the first international
convention to which the United States was a party.
As U.S.-Moroccan relations continued to warm in the
early 1870s, the new American Consul, Peter Mathews,
boasted that his reception in the Moroccan capital
was greater than "any ever before accorded to
any representative of even the most favored European
states."
American representatives spoke eloquently in defense
of Morocco during the Madrid Conference of 1880 and
again at the Algeciras Conference of 1906, at a time
when the European powers were casting covetous eyes
upon the lands and people of Northwest Africa. At
the turn of the 20th century, the U.S. reaffirmed
its policy with regard to Morocco, even as France
and Spain sought to carve out zones of influence in
the Kingdom. The United States called for the maintenance
of order and guarantees of religious and racial tolerance:
"in short, fair play is what the United States
asks for Morocco and all interested parties."
The United States stressed the introduction of "reforms
based upon the triple principle of the sovereignty
of His Majesty the Sultan, the integrity of his domains,
and economic liberty without any inequality,"
in its declaration of neutrality over the signing
of The Protectorate Treaty of March 30, 1912. This
Treaty divided Morocco into French, Spanish and international
zones of influence.
World War I
Moroccan soldiers fought side-by-side with United
States Marines against the Germans in 1917 and 1918
in critical battles at Chateau Thierry, Soissons
and Mount Blanc. These victories marked the beginning
of the end for the German military forces that had
occupied much of France since 1914.
World War II
On November 8, 1942 in Operation Torch, Allied forces
invaded Algeria and Morocco, opening a second front
against the Axis powers. Operation Torch proved
to be the turning point in the Allies' war against
Germany. After the loss of French Morocco, Germany
remained on the defensive for the rest of the war.
The capture of North Africa allowed the Allies to
begin planning and preparations for the assault
on Sicily, leading to the inevitable defeat of the
Axis. Within a few days, President Franklin Roosevelt
sent His Majesty (HM) King Mohammed V a message
stating, "I have been highly pleased to learn
of the admirable spirit of cooperation that is animating
you and your people in their relationships ... with
the forces of my country." After recalling
the traditional friendship between the U.S. and
Morocco, the President concluded, "our victory
over the Germans will, I know, inaugurate a period
of peace and prosperity, during which the Moroccan
and French people of North Africa will flourish
and thrive in a manner which befits their glorious
past." In reply, the Sultan noted that Morocco
had been "duty-bound to defend itself, but
once the cessation of hostilities had been ordered
and the commanders of your troops affirmed that
they did not come as conquerors but as liberators
... We declared to Major General George Patton that
as long as our prestige, soul, religion and traditions
were respected ... they could rest assured that
they found in Morocco only friends and collaborators."
In January 1943, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill,
President Roosevelt and French General Charles De
Gaulle, Commander of the Free French forces in North
Africa, met in the Casablanca suburb of Anfa for four
days to map out their war strategy. The Anfa Conference
was one of the most significant meetings of the Allied
leadership during the War as it marked the moment
when the Allies first agreed on the demand for the
"unconditional surrender" of the Axis powers.
Dinner parties are not often considered turning points
in the life of individuals, let alone in the history
of a nation. President Roosevelt, however, hosted
a dinner party in honor of His Majesty (HM) King Mohammed
V and his son Moulay Hassan during the conference
that did exactly that. By recognizing the Moroccan
sovereign as the host of the conference and a world
leader of great importance, President Roosevelt significantly
bolstered the independence aspirations of the Moroccan
people.
During the meal, the conversation centered upon trade
and economic cooperation, the Kingdom’s abundant
natural resources and what could be done to develop
them, and efforts to address the health and education
needs of the Moroccan people. President Roosevelt
suggested that Moroccan engineers, educators and scientists
come to the United States to receive their education,
and offered to enlist the assistance of American companies
to help Morocco with its economic development. As
if all of this were not enough, the President is said
to have told His Majesty that he would do everything
in his power to support Morocco’s desire to gain
independence from the French. As they finished their
meal, the Sultan proclaimed “a new future for
my country.”
RELATIONS SINCE INDEPENDENCE
On August 20, 1953, King Mohammed V and the Royal
Family were exiled to Madagascar by the French occupation
government. The intense popular opposition to His
Majesty’s exile forced the French to reconsider.
On November 16, 1955, His Majesty made a triumphal
return from exile. President Eisenhower sent the
King a message expressing the President’s hope
that the sovereign’s resumed reign would "...restore
the peace and prosperity which the United States
so deeply desires" to the Moroccan people.
Morocco attained its independence from France on March
2, 1956, with the signing of the Celle-Saint Cloud
Agreements. President Eisenhower again sent a message
to His Majesty, this time through America’s diplomatic
agent in Morocco, Julius Holmes. He congratulated
Morocco and said "...My government renews its
wishes for the peace and prosperity of Morocco, and
has asked me to express its gratification that Morocco
has freely chosen, as a sovereign nation, to continue
in the path of its traditional friendships."
In return, the King affirmed that the Treaty of 1836
would continue to be honored and expressed Morocco's
support of a common policy against communism.
Shortly after Morocco’s independence from France,
the United States recognized the sovereign and independent
status of the Kingdom by raising the level of its
representation from Diplomatic Agent to Ambassador.
On July 21, 1956, the Senate confirmed Cavendish W.
Cannon as the first U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom.
He took up his post in Rabat on October 6, establishing
full diplomatic relations between the two nations.
The newly appointed Moroccan Ambassador to the United
States, Dr. El Mehdi Ben Mohamed Aboud, presented
his credentials to President Eisenhower on September
5.
The history of official meetings between the leaders
of the United States and Morocco that was begun by
President Roosevelt and King Mohammed V has continued
to the present day. In November 1957 King Mohammed
V met with President Eisenhower during an official
visit to the United States. The two leaders discussed
ways to improve bilateral cooperation. Less than two
years later, Vice-President Nixon traveled to Morocco
to meet with the King.
The U.S.-Morocco relationship continued to grow following
the death of King Mohammed V in 1961. His successor,
King Hassan II, visited the United States many times,
meeting Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Reagan,
Bush and Clinton during his long reign.
On July 25, 1999, King Mohammed VI met President Clinton
at the funeral of his father, King Hassan II. King
Mohammed VI made his first state visit to the United
States as sovereign on June 20, 2000. His Majesty
has continued to build upon the close relationship
between the United States and the Kingdom of Morocco
that each of his predecessors had nurtured and cultivated.
Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001,
Morocco has become one of the United States’
closest allies in the war on international terrorism,
and has proven to be indispensable in the ongoing
fight against al-Qaeda.
The United States reciprocated this generosity after
Casablanca was hit by a string of coordinated terrorist
bombings on the night of May 16 of this year by placing
the full resources of the U.S. government at the Kingdom’s
disposal. The ongoing negotiations for a U.S.-Morocco
Free Trade Agreement are just the latest manifestation
of a long and proud history of friendship and shared
values that are destined to continue for at least
another 227 years. |
