ABSTRACT
Angola has tremendous economic potential as it is richly endowed with oil, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, gold, copper, manganese, uranium and coffee. It also can be of great importance strategically as it possesses several excellent harbors and lies adjacent to the major Cape oil route from the Persian Gulf to Western Europe and the United States. In reference to Angola, the American image of the Soviet Union was that of a destabilizing force and deranger of the global balance of power. Strong action to counter the Soviets was therefore advocated by top government officials. The projection of Soviet power into Angola must be distinguished from Soviet influence. The United States used the excuse of Soviet assistance to the Movimento Popular de Libertacao de Angola to justify its policy of self-aggrandizement. The Soviet Union wanted to establish strategic rights in Angola and deny economic and logistic access to the United States.
