ABSTRACT
President Shehu Shagari considers that the White House and State Department files must make Nigeria’s stand so clear on many issues - particularly US attitudes to South Africa - that no meeting between him and President Reagan is necessary to define it further. Nigeria’s relations with the United States reached their lowest point during President Shehu Shagari’s visit to Britain. So concerned was he over reports of President Reagan’s intention of offering arms to the UNIT. A rebels in Angola that he felt it necessary to send his External Affairs Minister, Prof. Ishaya Audu, to Washington from London. Dr Kissinger’s complete failure to recognise the facts of the Angolan situation had led to an open rift with the Nigerian military government. At that time, Nigerians pointed out, it was American and South African support for the opponents of the MPLA which had caused the Angolan nationalist movement to look for Soviet surrogate support.
