Extract from a Cabinet meeting, 8 August 1972, Catalogue ref: CAB 128/50
Transcript
“Secret”
The Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary said that the President of Uganda, General Amin, had announced that all Asian holders of British passports in Uganda would be required to leave the country within three months and that he looked to us thereafter to assume responsibility for them. Details of this decision were not yet available; nor could we be certain about its motivation. But General Amin’s political standing in Uganda had recently declined as a result of tribal disputes; and it seemed probable that he had taken this action in an attempt to regain popular support. The number of individuals involved could not be assessed with accuracy; but preliminary estimates suggested that there might be about 57,000 British passport holders in Uganda.”
« Return to Ugandan Asians- What decision has General Amin announced concerning Asian holders of British passports?
- How many people are estimated to be affected by this decision?
- What does the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary suggest is the reason for this announcement?
- Why do you think this document is labelled ‘secret’?
- What do you think would be the impact of such a decision on the individuals concerned?
- Does the oral testimony reveal how people reacted to the news initially? What does the testimony show beyond Source 1a?