◆ SpookStack

CONFIDENTIAL BACKGROUND NOTE 1. Mr Janner has for some time shown a close interest in Ugandanvaffairs. He is in frequent touch with FCO concerning Mrs Bloch and associated matters and recently wrote to the Secretary of State for Trade drawing his attention to an article in the 17 June issue of Tribune concerning trade with Uganda. The paper published copies of what it claimed were the "loading manifests for the air shuttle service which operates from Stansted airport to Kampala". The draft reply prepared for Mr Meacher to send to Mr Janner is attached. 2. The history to the question of supplies is that in 1972 Ministers decided to cut off all supplies of military equipment to Uganda. The Ugandans were never formally notified, nor was the decision publicly announced. In November, 1975, as part of our policy of normalisation of relations with Uganda following Mr Callaghan's visit in July 1975, Ministers agreed to resume supplies to Uganda of: a. spares for military equipment already supplied from the UK to the Ugandan Armed Forces; b. ammunition, practice or live, for this equipment; c. sporting guns and ammunition. 3. A number of small arms were sent to Uganda following this decision, but the last licence for such an item was issued in March 1976. Since then, no applications for items in Group 1, Schedule 1 of the ECO, with the exception of some commercial explosives, have been issued. 1 CONFIDENTIAL