Evening star., 1960-03-20
By EARL III. VOSS
Star stan Writer


The State Department is brac-
ing itself for the arrival Of seven
new African nations on the inter-
national stage this year-and the
expected entry of another 10 or
more in the next few years.
Assistant Secretary of State
% Francis o. Wilcox, who handles
United Nations affairs, recently
returned from a tour of the At
rican continent with the convic-
tion that "the constitutional and
political events in Africa are
. among the most important of this
: century"
THE political revolution is at
hand" in Africa, Assistant Secre-
tary ]. C. Satterthwaite told the
House Foreign Affairs Committee
recently, "and by and large its
pressures are irresistible"
This resignation to the inevita-
bility of the emergence Of nearly
20 new countries on one continent
in perhaps half a decade is a rel
atively new phenomenon.
Not long ago the United States
was paying much more attention
to the feelings of its principal
NATO allies. who are also the
colonial powers being ousted from
Africa. Washington always re-
mained true to its anti-colonial-
ism past, but favored a more
gradual approach to independence
and self-determination.
Now Mr.. Satterthwaite accepts
Africa's Transformation to hetero-
geneous independence as IRE
sistible," even though he still ac-
knowledges that very few Of the
emerging countries are economi-
cally viable." He told Congress:
Countries are becoming politi-
cally independent without ade-
quately trained leadership and
technical Skills and without the
basic economic and social institu-
tions and systems which provide
the foundations for secure, conf
dent, African-led nations"
The Count in Africo
In the last few years great areas
of North Africa have moved to
complete independence: Morocco.
Tunisia, Libya, the Sudan and
Egypt. Ghana and Guinea have
Joined the parade in the more
recent past. Cameroun achieved
independence last January /.
Between April and october four
more new nations will raise their
heads: Togo, Congo. Somalia and
Nigeria.
France is now negotiating with
two other areas which may get
their independence during 1860:
The Federation of Mali NOW
Senegal and Sudan in the French
West Africa and the Malagasy
Republic madagascar.
All these powers are seeking to
stay aloof from the Soviet
Western cold war; to have never
theless the best of both worlds,
particularly in the way of economic
aid; and simply 10 become i'm
portant on the world scene.
This craving for achieving global
impact will find a great deal Of its
expression in the United Nations.
What the Soviet Union has called
the United States automatic"
majority in the General Assembly
will become less automatic. In
fact, on some issues, the United
States could find itself in definite
minority.
On the nuclear test issue, for
instance, it is conceivable that the
Africans could collaborate with
the Asians and the Soviet bloc in
condemning the United States if
the President decides to resume
testing.
Survey Of Problems
Here is a survey of problem
areas the United States can ex-
pect to encounter in its relations
with Africa, as outlined in a re-
cent report to the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee by a North
western University study group:
1. African natiOnalism and
white counternatiOnalism - The
State Department will be con-
stantly torn between supporting
BLACK African" elements, White
African" groupings which have
taken root and are often in op-
position to the blacks, or various
contending factions among the
White Africans. In Algeria the
choice is between a NA'TO ally,
France, and the Moslem majority.
In the Congo it may be between
another NATO ally, Belgium, and
a Black African majority which
some Of the highest American
officials fear will simply not be
ready to govern itself by midyear,
when it gets it's freedom.
2. Relations between North and
Sub-Saharan Africa-The extent
to which Black Africa continues to