Evening star., 1960-07-22
BY HAYNES JOHNSON
Star STAFF Writer

A nation without leadership,
an army in which no man is
private and a people who
were told that when independ-
ence came there would be no
need for work
These were the ingredients
which exploded in days of ter
ror and acts of brutality in the
Congo, according to an Amer
lean missionary just returned
from that African land.
I'VE knew it could happen,
but none of us thought it really
would happen" said Mrs. Mabel
Il. Ross of Long Beach, Calf.
The potential of violence was
there. but I guess we Just didn't
really expect it,"
Mrs. Ross and her 11-year-
old son, Ernest, were among the
121 American missionaries who
landed at Andrews Air Force
Base yesterday. Her husband
stayed in the Congo.
Today the missionaries were
leaving for their homes in
many parts of the Nation.
Mrs. Ross said the Congolese
had been promised that with
independence there would be
no need for work, that the
comforts of life would come
automatically. -
Future a Mystery 4
Whats going to happen?"I
she said. Il don't know. We're
scared. If we don't go back
there won't be schools or any
thing.
Il think someone said that
in all OF the Congo there are
only two college graduates.
You can't govern a country on
that"
Mrs. Ross, who had been in
the Congo for 10 years added:
IF you're going to have in
dependence, you have to make
plans for it. Other countries
have prepared we'll in advance
for it. But in the Congo there
was no time to prepare the
people.
You have now an army
without privates. The guy in
charge this week was a SER
geant last week. Everyone has
been promoted"
The Americans and two Ca
nadianS-most of them Bap-
tist missionaries-arrived at
+ Andrews aboard two huge Air
Force GlobemasterS.
They we're greeted by Air
Force and Red Cross repre-
sentatives. Later they gathered
in a large ballroom at the
Statler Hilton Hotel, where
children played with toys and
read comic books while their
parents told of their expert
enceS.
Few of the Americans ex-
perienced violence-but there
were exceptions.
Wife Raped
One missionary said he was
clubbed with a rifle butt by
Congolese, soldier. His wife was
raped.
Many had been evacuated
from the interior by American
helicopters on only an hours
notice.
Miss Virginia Nickerson, a
nurse from Palo Alto, Calf,
was stationed at Vanga, about
300 miles south of Leopoldville.
Some of our people had
received threats against their
lives before independence" she
said. They'd find letters and
notes pinned to their doors or
under car windshields saying,
Wen get you on the 3Oth of
June
But that day was very, very
quiet. After that we began
hearing of incidents in the
lower part of the Congo. The
trouble began to spread.
so we decided we should
CO." she said. The troops had
revolted and were marauding
on their own.
Word by Radio
Thursday a week ago, at 5
pm. Congo time, we were told
we should leave. We got the
word over radio. Since we were
afraid to go on the roads, they
arranged with great difficulty to
send American helicopterS to us.
But on the day the hell
copterS were supposed to ar
rive, Mast Manimba Airport
near Vanga was taken by Con-
golese troops.
"At that time the nearest
other airport also had been
taken by the troops. so they
thought Of sending us by boat. .
We vetoed that, for we knew
we would be shot.