Evening star., 1960-06-26

Like its trackleSS United S
days, it is a clandestine system
designed to put people of black
skin beyond the reach Of those
who would enslave them. And
like the net which functioned
in Nazi Germany, its passen-
gers include foes of the state
who do or could belong to the
ruling class.
The fact that such a net ex-
lists is tribute both to the whirl-
wind changes in Africa's politi-
cal geography and to the new
current in world opinion.
Few could flee in the past
because there were no way
stations in the form Of inde-
pendent black states and extra
dition was likely if they reached
Europe. In 1856. aside from the
Arab states Of the north, there
we're only two free African ma
ions, Liberia and Ethiopia,
10Th far from South Africa.
Friends Within Reach
Now there are friendly states
within the range of light air
planes. And few Western ma
tionS would send an opponent
Of South Africa back to the
Union against his consent.
The efficiency of the under
ground railway was demon
strated in the anxious days
Immediately after March's
Sharpeville massacre when the
police in pre-dawn sweeps ar
rested hundreds of opposition
leaders of all races. At least 35
others, most of them with only
minutes warning. were whisked
over established escape routes
to the British-controlled High
Commission territories Of Ba-
sutoland, Swaziland and Bechu-
analand.
Among them were some big
fish: DR.. G. M. Naicker, preSi-
dent of the South African In
dian Congress; Oliver Tambo.
secretary-general of the Afri-
can National Congress; Ronald
Segal, white editor of the vio-
lently anti-government maga-
zine, Africa South; Joe Mat
thews, young A.N.C. king
maker" the Rt. Rev. Ambrose
Reeves. Anglican Bishop of Jo-
hanneSburg, and Sam Kahn,
former Communist member of
the South African House of
Assembly.
The High Commission terri
tories, with the exception of
Basutoland, which is surrounded
by South African territory and
hence is a dead-end, are only
way-stations on the route TO
freedom.
Passports Ease Way
If, like Bishop Reeves, one
has a valid passport of any
kind. from Swaziland you just
drive into neighboring Portu-
guese Mozambique and take a
ship from Lourenco Marques.
For those without passports
and this includes almost all the
governments opponents who
are South African citizens-the
problem is more difficult. Two
of the Unions old enemies, In
dia and Ghana. have tried to
get around this by issuing spe-
cial travel documents to refu-
gees.
But their validity in the Fed
Grafton of Rhodesia and Nyasa-
land. which has strong ties with
the Union and is a logical stag
ing area along the road to free
dom. is questionable.
In addition to the Lourenco
Marques escape hatch, two
routes have been used success
fully in recent weeks. Tambo,
Segal and DR.. Yussuf Dadoo,
ex-CommuniSt Transvaal In
dian leader, in April chartered
a plane and flew from Bechu-
analand to Nyasaland.
Although Nyasaland is a
member of the Rhodesian fed
Grafton, it is controlled by the
British colonial Office and hence
is more literally inclined toward
refugees than Southern Rho
desia, which is quasi-indcpend-
ent. A NyaSaland judge re-
fused on technical grounds a
South African request for the
arrest of the refugees and they
flew on to Tanganyika and
from there to Europe.
Light Planes Used
Two weeks ago, six refugees
were spirited from Bechuana-
land in a pair of light planes
which overflow the Rhodesian
federation and deposited them
in the Belgian Congo. The
Congo, which becomes indie
pendent later this month, al
lowed them to proceed to
Ghana by commercial airliner.
The airlift was secretly or
ganized from Salisbury by Mrs.
Eileen Bing, wife of Ghana's
white attorney general.
Perhaps even more trouble
some to the South African
government than those who
have escaped to Europe are