Evening star., 1961-12-29
Better Hire Him


Two State Department big guns
have been fired, or perhaps one should
say miSfired, in reply to criticism of
United Nations policy in the Congo and
our Governments support Of that policy.
One blast came from G. Mennen
(Soapy) Williams, Assistant Secretary
Of State for African Affairs. 1t isn't
worthy of much attention, since it is
a rehash of the familiar State De-
partment-U. N. line, with all of the
distortions and omissions, plus a few
characteristic WilliamS-iSh embellish-
ments.
The speech by Carl T. Rowan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
for Public Affairs, is in a different
category. For one thing, it is reported
to have been cleared in the State De-
partment "all the way to the top"
For another, 1t is filled with faScin-
ating contradictions, McCarthy-like in
nuendoeS, and above all, it introduces
most of us for the first time to the
man who, according to Mr.. Rowan, is
the real villain of the piece.
Mr.. Rowan starts from the false
premise that the United States could
not support Katangan secession" 1t
has been our impression that the
criticism was directed, not to this,
but to United States support of the
U. N. effort disclaimers to the con-
trary-to crush Noise Tshombe's mea-
ger military power and force Katanga
back into the Congo. Mr.. Rowan says
that Mr. TShombe, by refusing to
return to the Congo fold, has unwit-
tingly been playing the Communist
game to the hilt, while the Commu-
niStS lurk in the shadows waiting to
capitalize on the chaos that would
result from continued secession. This
raises the interesting question Of why
the Communists, in the Security Coun-
Gil, have fully supported the u NJ
effort to end Katanga'S secession
a question which Mr. Rowan doesn't
bother to answer. Mr.. Rowan also pays
his respects to those who support
Mr.. TShombe and his policy of seces-
sion." In the United States, he says,
I'VE have conglomeration of arch
conservatives: people who oppose the
income tax; avowed defenders of ra-
cial segregation; opponents of fluori-
dation of water; those who want to
destroy the Supreme Court, largely
because of its ruling on school segre-
cation, ETC." In other words, If one
speaks up for Tshombe one must also
be against fluoridation of water-which
is at least novel approach to the guilt
hU of
OF greatest interest to us, how
ever, are Mr. RoWan's comments on
one Michel Struelens, a former Bel
gian civil servant" who operates out
Of some rather plush quarters in
New York." and who heads up a
"clever, big-money campaign" to con-
vince Americans that they ought to
support Katanga's secession. Further,
as Mr.. Rowan tells it, "by spreading
year, Mr.. Struelens has gotten some
extremely vocal help in dispensing
string Of myths and a stream of mis-
information about Katanga and the
Congo"
The inference, as we get it, is
that Mr.. StruelenS by spending a
mere $4,000 in a year has bought
up large segment of the American
press, significant number of Sena-
tors and Representatives, such prom
inent citizens as Herbert Hoover and
Richard Nixon, as we'll as the great
majority of people who have written
to the newspapers on the question of
our policy in the Congo.
We have never met Mr.. Struelens,
but, If Mr.. Rowan is right, he must
be quite an operator. And we have a
suggestion to offer. The State Depart
ment, the United Nations, or perhaps
both, ought to hire him. AS things
stand, they are paying out lot more
than $4,000 a year, and getting a
lot less in return, for the efforts of
their own press agents and propagan-
dists-under whatever titles they may
function.