Basic HTML Version
========~==============================--====~intnAh
SOVIET ··charlíe Class'' nuclear submarina cruises on the S!Jrface of tha South China Sea.
DESPITEDETENTE
Wlll RUSSIA
RUlllHIIAVIS?
Challenge on the
HighSeas
The Soviet Union is about to
build its third aircraft carrier.
The move underscores the fact
that the already immense, and
still growing, Russian navy has
outgrown the requirements of
national defense and is now in–
tended for future aggressive
a~
tion.
Analysts believe that the ulti·
mate Soviet objective
is
to be
able to cut the vital sea lanes
upon wbich the Westem world
depends for its r;¡w materials.
Russia has no overseas terri–
tories or military bases which
must be supplied by sea. Since
it. does not depend on overseas
imports, it has no need to fear a
naval blockade. Furthermore,
the Soviet Union
is
practicaUy
irnmune to invasion by sea be–
cause its seacoast
is
either too
difficult to assault or too far
away from any important mili–
tary objective.
Yet in spite of aU this, the
Soviet Union has more than
Red
"Colony" in Angola?
The Soviet Union may be
about to gain control over one
of Africa's most strategic terri–
tories.
Angola has a plentiful supply
of oil l!Dd diamonds, l:iut even
more importan!
is
its location
on •the sea lanes of the south
Atlantic. The port of Luanda is
a ripe plum for a Soviet navy
. hungry for a naval base near
southemAfrica.
Al
th~
momeo!, lile
RuMian~
seem to be winning their
obje~
tive. The aoti-communist Na–
.tional Front (FNLA)
iS
in full
retreat before the Moscow-
JANUARY 1976
led Popular Front (MPLA).
For awhile, it seemed that an
anti-communist alliaoce be–
tween the FNLA and the
National Union for the Total
Independenc~
of Angola
(UNITA) was aboutto win con–
trol of the country. But tben a
Soviet bloc convoy arrived in
late November with"supplies for
the pro-Moscow faction, ;¡nd
the infusion of new equipment
turned the lide ofbattle.
The Russian rock:ets, tanks,
and jets allowed the MPLA to
take the offensive. The MPLA is
also being supplied with a full
2,000 naval vessels- about four
times that of the United States.
Even if small support sbips are
discounted, the ratio is still
more than two to one.
The Soviet Union has more
cruisers, more submarines, and
more destroyers than the U.S.
navy. Russian ships are gener–
ally faster and much more
heavily anned, aod the Soviets
employ large numbers of short–
raoge
~iles
oo their attacl<
"vessels.
The remarkable Soviet supe–
riority in numbers of vessels
was achieved througb ao all out
construction program in tJ:te last
decade, in whicb tbe U.S.S.R.
(Continued on page 4, col. 3)
oontingent of Cuban soldiers
and
400
Russian military advi–
sors.
While the National Front has
been receiving supplies from
Kinshasa, Zaire - much of it
airlifted from the United States
- the MIG-23s in the.bands of
the MPLA now give the MPLA
complete superiority in the air
aod threaten to stop the airlift.
·· One intelligence source in
Angola adroitly sums up tbe sit–
uatioo: "The Russians are put–
ting it all on the fine. They are
williog to do here what tbe
United States riskcd
in
Viet-
nam."
Meanwhile, tbe National
Front's anti-communist allies in
(Continued on page 4, col. 5)
''A
Fundamental Decision"
EUROPEANS AGREE
ON PARLIAMENTAND
COMMON PASSPORT
BRUSSELS: Though not
given much press coverage or
notice worldwide, another ma–
jor step toward European union
has taken place. Al the latest of
the European summit meetings
(now called officially Eu.ropean
oouncils) concluded in early De–
cember in Rome, the heads of
government of seven of the nine
members of the European Com–
munity agreed to hold direct
elections to the European Par–
liament in tbe spring of 1978.
The election is to take place
·on the same day throughout the
Common Market althougb the
exact election formula has yet
lo be
~greed
upon. Britain and
Denmark still bave certain res–
ervations, but the other seveo
governments are optimistic that
these reservations will bave
beeo removed by tbe time of
the election.
Direct elections to the parlia–
ment of the European Commu–
nity are significan! since they
will for the first time directly
. involve the average man on the
street in the construction of Eu–
rope. Presently, ·representalives
lo the 198-m.ember European
Parliament are appointed by
the governments of tbe member
nations.
·
This "democratization" ofthe
parliament, called the European
Asse.mbly until 1973, has been a
long time in ooming- in' fact,
about 25 years. Noted one ob–
server at lhe Rome summit:
"Jean Monnet, that father-fig–
ure of a united Europe who is
now in bis 87th year and in re–
tirement at
his
country borne
outside París, wrote a provision
for a European parliament to be
elecled one day on the basis of
universal s_uffrage into the first
of the historie treaties on whicb
post-war Europe has been built
Mldeast
011 Tanker
Route to
Europe
- lhe treaty creating the Euro–
pean Coal and Steel Commu–
nityin 1951.
''This has been carried for–
ward into the European Com–
mon Market lreaty, which was
signed in Rome in 1957. But
only last week was there the po–
litical will al the highest leve! of
Earopean government to bring
lbe parliameot into force at
las
t."
¡Italy's Prime Minister Aldo
Moro said after tbe Rome sum–
mit: "This is a fundamental de–
cision which has been awaitcd
for many long years, for the
construétion of a united and
democratic Europe . .. . A Eu–
rope stre'ogthened by its demo–
cratic legitimacy will always
have more zest and willpower to
develop itself in a united man–
ner in. all fields . .. ."
In another importaot decision
reacbeá al the Rome summit,
the nioe govemments unani–
mously agreed to issue uniform
passports, also in early 1978.
The passports ....: which will be
uniform in size, color (Bordeaux
red),
desigo, and wotd¡ng - will
have the words "European
Commu.nity" printed oo the
front with lhe· name of the
oountry located below. The gov–
einment of each individual na–
tion will issue' the passport to its
own nationals until immigration
and citizenship
la~
are harrno–
nized under a central authórity
at sorne unspecified future date.
Offi.cials here in Brussels feel
the twin decisions regarding
parliamentary reform and the
oommon passport will play an
· importan! psycbological role in
helping citizens of aU member
nations to begin to think in
terms of
!l
common European
identity.
- Ray Kosanka
3