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Mozambique. Tanzania and other
black African countries have openly
declared their intention to support
guerrilla operations aimed at top–
pling the white government of Rho–
desia.
On the Scene
In
Sallsbury
For an altogether too brief and iUu–
sory moment, it appeared. last Sep–
tember. that peace might break out
in Rhodesia ; that the four-year-old
fight against militant nationalist
guerrillas would cease; that a peace–
ful. orderly transition toa black ma–
jority government could take place.
Swallowing the bitterest pill of his
politica l career. Rhodesia's Prime
Minister Ian Smi th. under intense
outside pressure, accepted U.S. Sec–
retary ofState Henry Kissinger's set–
tlement formula. Against his better
judgment- knowing fu Uwell that the
nationalist opposi tion was hopelessly
divided, that an Angola-style civil
war between the contending forces
could e rupt catching both whites and
black moderates in the middle. lead–
ing to massive white flight - he ac–
cepted the Kissinger plan. with its
upposed safeguards to prevent such
chaos from occurring.
1 was in Salisbury. Rhodesia's
pleasant capital ci ty. the day Mr.
Smith and his cabinet made their
monumental decision. Along with
about 50 other newspaper and tele–
vision reporters from around the
world. I stood outside Rbodesia's
parliament building in the late af–
ternoon hours ofSeptember 24.
Everyone scnsed the gravity of
the decision that was beiog ago–
nized over inside the unpretentious
structure fronting Cecil Square -
named after Rhodesia's founder.
Cecil Rhodes. At issue was the
acceptance or rejection of Dr. Kiss–
inger's settlement formula. Essen–
tially. it called for a two-year
transitional government for Rho–
desia. which would. in turn. prepare
the way for turning the reins of gov–
ernment over to leaders represent–
ing Rhodesia 's blacks. who out–
number whites by a 20- to- 1 ratio.
The deLiberations inside were pro–
longed and undoubtedly intense.
When Mr. Smith finally appeared.
an hour after sundown. the swarm–
ing newsmen did their best to get
the story. But to all questions the
The
PLAIN TRUTH February 1977
never-ruffied Prime Minister had
but one answer: the government's
decision would be announced a t
8:00 p.m. the following evening in a
major address to be broadcast and
telecast to the Rhodesian people.
All the next day. and increasingly
more so as the time neared for Mr.
Smith's address to the nation. the
atmosphere in Sa lisbury seemed
heavy with expecta tion. Shoppers
on the stree ts seemed preoccupi ed.
Diners in the Monomatapa Hotel.
where I was staying. hurried
through their meals in order to get
to a television set in time for the
history-making event.
J
returned to
my room and its black-and-white,
one channel set.
When the momcnt tinally a rrived.
RHODES/AN PRIME MIN/STER Jan
Smith talks to newsmen atter his
cabinet conditionally accepted
ma–
jority rule plan.
Mr. Smith said what all his country–
men knew - or fcared, depending
upon one's political outlook - he
would say: that the 11-year-long
period of self-declared indepen–
dence under white rule was at an
end: that the free world was not
going to give Rhodesia any more
support. even of a s ub rosa nature;
that the time was now to try to se–
cure the best political deal with
hopefully moderatc black leaders in
order to keep Rhodesia in the West–
ern camp. free from communist
domination.
No Alternatives Avallable
In his broadcast. Mr. Smith recalled
his recent series of meetings in Pre–
toria with the South African Prime
Minister Mr. Vorster and with Dr.
Kissinger. He said that at these
meetings it was made "abundantly
clear" to him and his government
that as long as the present circum–
stances in Rhodesia prevailed they
could expect "no help or support of
any kind from the free world."
Mr. Smith said his goveroment.
therefore. had no alternative but to
accept the settlement plan as pro–
posed in Pretoria. He stressed ,
however. that his government's ac–
cepta nce was conditionally bascd on
two assurances from both the Amer–
icans and the British: 1) that terror–
ism on Rhodesia's borderlands
would cease. and 2) that United
Nations sanctions against the belea–
guered country would be lifted,
once again permitting unrestricted
trade between Rhodesia and the
world and a llowing for the infu–
s io n of badly needed foreign
capital.
To those who heard Mr. Smith
that evening, there were no "ifs. ands
or buts." His government, he told
viewers, accepted at face value the
Ki ssinger plan. The same plan. he
himselfwas told. had been agreed to
by the leaders of the so-called
"front-line" black states - Angola.
Mozambique. Tanzania. Zambia
and Botswana.
A " Two-Day Hlgh"
For a day or two in Salisbury. the
política! atmosphere could be best
described as reserved optimism.
Perhaps. just perhaps, things might
work out.
"Dr. K" appeared to have
pulled another miracle out of his
diplomatic hat.
The newspaper
Sunday Maíl
was
fuU of hope for the future. The end
to sanctions. speculated sorne of its
economists. could produce an eco–
nomic boom. In fact. the biggest
problem might be a sudden out–
burst of inflation. At last, obsoles–
ce nt mach inery in Rh odesia's
factories could be replaced instead
of being patched up with home-
made parts.
·
A cartoon on the editorial page
showed how the end to sanctions
(Continued on page 8)
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