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INBRIEF
AVISIT WITH IAN SMITH
acceptance of the Kissinger pro–
posa!. Although the Prime Minister
indicated that he was ready and
willing to return to Geneva, he
would not do so unless there was
sorne real possibility that the other
parties would be getting down to
discussing the real business of the
conference.
by
Stanley
R.
Aader
The author accompanies
Platn
Truth
Editor-m-Chief Herbert
W Armstrong on his frequent
vísits with heads of state and
other leading mternational
dignitaries.
SALISBURY, RHODESIA, No–
vember 29,1976:
We have just left
the office
ot
Prime Minister tan
Smith. Much has happened in this
part
ot
the world since our first visit
last May. In fact, nothing is the same
in the Republic of South Africa. as
well as Ahodesia, since June 16,
when the first mass rioting began in
the black township of Soweto, a
suburb of Johannesburg.
Shortly after the onset of the
riots, Prime Mmister John Vorster
of the Republic of South Africa
flew to Europe
to
meet with Secre–
tary
ol
State Kissinger (a meetmg
that had been planned for sorne
time) in order
to
discuss the prob–
lems of the southern part
ot
the
troubled African continent. At that
ttme Mr. Ktssinger had not as yet
visited South Africa or Rhodesia,
but had made a much-publicized
" swing" into the btack African
states and had made many state–
ments proclaiming United States
support for " btack-majonty" rule
- statements which . of course,
milltated against the governments
of Mr. Vorster and Mr. Smith.
Later in the summer, Mr. Kiss–
inger visited Africa again, and this
time his journey included a series
ot meetings in Pretoria - the ad–
ministrative capital of South Afrlca
- first with Mr. Vorster, and finally
with Mr. Vorster and Mr. Smith. At
these meetings the position of
Ahodesía
1n
relation
to
the rest
ot
southern Africa, and indeed
to
the
Western natíons, was discussed in
great detall, and it was made clear
The
PLAIN TRUTH February 1977
to Mr. Smith that the pressure
from the free world would con–
tinue to mount as long as the
present circumstances tn Aho–
desia prevailed.
These same meetings led to an
acceptance by Prime Mmister
Smith and the rest of his cabinet of
the proposals made by Mr. Kiss–
inger, working in close consulta–
tion with the British government.
This, in turn, led to the conference
presently in session in Geneva,
where representatives of the Rho–
desian government and the Black
Natlonalist leaders
are
meetmg
under the ausptces of the British
government and Mr. lvor Atchard.
Unfortunately, as the Prime Minis–
ter told us today, it was apparent
to him that the Black Nationalist
leaders did not intend to abide by
the five-point program that consti–
tuted the Rhodesian government's
Prime Minister Smith had
agreed toan independent, major–
ity-ruled government within two
years, during which time there
would
be
an intenm government
- two-tiered - a council ot state,
evenly dívided between black and
white, with a white chairman, and
a council of ministers led by a
black prime minister. The mints–
tries of Defense and Law and Or–
der would remain under the
jurisdiction of the whttes, a provt–
sion intended to preclude a sud–
den emtgratton of the white
population. Mr. Smith emphasized
that the prelimmary agreement
that was responsible for the Ge–
neva conference did not give the
answers to all of the problems, but
it did present an opportunity to all
(Continued on page
43)
MR. STANLEY RADER
meets Rhodesian Prime Minister tan Smith in the
Pnme Minister's office in Sa/isbury. November
29. 1976.
39