WASHINGTON REPORT: Here We Go Again

...SISYPHUS...

...Another problem for the United States is that a case is being made by members of the Organization of African States (OAS) that we are keeping bad company by our present actions in Angola because they involve supporting at least one group that also has the support of the Republic of South Africa, whose domestically imposed harsh policy of apartheid surely can not endure forever...

...The Chinese are more welcome in Africa, including Mozambique, and, again, this may be a factor of color...

...The "bad guys," the third faction, are identified as making up the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA...

...In mid-December, the Senate foreign-aid subcommittee seemed unwilling to support an amendment to the foreign military aid bill...

...Another installment of $25 million is available and some of it may have already been expended by now-the last of the funds available...

...Once again, our involvement in Angola, on the "q.t.," is an example of our government warriors making secret decisions that reflect standardized Cold-War reaction...

...In fact, the Senate did not wait and voted to curb the CIA...

...Neither amendment came to a formal vote, because it was felt by the majority that the full Foreign Relations Committee, of which the subcommittee is a part, should discuss the matter...

...Even if this is the decision arrived at-and supported by the full House-there are problems...

...The Committee, based on past performance, may be inclined to adopt the Clark position-covert operations openly decided upon...

...The Republic of South Africa is also supporting this group, NUTIA...

...However, they are few and not emanating from positions of compelling authority...

...Its chief honcho, at this writing, is a Holden Roberto, identified as a brother-in-law of the President of neighboring Zaire...

...Aside from confronting by proxy the Soviet Union, we are giving West African nations an opportunity to scorn us because we are making common cause with the segregationist Republic of South Africa...

...Our government says that in Angola there are Soviet military advisors, Soviet military equipment, and "close to 5000" Cuban soldiers supporting MPLA...

...Despite these uncertainties and disabilities, Secretary of State Kissinger was being quoted last month while in Brussels that "the United States win try to prevent one party, by means of massive introduction of outside equipment, from achieving dominance...

...So far, the Soviets haven't done very well anywhere in Africa, in the first place...

...The Congress should insist on participating...

...Recently, the President himself has talked about our efforts being aimed at achieving a stand-off between competing factions, but our record is such that our tolerance for "stand-off" in developing countries is quite low-as witness our government's interest years ago in the demise of Premier Lumumba of the Democratic Republic of Congo, now Zaire...

...This attitude of his seemed inconsistent with his view that there should "not be a war by proxy between the two powers (USA and USSR...

...unless the Congress appropriates more money, which is wanted by the President's men involved in the Angolan operation...

...At least, all this, coming from American sources, is "our side" of the story...

...This amendment, offered by Senator McGovern, would have forbidden covert operations in Angola...

...The Congress, specifically, and the Americans it represents are entitled to ask some basic questions: Is it worthwhile our being in Angola in the first place...

...There's considerable division as to what should be done (and not be done), both in the Congress and within the administration...

...There are sane voices here in town that suggest we back-off in Angola...

...Perhaps, because they're white like us, as much as because they're Marxists...

...As the story goes, we've already financed $25-million worth of weapons and other assistance to two of three factions fighting for control of Angola...

...We are also aiding, it is said, a smaller allied group, identified as the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (NUTIA...

...The USSR helped Mozambique to nationhood, but it was denied its request that a Mozambique port be open to its warships...

...We seem to be supporting a group called the Front for National Liberation of Angola (FNLA...

...The reason this was made known-instead of denied as in the case of our military operations in Laos in the late 1960s-is that our government war-lords are running out of funds and are obliged, under newly enacted provisions of law, to ask the Congress for additional funds...

...Even if the answer to these three questions is "yes," the Congress and the American people, beset by economic problems, are entitled to participate in the decision-making...

...But such a proxy war is just the direction we're headed in...

...It is placed in the south, near Angola's neighbor, Namibia (South-West Africa, as it's called by some) which the Republic of South Africa is illegally occupying, according to an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice...

...On the other hand, at the same meeting, a majority of the Subcommittee, chaired by Senator Humphrey, seemed willing to adopt an amendment offered by Senator Clark that would have forbidden covert operations in Angola unless approved by the Congress...

...Last month, the United States government let it be known, through background briefings to reporters, that it has been conducting clandestine operations in Angola...

...But, as Senator Clark of Iowa, the thoughtful chairman, of the Senate Subcommittee on Africa, said recently: "The Congress and the public are very poorly informed about the U.S...

...There are a few artillery-spotter planes, flown by Americans and based in Zaire, which is Angola's northern neighbor, according to what reporters have been told, although it was denied that there are American combat troops or advisers in Angola...

...It may make sense to travel to the moon or scale Mount Everest "because it's there," but following the flag to unrewarding sections of the earth, because some government agency covertly placed it there, is pig-headed -and costly...

...This time, the country to be "saved" is newly independent Angola, formerly Portuguese West Africa...

...the United States can not be indifferent to massive Soviet supplies of arms...

...These decisions may be costly in both money and lives, as was our involvement in Vietnam that cost the lives of more than 55,000 Americans...

...Liberation movements that win aren't always permanently friendly to outside helpful nations...

...role in Angola...

...Will the Soviet Union really make any progress in Angola if we pull back...

...History doesn't repeat itself and analogies are risky business, but considering the mess we made in Indochina, another land not central to our well-being in the world, do we really want to involve ourselves in Angola?-First simply funds and an aircraft or two, but perhaps, subsequently, an advisor or two and then troops to advance the interests of the advisors, etc., etc...

...This is no small consideration in a Continent we have not behaved very well in, anyway...