THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 197$ and the War in By George M.' Houser

The conOict relations. And indeed the United political movements, after long years of opposing States has recently agreed to diplo­ of combat against the Portuguese, political move­ matic relations with Guinea-Bissau and will .not easily accept domination by ments for con­ ~ countries In which the a new fore~gn power. It is a gross and trol of an in~ political parties (Afri;can Party for the demea·ning distortion of reality to dependent An· Independence · of. (iu4lea artd Cape present the ·men and women of the gola · is rapidly Verde and the Front for the Liberation M.P.L.A: as Soviet puppets. And cer­ escalating · in­ of Mozambique) have programs very tainly the Cubans are not taking over . to an interna­ similar to that of. the M.P.L.A. Angola. tionai con­ In ·fact, all three .hiul been joined There is a second distortion involved frontation in an alliance against Portuguese in official interpretation rem:niscent of colonialism for more than fifteen of events in Angola. Spokesmen have , and years. Why then does the United said virtually nothing about United United States States treat the M.P.L.A. differently? States involvement in Angola. Covert _spokesmen The issue is portrayed as Soviet in· United States support for the F.N.L.A. · are grossly fluence and control in Angola. Soviet and UNITA was admitted in testimony distorting the real issues involved. supporrt of the M.P.L.A. is not new. It before the Senate Foreign Relations Secretary of State Henry A. goes back to the beginning of the Committee on Nov. 6 by William E: Kissinger has pointed an accusing armed conflict in Angola .in 1961. Colby,. the Director of Central In­ finger at the and Scandinavian countries .gave support telligence, and Joseph J. Sisco, Under for intervening in Angola. Charac­ to the M,P.L.A., too. The M.P.L.A. Secretary of_ State for Political Affairs. teristically, United Nati~ Ambassa­ would have been glad to take help The New York Times reported Fri-.,-,_, dor Dan·iel P. Moynihan went further from wherevoc it was offered~ven day that, according to a high-ranking when he said that Soviet i.nvciolvement from the United StaJtes. · Government official, the United States in Ango_la was a first step in the colo­ Where was the United States during had sent $25 m~llion in arms and s-up· nizing of the whole continent. But the years of struggle? It was firmly port funds to Angola over the last little is said about reported United welded Into an alliance with three months and planned to send $25 States military aid sent to Angola. and had a policy of avoiding contacts mjiiion more in supplies. The official American spokesmen are simpli'sti­ with the liberation movements in said that the first sum had been dis­ cally portraying the Angolan conflict Portuguese colonies. tributed l:ly the Central Intelligence as "Communism" versus· "anti-Com­ munism." The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (M.P.L.A.), whose government at has been . recognized by sixteen African states (33 countries in all), is constantly de­ scribed as "Marxist," "Soviet-backed" or just "Communist." The National Front for the Liberation of Angola (F.N.L.A.) and the National Union for the Total IndependetiCe of Angola (UNITA) are called "anti-Communist." Before any portion of the American people respond to any call for Vietnam veterans to join the fight against Communism in Angola, several im­ portant factors should be considered. What about the Communism of the M.P.L.A.? I have been In touch with the leaders of this movement for many years, most recently last March when I was in Angola, where I met with members of all three political move­ ments. They make no secret of a basically socialist orientation in1 their The United States limited Its Agency. design for Angola. "support" to high-sounding statements This aid has gone principally through In a continent where there is little on the right to self-d,etenni:llJation. The the Government of , which since private accumulation of capital, social­ . M.P.L.A. has little reason to be grate­ 1962 has been the mainstay of the ism of one sort . .or another Is ,an fUl to the United ~>tates . M.P.l,.A. sup­ F.N.L.A., .the '. most conservative .of the accepted norm. C.apitalis!D is a reality port from the Sov.ief Union does not Angolan ·parties. · . in most of Africa only , through the mean Soviet control in Angola. It has Major publications her.e .and abroad· interests of foreign corporations and not meant this iri Mozambique, Guinea­ have · reportea that United ·· States enterprises. So organizing a society Bissau, or .. transports have been flying daily from along socialist Jines is to be expected. Some Americans may find this diffi­ Zaire into F.N.L.A. military centers in Such a form of social organization cult to understand in view of our northern Angola, such as Ambriz, with should not automatically end United widespread biases against the Soviet guns, ammuni:tion and gas. States willingness to maintain friendly Union and Communism. But these For Mr. Kissinger and other United.' States leaders to point the finger at fifty miles deep across southern An· ing to build itself into the Western the So'Viet Union and make no men­ gola. alliance on the· back of the anti-Com· tion pf United State$ i)lvolvement in munlSt cause. Now South Afriea the conflict ln Angola Is hypocritical. South African columns have pene­ is trated hundreds of miles Into the In· calling for the Western ·alliance to stop United States spokesmen have made a "take-over" in· Angola. no mention of 's growing terior, with many casualties reported intervention in Angola. Presumably and at least ont reconrtaissance plane The current United States position, the involvement of this white-suprema­ shot down. supporting the most conservative in­ cist state is an embarrassment the An . immediate objective of South ternal Angolan elements, is directly United States would prefer to ignore. Africa is to use the Angolan fighting abetting South African strategy. It But this involvement is an important as a smokescreen behind which it can is not helping the Angolans preserve development in the Angolan conflict, eliminate the forces Of S.W.A.P.O. their independence but making them with far-reaching repercussions. It was (Southwest Africa.!\ People's Organiza• victims of the most reactionary force the incursion of South African troops tion, the main liberation movement of in Africa. It would. be a tragedy .for that has led 's "moderate" Namibia) from northern Namibia and the Uni-ted States to repeat the errors Government-even in United State's southern Ango~a. of Vietnam because it looks upon the. Government eyes-to r.ecognize the · Namibia-South Africa calls it Angolan con>flict as an occasion for M.P.L.A. government in Luanda. South-West Africa-is the territory another anti-Communist crusade. There can be no doubt about the occupied by South Africa in defiance growing South African intervention. of United Nations decisions that even George M. Houser is executive director When I was in Zambia in earlyNovem­ the United States has supported. of the American Committee on Africa, :Jer, I was told by high Zambian offi­ South Africa sees the Angolan con· which describes .itself as "actively sup­ cials that at that time South African flict as the real beginning of the war porting the African people in their troops and some dissident Portuguese for its own survival as a white-domi­ struggle for independence ·and ma­ from Angola and Mozam­ nated state in southern Africa. For jority rule." bique had already occupied a strip years South Afric11 has been attempt-

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