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cvtf/ec PEHMANENT MISSI.ON OF NlGEHIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS ~ 757 THIRD AVENUE NllW YOllK. N. Y. 10i.>l7
Tel~obone; HJ\uover 1·2610 ova aar...
His Excellency U Thant, Secretary-General of the United Nations, United Nations Headquarters, New York, N.Y. 10017
Excellency,
I have the honour to forwr~rd herewith a communication
from the Chairman of the Ni~erian Institutr~ of International
Affairs. Accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.
__....<) LG-Cl_ C" c ( c_ .. / (S. 0. Adebo) Permanent Representative C:
NT G :J~RIAN . INSrfi'TU1~E 0 F IN1'El<.N i\.1'1 ON AL i\._ FFAIR~
f'ATRQN: KJ3 t::XCJ.~ lLt.N CY l"II C HI!.AD OP TIIH FEl.JllHAL • ~ u•lrUUC <.H' NIGE.KJA. rRUSTE:: s KOFO ABA YOMI ROAD. Slit Ail I 0 1\:Ul"DO AOEMOLt\, 1-\ .0.E., C . ll.R., P.C. , LL .D . (C/Jait nUJJ') ll.f. CJIILf S. O . A).)l:.BO, C.~t.G., O, A. , LL.B., LL.O . VICTORIA ISLAND, l' R0 F K . 0. Olfo.:. t::, Ph. u . , LL.l>. , O .SC. Ul<. . It, ,\, U. l>l t\.KO, M.H.C.S., L. R .C , V,, O.O. N. SIK KASIIIM IUtl AHIM, G .C.O.N. , K.C ,M.O . G.P.O. BOX 1727, SIK LOUIS M DANI:.FO, C •.I:-' .R ., Kt. LAGOS, THE COUNCIL PROF S. 0 . DI OOAI-\U, C .M.G. M.A. , l'h.u . NIGERIA. C HiEF A , Y. liKE, M.A. , D.SC. UK. T. 0 . t: ll,\5, Q.C ., C.f.IC, D.A,, LL.M., Ph.D., LL,D. TELEPHONE: 28221 -28223 PROI' KALU I:ZERA, M.A . , l' h .u. PH. OF [. i':JOKU, O.A., M.~C. , J>h .O,, D.Sc. ( 3 Lines) AUIAJI M AIT AMA ::iULE. S. 0. W I: \', ESQ., O ,}',A., LL.D. TELEGRAMS } DIRECTOR-GENERAL AND & INTER :-.lATIONS, LAGO SEC RETARY TO COUNCIL CABLES
OR, L. A. £1A8UNMJ No.NIIA-1/4/S.4D/3/55 12th July, 1967.
His Excellency, The Secretary-General, United Nations Organiza~ion, U. "'llant, U . 1~. Headquarters, Ne v1 York , N •Y • Your Excellency,
Formal Opening of the Headquarters of the Nigerian Institute of International ~fairs We received, with great pleasure and joy, Your Excellency's message of good-will and encouragement, conveyed in your letter of 30th May, 1967, on the occasion of' the formal opening of ou1.. Headquarters building. You will be interested to know that it was Chief Adebo, Nigeri~'s Permanent Represen tative to the United Nations, who read out your message at the ceremony, which was witnessed by observers from all the continents. The signi ficance of your message to the Institute, and indeed to Nigeria, was stressed by His Excellency, the Head of the Federal Military Government, Major-General Yakubu Gowon, in his own speech on the auspicious occasion. On behalf of the Council and Trustees of the Institute and myself, I thank Your Excellency for the great honour you have thus co~erred on the Institute in particular, and on Nigeria as a whole. 2. As stated in one of the two key speeches (enclosed herewith fo~ your general information), the Nigerian Institute of Inter national .A:rfairs "ho.I>es to work simultaneously on three levels - as a Nigerian Institute in Lagos, an J~rican Institute in Nigeria and a world Institute in Africa- providing a meeting ground for peo,l>le of all nations and a rich soil for the cross-fertilization of their minds." In this regard, we feel greatly encoura~ed and challenged by the faith you h ave reposed in our Institute s ability to make, even in a small way, a more positive contribu tion to the work of the United Nations f amily of organizations and to the building of a better world order. 3. Once again, thank you for the messace of congratulations and good wishes. We take this opportunity to re-a:f:firm our pledge and loyalty to the Charter of the United Nations, its pur,l>oses and objectives. With be st .P ersonal regar ds,
Yours sinc.(i~y, t(~ )~ -~ -~'------"~- ( Si'rA.dctolcunbo Ademola), .· Chairman. . .../2 •
2
Enclosures (il Programme of Pormal Opening of Headquarters c·.:: Description of buildings (llJ. Sp eeches by:- (a) Ht. Hon. Sir Adetokunbo Jldemola (b) Major-General Yakubu Gowon •
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or Ana ... .a.~.-. 1 Fifth , Flaar ._Yock-. • •Y . ~ cc: .Mr. Baraai.mbaly Mr. Lemieux v NEW YORK UNIVERSITY W ashington Square College o f Arts and Science
ON~ f iFTH A V ENUE, 5TH FLOO R, N EW YORK, N .Y. 10003 ARE /\ 212 777-2000
Schweitzer Program in the Humanities October 24, 1967
.u Tha.nt, Secretary-General United Nations United Nations Plaza New York, New York Dear Secretary-General, I thank you for your kind and informative let t er of 16 October. I know you will do everything in your power to bring the fight ing in Nigeria to an end and you are, of cour s e, the sole judge of how best your influence may be exerted in t he existing circumstances. ' I .May I take this opportunity of expressing t he admiration which I share with so many others throughout the wor ld for the courage and constancy you have shown in the d i scharge of your high respon~ibili.ties in the service of peace . With kind regards. You;;:ne:,~
Conor Cr~~e O~Brien . . .( ..
N A
PEACE TAl~S ANIJ RELIEF ASSISTANCE
The Consultative Committee of African Heads of State, appointed by the Organization of African Unity, concluded their last meeting in Niamey, Niger Republic, on Friday, 19th July, 1968. The committee consisted of:
His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, (Chairman); His Exce.llency William V. S. Tubman, President of Liberia; His ExceUency Ahmadou Ah idjo, President of Cameroun; His Excellency Hamani Diori, President of the Niger Republic; His Excel'lency Lieutenant-General J .A. Ankrah, Head of the State of Ghana; The Honourable Jean Umba-Di-Lutete, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Congo (representing His Excellency General Joseph Mobutu, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
In its conclusions, the Committee called on the secessionist faction in the Nigerian crisis "to co_-operate by accepting relief supplies of food, medicine and clothing, transported through the 11 mercy" corridor to the collecting points and to provide facilities to ensure the safety and free movement of the personnel of the international rei ief agencies ••••• 11 It also urged parties to the Nigerian dispute 11 to resume peace talks as soon as possible in order to achieve a final solution to the crisis prevailing in their country L with the object of preserving Nigeria•s terri torial integrity and guaranteeing the security of all its inhabitants."
The full text of the communique issued by the O.A.U. Consultative Committee is as follows:
"The Organization of African Unity Consultative Committee on Nigeria meeting in Niamey on Friday, 19th July,
Having reviewed the present developments in the Nigerian civil war; Deeply concerned about sufferings of civil ions on both sides; Considering the urgent need for supplies of food, medicine and clothing to be sent qu.ickly to the affected areas; Considering further the efforts made by various governments and institutions to convey into the affected areas badly needed supplies of food, medicine and clothing; Confident that these governments and international institutions will continue to give assistance to the affected areas; Mindful of its mandate from the assembly of Heads of States and government of the Organization of African Unity held at Kinshasa; Taking note of the decision by the Federal Government of Nigeria to establish .. a corridor in the territory it controls to enable the dispatch of food, medical and clothing supplies to the affected regions, as well as of its decision to guarantee the security of members of international relief organizations entrusted with the task of trans porting and distributing these supplies;
(i) Requests the Federal Government to imp 1lement without delay its decision to establish a "mercy" corridor with appropriate collecting points to facilitate the transportation ofesse~tial food and medical supplies to the affected areas; to guarantee the safety and freedom of movement of the agents of international relief organizations within federal controlled territory so as to ensure the distribution of these supplies to the needy civil ian popu lotion in the affected areas; and also to guarantee the safety and security of observers and representatives of international relief agencies who shall inspect supplies at such collecting points; (ii) Appeals to the secessionists to co-oeerate by accepting relief supplies of food, medicine and clothing transported througn the "mercy" corridor to the collection points and to provide facilities to ensure the safety and free movement of the personnel of the international relief agencies and guarantee effective distribution to the needy civil·ian population in the territory under their control; (iii) Thanks those governments and organizations which have so far given assistance for their sympathy and generosity in relieving the sufferings of the civilian population and appeals to these and other governments and organizations to assure the con tinuation of this humanitarian support; (iv) Urgently appeals to all member states of the 0 .A. U. to assist in this massive humani tarian relief efforts; (v) Urgently invites both parties, as a matter or urgency to resume peace talks as soon as possible in order to achieve a final solution to the crisis prevailing in their country, with the object of preserving Nigeria's territorial integrity and guaranteeing the security of all its inhabitants; (vi) Decides that the Organization of African United Consultative Committee shall remain at the disposal of both parties to help them in this direction. The Consultative Committee will!' remain in contact with the Federal Government of Nigeria. Colonel Ojukwu or his accredited representatives may at any time contact any of the member governments of the Organization of African Unity Consultative Committee."
The Federal Government of Nigeria issued an official statement immediately, welcoming arrangements for the resumption of peace talks as announced by the Organization of African Unity Consultative Committee in Niamey. The Federal Government's statement pointed out that the Committee's communique was issued after discussions between the Organization of Afri<;:an Unity Consultative Committee and the Head of the Federal Government of Nigeria, and that this communique specifically invites both parties to resume peace talks with a view to och ieving o final solution to the crisis and to preserving Nigeria's territorial integrity and the security of all its inhabitants. It pointed out that the Federal Government hod repeatedly given assurances that it would do all in its power to achieve a peaceful, rather than a military, solution to the problem, even though a military solution is well within its capability. The resumption of peace talks is therefore, consistent with the policy of the Federal Government. All avenues for achieving this peacefu I solution will therefore continue to be explored. Work of Relief Agencies _Also, on Friday 19th July, 1968, representatives of international relief agencies operating m Nigeria hod a meeting with Major-General Yakubu Gowon, Head of the Federal Military ... ·,
Go'lernment and Commander-in-chief of th~ N·igerian Armed Forces. The organizations represented at that meeting were: The International Committee of the Red Cross; The Nigerian National Red Cross Society; The Catholic Re·lief Services (CARITAS); Oxford Society for Famine Relief (OXFAM); Save the Children's Fund. In his opening remarks, the President of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Sir Adetokunbo Ademola (Chief Jl,lstice of Nigeria), informed .General Gowon that all international relief organizations and other voluntary relief agencies had agreed to coordinate their efforts and function through the International Committee of the Red Cross. General Gowon expressed appreciation for the untiring efforts of various rei ief agencies and assured them of the genuine concern of the Federal Government for the suffering of those affected by this war, not only in areas controllled by the Federal Government but also in the I imited areas held by the rebels. He warned, however, that in their humanitarian work and, especially, in appeals for assistance or contributions abroad, relief agencies should be careful to avoid political involvement in Nigerian affairs. He emphasized that political interference would not be tolerated from any rei ief organization. In this connection, he referred specifically to tow organizations, OXFAM and CARIT AS, whose activities had recently received world wide pub I icity. General Gowon pointed out that OXFAM had allowed itself to become politically involved , in several ways. One obvious example was to be found in 'its very biased appeals in advertisements in British newspapers, ca·Uing for aid on behalf of the so-called "biafra". Statements and television interviews of important leaders of OXFAM in Britain and overseas also gave this clear impression. He also referred to reports that CARITAS,the Catholic Relief Agency, was paying for space for relief supplies on the same aircraft as were illegally flying arms and ammunition to the rebels. General Gowon expressed fears that food meant for civiHans in the rebel-held areas of the East-Central State would be diverted by Ojukwu to his troops. Nevertheless, the Federal Government wou.ld continue to do all in its power to get these food supplies through to innocent civilians who needed them. He assured the representatives of the relief agencies that the Federal Government wou ld give full protection ard ~ecurity to all relief workers within areas under Federal control. He pointed out that thousands of lbo refugees were now leaving rebel areas and crossing into territory under Federal control. He also revealed that, as ~rom this week, Federal troops would beg in to I'eave large quantities of food for civil ions in areas beyond the front I ines. This was already being done on a small scale by Federal troops who were sharing their own rations with many displaced persons with whom they came in contact. On behalfofOXFAM, Mr. Timothy Brierly,expressedapologiesand made reference to contributions made by his organization to the Nigerian Red Cross and other voluntary organizatiorJS amounting to 125,000 for the past year. He also apologized for misunderstandings which had been caused in the past month. He regretted the absence of Mr. Bennett at the meeNng, as Mr. Bennett had come to Nigeria specifically to assure the Federal Government of OXFAM•s sincerity and desire for continued co-operation with Nigerian authorities. Mr. Bennett, he said, had written accordingly to General Gowon. Mr. Brierly also assured General Gowon that OXFAM would henceforth avoid doing anything that might cause any suspicion of the humanitarian motives of his organization. Accepting Mr. Brie rly's explanation, General Gowon assured 'OXFAM of the Federal Government'1s goodwill and continued desire for co-operation. The representatives of the other organizations also re-affirmed their desire to operate through the International Committee of the Red Cross and assured the Commander-in-Chief of their full co-operation with the National Rehabilitation Commision. I :3 1
. Embassy of Nigeria Washington, D.C. 24th July, 1968 I lNG FO COPY unations nyk wucd nyk FILE NO. I ACTIO~ wucd b020 pd r 6 ex 12 1201a edt ro. ._,.t ..:: -6mi!( .j cd nyk / u th ant unations bLdg (dLr before 1100 am) on monday au gust the 12th at 1145 am i wiLL be coming to see you in the ~10pe U1at you wiLL speak to me as chairman ogxxx of the american committee to keep biafra aLive which sponsered LifeLine biafra a siLent bxxx vigiL w~1ich Lastxxx ran 36 hours outside the un. in this vigiL whiLe 10,000 marched 10,000 died biafra. siLence or t·1oLLow words from the worLds Leadrxxx Leaders enabLes this +crime against humanity+ to continue pauL connett chairman american committee to keep biafra aLive 2440 bway phone 362-0604 902a edt
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Confidential . ~·~~~ ~·q\~ S~ep t ember 6th 1968 .
U Thant Sec retar y General of t he United Nations New Yo k (Uo S . A.)
Dear fri end ,
I am en closing c opy of a f r esh appeal which I am sending o His Maje t y t h e 'mperor of Et hio i on the subject of Bia f r a : y o can r emind him of it on t he occasion of your next tay i n Alg · e r , a t y which will , I h o e , be f r i tful.
As f o C~echos lov akia , I am e nclosing a few d ocument s , i n c onf i denc e : 1 - three l e t t e rs t o Mr . J oUkov, Director of Prav d a . 2- a d i p l oma t riend ' s report 3- my t wof old r e l y to t his latt e 4- c opy of t h e l etter which I sent to M • Dubcek. N t ura lly , t h e v i c e of men of good-will car ries l i ttle weigh t wit h t he "Bi Powe s ". I f y ou see s ome t hin useful t o be don e , nev er hesitate t o l e t me know.
Fa i t hfu lly yours , as a l ways,
(sgd .) P . Dominique Pire o the heart open to the world
found er: R. P. Dominique Pire Confidentielle. winner of the Nobel Peace Prize
address 35, rue du March4 Phone 085-1 34 .81 or S2 U Tbant Secretaire General des HUY Belgium le 6 septembre 1968. Nations-Unies New York (USA ).
Cher ami,
Je vous joins copie d'un nouvel appel que j'envoie a Sa I ~jeste l'Empereur d'Ethiopie a propos de Biafra vous pouvez le lui rappeler lors de votre procbain sejour a Alger, que je souhaite fecondd
Quant a la Tchecoslovaquie, je vous j oins, a titre confidentiel, quelques documents : 1- trois lettres a M. Joukov, Directeur de la Pravda. 2- le rapport d'un diplomate ami. 3- ma double reponse a celui-ci. 4- copie de la lettre que j'ai envoyee aM. Dubcek. Bien entendu, la voix des bommes de bonne volonte a peu de pouvoir sur les "Grands''· Si vous voyez quelque chose d'utile a faire, n'hesitez jamais a me faire signe.
Tqujours fidelement votre.
P. Dominique Pire.
Y.IATI .aa.sar 101 , u .,.,.\10 «0 eJ" emoR ,c.;,,,~2 otniiG ib o:;~n,a.B DM.IUJIIUTJWB 8llf)la8 .,.r.on:· l"'tl bo-:t" v')nta, lue together let us buil d the world of the heart
DENMARK HOLLAND NORWAY "Pater Pires Fond" Konto N• 440.829, Privat- "Pater Plre Fonds'', N• 42.91.27JW7- 912.784.5, " Pater Plre! Fond" no. 166.960 Fellesbat~ken, ban ken t Kjebenhavn, Boragade 4, Copan- Amsterdt~m·Rotterdam-Bank, N.V., Coolsingel Karljohansgata 27, Oslo, hauen K. 119, Rotterdam. U.S.A. ENGLAND IRELAND "father Pire Fund" The Chase Manhal!an Bank, " Father Plre Fund" &.tarnal Account, Stlrclays "The Heart open to the World", The National 1, Chase Manhattan Plaza, New York 16, N.Y. Bank Ltd., 52, Regent Street. London, W.1. Bank Ltd .. O'Connell Street, Limarlck. Sea over- leaf Translation.
September 5th 1968 • . . . His Majesty Haile Selassie I Emperor of Ethiopia Addis-Ababa. I ' ' ~· Majesty,
I \' On March 25th 1968, I wrote you the follm'ling : . "Extremely alarming news has reached me about the ~..? struggles taking place in Nigeria. My objective is not .. to pass judgement on the struggles· themselves. But doubts have been expressed as to the civil population's chances of escaping from maltreatment, from death, and as to its chances of being able to find help. I know how deeply moved you are by human problems. What can you do, ':vhat can we do in response to the cry of alarm which I discern ? Each human being - as you know - is of infinite qalue. Please be good enough to bring your powerful influence to bear on the scales. In the name of Humanity, I thank you. And now the O.U.A. i~ coming together in Algiers, .. first of all a Cabinet me~ing, followed by a summit ~' conference. As· the Biafra news is far from being reassur ing as regards the lot of the civil population, I make so bold as to ask Your Majesty to intervene among the heads of the o.u.A. so that they may immediately take all possible humanitarian measures which can relieve the lot of the human lives whic~ are threatened. Therimn, there is a chance for the o.n.A. - and what bet.ter person than Your Majesty to convince its heads of t '-1 this - to sustain a humanitarian role of the first importance and to strengthen its authority as much on the African as on the international level. - I ventur~ to hope that_Your. Maje,.!sty will become the ambassador of the human conscience, so to speak, at . ' the Algiers ~ummi t conference. In the name of huma.ni ty I thank Him;
.. J Respectfully and affectionately yours, . .
sf EXPRESS Translation Confidential
22nd July 1968 :.,: Mr. Y. Joukov Rue "Pravda" 24 Mosc.ow A-4 7 USSR, I Dear Friend, As you honour me with your friendship, allow me to convey to you how great is my anxiety, which is shared by many friends on the left. as well as on the right. As youl may guess, it is on account of the possibility of a second Budapest. I myself, who love your great country and talk often of it, stressing all the positive accomplishments in the field of social justice, am frightened at the thought of the fate which our Czech friends wouJ~ unjustly suffer, and at the catastrophic impression which a second Budapest would cause for your country. The discovery of a small stock of weapons, announced by t''• a providential anonymous telephone call, seems to many of us to be far too ·.... 'I happy a coincidence, and therefore to resemble a put-up job. I implore you (. to use your great influence to the maximum in order to avoid the catastrophe l.l in question. You may count on me entirely t6 help you in this in every possible way.
Thank you for your friendly attention.
Yours si!).cerely,
,. (Sgd) Fr.- Dominique Pire ~ ,. .• ·. ..'
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Translation.
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17th. August 1968 Mr. Joukov Rue Pravda, Moscow (USSR)
Dear Friend,
I have read the text of Professor Andret Sakharov' s peace plan in the Belgian press. I should like to write to him. Could you let me have his address? This would be ver.y kind of you. Thank you.
I hope you received safely my confidential letter about the Czech problem. · Please believe me that the moderation of deci_sions is a positive point in the role of the Soview Union in the world. Insist strongly so that the leade:m of your great countr.y keep to this path. Anything which would give an impression of blackmail or pressure runs the risk of losing it many faithful friends.
I look forward to having good news from you.
Yours sincerely,
(Sgd) Fr. Dominique Pire
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,. Translation.
22nd August 1968
Mr. Youri J.oukov Rue Pravda 2/-1- Moscow A - 47
Dear Mr_ Joukov,
The events which have taken place in Czecho-Slovakia under the responsibility of the Russians fill me with consternation, together l-dth many of my friends of the '!eft and of the :t'ight. As I told you in my letter of July 22nd, this immediatily loses you precious friendships. I pass over the ~~ slenderness of the.pretexts invoked by the USSR for its intervention, as well as the fact that some of the satellite countries ·of the Warsaw Pact - not all obeyed the orders they received. The pretexts put forward turn aBainst the USSR and have no more strength than the "famous" American stock of weapons. I~t those around you know that we are not deceived by this. As to the intervention of certain members of the Warsaw Pact, we have no illusions as to the margin of freedom remaining to them ( this margin is not bigger for certain Western European countries as regarci:s the USA). AlHtfuia connects up with what I wrote to you a few days ago about the Sakarhov "plan" for peace in t. he year 2000: a peace under the domination of the diarchy USA - USSR.
Indeed, my intention is not to make -you, personally, responsible for everything which is happening. You are a Party official and you have to obey. But also you are a ~· May your deep conscience by disturbed by what is happening. Freedom of thought and expression is a good thing. The Czechs come from a civilisation which has known this freedom ~ which is different from the case of the Russian peasants oppressed by the Czars and who are still unable to imagine all the supreme value of this freedom. I have nothing to ask of you personally. Any intervention oii your part would be equivalent to your suicide. And such heroism cannot be asked of human beings. At least do all that you can - within the tinY· margin of freedom which may still remain possible to you - to attenuate the Czech drama. Men 1 s heads are threatened. Endeavour to save them. As for Czecho-Slovakia, she is condemned to silence for an indefinite period. Tell your friends that they are in sad company: their manner of behaviour recalls Hitler and his pretexts to "liberate" peoples. He too entered Prague with. his tanks. Tell-them also - but a friendship is nothing in comparison 'Wi.thLthe biologi~al inter~sts of an economically important coun:Ory · and .a dictatorial political system - that up to the present I remained above all the mMee, being neither pro .or anti-American, neither pre nor anti-soviet. As regards the USA there is no change. But I have come to ask myself, while greatly appreciatin~ ./. (2) ./. the hospitality which is dear to all Slavs, as well as the Marxist efforts to secure more justice, whether the suppression of freedom is not too great a price to pay and whether a certain amount of anti-communism would not be justified. Perhaps you will have, one day, without censorship, the opportunity to tell me what you think about this. >i .... For yourse.lf I maintain .1 mt~ friendship.
(sgd) Fr. Dominique Pire • •
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Translation.
1. It is a mistake to consider China at the present time as being a world super power. For good or ill, its potentialities are confined, from the material point of view, tot he Pacific and the South of Asia. The other two super powers, Russia and America, are the only two powers which, it can be said, have real world importance in the presP~t sense. I am speaking of the present. If, in the future, things change, we __ will then revise our points of view.
2. The American attitude towards China has been completely wrong from the start~ Up to about 1945-1-+6, this was directed towards being a good attitude tovrards both parties, the Communists and the Nationalists, whereas officially the United States recognized the Nationalists who held the Government. - This was the official policy of the United States, even when the Communists had taken the crn1ntry into thier hands in 1949; if this policy had r~mained the same, there would today be no Chinese problem. However there was a sudden change in American forej_gn policy, not only as regards China but alsot~r regards the whole socialist world (that is to say Russia), and consequently/bec~e part of the cold war full of hostility towards the socialist ~ountries. ).Whether because of the error made by the Americans or whether because of the harriness oft heir nature, it remains that the Chinese have themselves now adopted a policy of non-compromise with the rest of the world, except a ~ompromise dictated by themselves. It is a policy of turning back on to itself, of autarky and of exclusiveness. In other words, China has today taken up a position similar to that of earlier periods in its history, whe~ for long periods the rest of the world and herself liv.ed without knowing one another. 4. In such circumstances, few persons would be a'BI!he to do anything at the present time. China ·seems to be shaping its destiny in its ~wn way, and anyone claiming to understand the Chinese enigma fully would be very rash. . Of course this enigma will finally· be clarified as time.goes on, since it is probably not possible for any country to cut itself off from the rest oft he world for long. But till that time it would be imprudent for anyone to attempt anything and to intervene. 5. On the international level, as regards China, it is certainly essential that the Americans make no more mistakes, that is to say that what is necessary is:- a- to stop the provocative and merciless war in Vietnam. b- to grant to China its place in the United Nations. c- to recognize China and to abandon the policy which consists in distinguishing two Chinas, since this brings frictions. It is also necessary for -the other countries to help in this process by persuading the United States to act in the right direction and not to become involved in the wrong path. .,:· ·" ./. -2-
- ' ·~. . 6. A word about Czecho-5lov'lkia. You have seen that, with few exceptjons, all the countries concerned have admitted that this is a private problem be+.vreen ·the USSR and Czecho-Sloval:r:i.a. Any intervention coming from outside would help neither Czecho-slovakia.not world peace. There is the example of Jugo-slavia and of Rumania who have each sho~m that that they could act on their own, on relying on the support of their own people. If they had made an appeal for world help, this would have turned against them as was the case with Hungary. · This is a real iesson of our times. 7. Allow me to tell you, in a general way, that a State is not better because it is small. A small country nan be as malevolent as a great one. In each oroblem, th~ widest possible view must be taken, taking all the data into consideration. But I think that, for a worker for peaee, ·there is a simpler practical criterion which consists in asking oneself : "In what way does this problem or this question affect world peace?" And pennit me to tell you that, in this connexion, a small country has· always as much responsibility as a great one to shQw moderation and common sense •
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August 20th 1968
Your Excellency,
I have been able to think over the 7-point note you wrote me. I feel in agreement with you on points l, 2 and 3. On point 4, I ask myself is it really rash and imprudent to do anything whatsoever? On po)nt ~, the question arises as to how to infiuence countries which in their tu"."P are able :to influence the USA. No objection t'o point 6. Point 7 makes me think that we have not understood one another : perhaps as a result of the fact that we think and speak in different mother tongues. I have never thought that a State '·ras better because it was small. I believe just as much as you do that a small counjry may be ce malevolent as a great one. But the problem which my conscience has to face is the following:- a diarchic division of the world (USSR -USA) - towards which we appear to be tending= obliges each one (small countr,y, or individual of these) to choose between the Pax Americana or the Pax Sovietica, or els:: with his eyes shut, to accept a Pax Americano-Sovietica such as the Soviet schoiar Sakarhov would picture in his peace plan for the year 2000. I pose to ~Jself the question of counterbalancing this absolute diarchic power, and I wonder - in these optics - what should be the role of the small countries {eHher alone, or tbgether) and of individuals. When you have the opportunity, will you be so kind as to ·let me have a second note? Thank you very IIIIld1 indeed. I' ., r Sincerely yours,
{sgd) Fr Dominique Pire •
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Personal.
August 22nd 1968
Your Excellency,
How much I regret not having added, in my letter written the day before yesterday, thaG, as regards point 6 in your note, my remarks relative to point 7 (counterbalancing) were valid for point 6 on Czecho-slovakia.
Can you really affirm that Budapest happened because Hun~~~ made an appeal for world aid? Is it not more right to . say that there was a national uprising, which was put down through•. bloodshed? . As to your allusion to Rumania and Jugo-slavia, I think that it is necessary only to take a look at a map of Europe in order to grasp why, @Ographically and not for reasons of prudence, Czecho-slovakia disturbs the Russians while Rumania and Jugo-slavia do not make them anxious (or only a little) not being situated ( or being little situated) on the Iron Curtain. It is unnecessary to tell you that the invasion of Czecho-Slovakia , even if this is in line with the biological needs of the USSR, makes me despair, and that the slenderness of the pz:e~ .xt~ invoked disgusts me; it would have been better if the Russians had said that '.;.,. :; iuight is right. Forgive me for .sending you this disillusioned line. I have often defended the USSR for its efforts towards greater social justice. I per8eive that she is tending towards diarchy with her American companion. ·
Very amicably yours,
(sgd) Fr. Dominique Pire•
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Translation.
August 22nd 1968 Mr. Alexander Dubcek c/o President Svoboda Prague (CSSR)
MY dear friend Dubcek,
I am unknown to you, as you were to me six months ago, Your smile, your efforts to reconcile a maximum amount of liberty with the maximum social justice, have conquered me. At this moment you are suffering, still more for your people than for yourself (for, I do not doubt, you have weighed your risks and taken · your responsibilities). I just want, quite simply then, to share with you in your sadness and to express to you ~ admiration for you. There is little likelihood that my letter will reach you. But i tell you with certitude that it will reach your children and your compatriots. You wished to find once more,with your people and for it, a certain freedom of thought and expression. Both of us understand the "danger" represented by this in the eyes of Russian Stalinists. The latter indeed helped the mou.iiks to live less as slaves than they did under the Czars. But your compatriots -like mine - have known freedom and what is the price of freedom. They know that freedom does not consist - as in the USSR - in taking a l'talk in a va.st playground belonging to a primar,y school, surrounded by walls and gUarded by overseers. Your compatriots have felt, like you, ,that the union between freedom of thought and i•. the maximum of social justive is possible - and I myself remain convinced of this. You will personally, at first, be a victim of the counter-shock which is brought on by your action. If even in a Gaull:i&st regime, which is itself only a somewhat debonnaire totalitarianism, journalists are punished because they are "guilty" of having demanded the right to correct news·, one can only expect excessive severity from a Stalinist regime, for which censorship; political prisons, even swmnary execution, are "nonnal" methods. But - I should like to say to you - you will not have acted in vain. If my letter reaches by one means or another, ~ dear Alexander, may it be like a reparation of the kiss of Judas which you have agreed to to save your people. You t · have pushed wisdom so far as to advise them not to provoke mass murders, for which your . occupiers ask only that you give t!}em the pretext. Y Entirely yours, ., (sgd) Fr. Dominique Pire. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1958. • il U Thant Secretary General of the United Nations New York. U o S oAo he heart open to the world 't • • ' Note ror the Record Messrs. Samuel Qyedeji and Linus A. Bassey, President and Secretary, respectively, or the Nigerian Students Union in the Americas, Inc., came to see me at their request in the company or rive other members or their Association, ror the purpose or delivering the attached statement which they wished to bring to the attention or the Secretary-General and the members or the United Nations. Mter I inrormed them that statements were circulated in the United Nations only at the request or Member States or the Organization, they agreed to their declaration being channelled through the Human Rights machinery. They also lert a large sized scroll containing the same statement. Jose Rolz-Bennett 23 September 1968 ~· f ON THE EVE OF THE 1968 FALL SESSION OJ!\ THE IDHTED NATIONS ORGANIZATION, THE NIGERIAN STUDENTS UNION IN THE AMERICAS, INC., IN THE SPIRIT o:P THE IDHTED NATIONS' PRINCIPLE OJ!' BROTHERHOOD AND PEACE, APPEALS THROUGH HIS EXCELLENCY U. TRANT, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS, TO ALL NIGERIANS, IRRESPECTIVE OF TRIBE, TONGUE OR CREED, TO SINK THEIR DIFFERENCES AND WORK FOR PEACE, UNITY AND PROSPERITY IN OUR OWN DEAR FATHERLAND. OUR HANDS OF FELLOWSHIP ARE HEREBY STRETCHED TO OUR IBO BROTHERS AND SISTERS- PLEASE COME BACK. LONG LIVE ONE NIGERIA! LONG LIVE UNITED AFRICA!! LONG LIVE THE UNITED NATIONS!!! ) . ,.., /\-'\ .- i ... . t-(/.r , _,...... _ _ --;r...._____~ f/ . . LINUS A. BASSEY SECRETARY, N.S.U.A. PRESIDENT, N.S.U.A. SEPT. 23, 1968 • atr,y • ---- •• TftL~ORAPHIC AOCn£S9 ':" ~L.EPHO N C! N U !Ioll". EP: : WESLEY, WELBECK LONDON, N .W . I 2541 M HODIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY 25 MARYLEBONE ROAD LONDON, N. W .1 HOfvi/HR 29th July, 1968. His Excellency U Thant, Secretary General, United Nations Headquarters, New York, u.s.A. Your Excell~ncy, I write on behalf of an ecumenical conference. of 290 Christians which met in St. Peter's College, Saltley, Birmingham, U. K. from July 25 - 28. The Conference was deeply disturb'ed at the reported refusal of U.K. Gpverpment to change its policy on the supply of ar1!ls to l'Jigerian Federp.l Government. The C~nference passed the enclosed resolution. I call your attention to paragraph three and inform you that, on behalf of the Conference, I am approaching the Joint International Department of the British Churches and British Nissionary Societies. HO'IIever, the matter is now so urgent that I approach you directly on behalf of the Copference. Do you think it is possible for you to take an initiative with our Government in particular? Our concern is not purely humanitarian. We believe that it will be impossible to arrive at a just settlement of this fiigpute by fightin~ or by threat of superior military power. It is our view that this is one conflict which can only be properly repolved if the nations of the \vorld decide to disar m both sides by refusing to supply them with further arms. Assuring you at all times of our prayers for your life p.nd your work. Yours sincerely, j,\ l'-y {\ . 1\l \'\_ a_,_ - ~ The Revd. Harry 0. Morton, Genera l Secret ary. ,. * ~ # ., \I ,. j The Conference sends warm greetings to Christians in Biafra and Ni geria. We affectiona tely urge you to persuade the Nigerian and Biafran a utho r iti~s to a~ree terms for the end ·or the fighting, and to mak e immediate arrangements for the relief of the starving and the homeless . The Conference urgently r equests the U.K. Government to sunpend the sale of arms to the Federal Government and to join with other governments in securing a continuin~ embargo on the supply of arms to the combatantse The Conference asks the Joint International Department of the British Counci.l of Churches and the Conference of British Missi onary Societies to join us in requesting the Secret ary-General of the United Nations to find ways of persua ding all governments, and especially the U.K. government, to cease t.he Eupply of arms to the co mba tan t s . i~'e ca;l.l on British Chris tians to join us in pressing the U. K. Gover nme t to stop the supply of arms, and in supporting the appea l s for reliof , especially t h~ World Council of Chur ches for ~'1'3 ,0 00, 000 for r ehabil i tation. ' l • .. .., ~ - It STATE OF NEW YORK M. T. F. CA. lt~I:NDALJI, M. D . DIEPARTMENT OF HEALTH MI:DICAL DIIIII:CTOIIt ' ~~PHEN ~ F9~STENZER HOLLIS S. INGRAHAM, M. D. ' COIOIISSION•R "" ,(/.. .t.-:"':. ~~tfl~ ATO~ 2 ...... DIVISION OF MEDICAL SERVICES 3 NEW YORK STATE REHABILITATION HOSPI -Action Cornr , ~ - A:::!mowled 0' STEPHEN c. MAHADY, M . D. WEST HAVERSTRAW. N.Y. 10993 TEL· 914•947·300 ASSISTANT COMMISSIONI:R 0 -No A ~ tio .:I -e i IN1TI.I\ LS ...... August 14, 1968 The Honorable U-Thant Secretary General The United Nations p I') 3 - ( New York, New York Dear Sir: I kno~ the present situation in Nig~ria/Biafra disturbs you as terribly as it does anyone else in the world. As a private concerned individual, I have found little that can be done immediately. Ever ything waits on the belligerent-~ who are in no hurry to make peace. It seem9 than that the cas ~ alties will continue to mount and that these will be children numbering into the millions, I would like to request permission ! to install a pl~ue or painting in the United Nations lobby to commemorate these deaths. Such a ~es ign wo uld show starving children as a background to portraits of the World's pplitical +ea~ers in such appropriate attitudes of concern as having their fingers in their mouth, etc . There could be perpetual recordings of children's lullabies if you wish. I would, upon permission, enlist a committee to collect contributions and such publicity as can be gained f ~r this purpose . All books would be carefully audited and available for your inspection. Permission cf your office would be of help in helping us l a unc h such a campaign. Since the expect a tion is that the children will all die, there is no hurry on their part. However, if I can launch the campaign immediately. I am sure it would please the President of the United Sta t es who has a strong desire to be known to history for his good deeds. I would, of course, seek thru letters and advertisemeht the President's personal endorsement. I doi not know if s uch a campa i gn could receive your persona l endorseme nt. It would be welcome both for your offic i a l position a nd for your personal record as a huma nitaria n. (1) I i11ll interested only <1s a personal matter. I am an employee of the Nev1 Yo r k I St;Jte Department of Health and am Coordinator of Rehabilitation Services at the Ne~o.• York State Rehabilitation Hospital at West Haverstraw. Since ely yours, / : (- j (I --( . t. ---- i_ ~ 1---'> _ _( - ~ l-· .___ . Bernard Weinstein Physical Rehabilitation Coordinator BW/jkk P.S. I can also be reached at my horne address which is as ollows: 90 West Eckerson Road Spring Valley, New York 914 - EUZ-267 3 RO~I'ING SLIP FICHE DE TRANSMISSION TOa Mrs . 4i ra .• Aa FOR ACTION POUR SUITE A DONNER FOR APPROVAL POUR APPROBATION FOR SIGNATURE POUR SIGNATURE PREP ARE DRAFT PROJET A REDIGER FOR COMMENTS POUR OBSERVATIONS MAY WE CONFER? POURRIONS~OUS EN PARLER? YOUR ATTENTION VOTRE ATTENTION AS DISCUSSED COMME CONVENU - AS REQUESTED SUITE A VOTRE DEMANDE NOTE AND FILE NOTER ET GLASSER NOTE AND RETURN NOTER ET RETOURNER FOR INFORMATION XX POUR INFORMATION Date: 3.4.69 FROM: J. Holz- Bennet t DE: CR.l3 (11-64) - - ... cc. COMMITTEE 313/5 Caledonian Road FOR London N1 01 -607 0465 24th February 1969 /. Chairman: Lord Brockway U Tha.11t Secretary-General United Na t ion s New York. Dear U Thant, I am sendi ng you by separat e mai l a copy of the official record of last Thursday's debate i n the House of Lords on t he Nigerian/Biafran war. You will see that I concentrated upon proposals for peace, and I believe the formula which I suggested in Column 950 might open t he way. You will see my reference t o t he United Nations. I a ppreciate that ~ c anno t inter vene po s itively in a dispute which a member. state regards as i nt ernal, but I do hope the proposals I ma·d:e- in this respect may be considered and may prove acceptable. With cont inued a ppreciaten of all you are standing for, Si ncerely yours ~~ FENNER BROCKWAY 6 MARINA LAGOS April ~Oth, 1969. H.E. the Secretary- Gener al, United Nations, U.N . Plaza, New York. Your Excellency, On behalf of the Trust ees and Executive Committee members of the "Lady Hunt Nigerian War Homeless Children's Fund" I wish to thank you for the kind mes sage which, I am sure, will encourage many more people to help these unfortu nate little children who have lost every other hoFe of a happy family life. - - - - p u t t u tl + p •• 4 11 2 ' p / I u 1/ I 1 U I • J /4 z l l I I tlO + L + .. - .., / WITH THE COMPLIMENTS OF THE ASIAN AFRICAN ASSOCIATION OF JAPAN Tadao Oshima , Representative Director, The Asian-African Association of Japan, 21-4,4-chome,Kamimeguro,Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153 May 24,1969 Dear Friend: j It !~pressed . me deeply that you rernembe::ll!dmy name. In any way, I have to beg your pardon t hat I am sending a letter now after very long time since I received your emergent letter. I was writing an article to propose to Tl e Japanese ::iociety of .t;thnology when I received your letter. I will enclose its summary for your reference because it has a purport t o .make the followi ng facts clear: how the nation o£ Japan suffered by the complex racial problem in ancient time and ! o~e d ~inally the united · nation by means of various suitable policies based on the admirable view which had been carried out by the "Tenno"(Emperor)-Government of the · leading nation. I established, a.s you know for a certainty, the Japan '"'!Ghana Associat i on as a sister organization of the As ian-African Asaociation to promote fraternity among Japan n.nd Ghana and every African·. But, unfortunately to the Assoc.,it obligbd to dismissal by the unexpected miss-cast at 1 s t. The Assoo.became a victim of the profiteers. Taking their advantage of the windfall position--the pre sident of the company became the president of the J-G Assn.-The Sanyo El ctric Compm. y cooperated wi th the forme r Nkrumah Re gime secretly and established a mono pol y achievement na.med the Ghana-Sanyo E '~.e ctric Corporation. But, t hey failed to purge the founder,the sole General Director,und to catch the As sn. Besides, t he re happend the coup d't at' in Ghana accidently for t hem. Ghana was suffering by the shortage of foreign currencyo Accordingly,the profiteers di t"'a "'pointed on the eituation--specinlly o t he future of t he ir inv~stmerit. And, the facts that they plotted to dri ve away the Founder became plain to all t he member. They,com'bined be t r yers, obli ged t o break out the Assn.dishonorably makinf" the ~'ounder collapse . Furthermore,they interrupted reconstruction of t he Assn. by me ans of the intimate business cont acts with the new Ambassador whJn~othin about the hietorical i mportance of the amity organization. 'ven t he Gover nment of Ghana, Lt~lhkr a and t he Ministry of External Affairs promi sed to me to invest i gate t he case, t hey he ld the i r tongues finally. I heard,neverthe l e sely, th~t Ankrah lost his p~si tion by a bribery, recentl~{ :J Setting aside t he priva te problem t hough it is my apology,! must expr ess my hear tily sympathy for t he mi serable s ituation of Bia:fr an. I believe t hat the cause of the tragedy ·has ori ina.ted in t he unna.t u.rnl division of Africa. though it ilas all necessity of t he Wo rld history. O:f cau e there may be no condition to realize a ~u ffici e nt unification in the society which cons i s t of tribal units . But, in the caae of one Nigeria , I suppo e, it includes too uch differences. Is rtt i t ? Of cause we know t hat t her e 1e t~»X~xiMxii a tradition o~ union as a rit i sh Colony in t he long t e rm . Addit ion lly, the r e will be a possibility to ·or m a condition of reconoil i ~tion , th ou gh some conflicts wil l occur someti m s among different tribea, even in the case of polytribel nation, in the lon,1; time of co-ux i a tence • .But i n t 1.e rec ~ nt case of Bf. t:;ra , "t he Independence" signifytlldrvill .. r~i ch wish to make clear inside contn. f t ions and does not wish to 1!11fJ'llle ~"n.t unre~ onableness. And it bro ·"ht about the. :fearfull opposition n.nd stru.ggle. However, I believe, more possible miserable situation shnll be avoided when some influencial third power move earnestly to a j us t the di puted points. N verthe less, even the influencia.l PC?.wers themse lves are in more macroscopic whirlpool. U.K.and u.s.s.R.will not reco ~nize Binfra's sece ssion.--This case , I think, is not the same to the case of t he f o!:_me_r Leopotd¥ille Congo and Katanga Province or Mali Federati on and enegal, especially "Viet-nam". The Biafr~ problem is,purely,a pr ob lem of t he nation of the post-African Age. om ~rincipally--- The path of Biafra, the pos sibility of her independence _, is_ uery 3'teep· under the r ecent s ituation. And,at the same time , it is ver1 l ong way t o r ealize an unity as one nation after a· b ig bloodshed and starvation. The tbird forces which have some pos itive relation to t he iosue now. will a 1mo st ~ J powerless. How they can ~ o nquer the recent deepning antagonism though the unity is the final ideal or a better way! If so, the fight which has contr adictory objectives that "Independence" and "Unity", should be cease its unfruitful! hostilities immediat elly. And the truce shall have ,under the prlsent phase ,such a f orm that the Ni ger ia r'ederation army stop their attck on Biafr a and both side esteem t he t emporaly boundary( the border of the Province) Therefore , more concrete ·process will become t he followin _,: 1) ~etup of a cooline-off period to soften the acuted feelings (a test secess ion or independence of Biafra,necessaril- y) 2) Intercha~ of economy a.nd culture in the mo t favored t r eatment. 3) An amity promoting interchange of specific personn~l. 4) Self-enlightenment of each rieht and duty,narne ly,promotion of mutual unde-rstanding . 5) The third powers suspend all political and military iJ?.terference for the both sides except for reconciliat ion. 6)U.N.and o• • U.a.chi eve their positive roles contacting with the present third powe rs concerned too,to realize above mentioned objectives . An d , aft er f itting period, Bia:fra express he r will o~ r epartici pation or independence t hr ou 0 h U. N. or O.A.U. How do you think about such an "opinion? I intend to appeal to the auth orities concerned including Japanese Government in the name of our. As so ciation. I am very happy if you let the enclosed sulil.Illo..ry on "T he Hi t ory of Em ishi" (above mentioned) ,a piece of my investigation on the history of Japan,make your r eference. Wishing you and your compatriot's happiness. Sincerely yours, ~ Tadao Oshima Enclosure: ltTho History of Em ishi" 2) tHI ASlAN-AFRlCAN (A·A KENl ASSOCIATION OF JAMN ll-4, &-aome Kami-JDe8111'o. Mepro-ku., TokJo, J..- 1'KL:718-&906 £;r.' ~ n... /~ CWO ~\, H. !·: . U Tha.nt Secretary General ,U.N. ,New Yor n. /'~ ~\\ ' JBB/eh ir, y • 1nc y, c. iT Co . . TOU LOOKED INTO BIAFRAS PAIN fOR THERE, OVER ON! '}· . ~- . KUMArl BEINGS HAVK DIED VKILE fME U.N. HAS TWIGGLED . '. I , , • THUMBS AND CLXXX CALLED IT AN AFRICAN 'PROBLEM. BRUCE PIAYROCK -!i' CONSIDERED IT A HUMAN PROBLEM. IF YOU DID TOO AND TOOK A MEANINGFUL INITATIVE FOR PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT THEN PERHAPS BRUCE .MAYROCK WILL NOT HAVE DIED . IN VAIN AND PEACE ·COULD BE MORE +THAN A STATE ROliTJNG SLIP FICHE DE TRANSMISSION ~ TOa Mrs. Mira A: -- FOlt ACTION POUR SUITE A DONNFR FOR APPROVAL POUR APPROBATION FOR SIGNATURE POUR SIGNATURE PREPARE DRAFT PROJET A REDIGER FOR COMMENTS POUR OBSERVATIONS MAY WE CONFER? POURRIONS-NOUS EN PARLER? YOUR ATTENTION VOTRE ATTENTION AS DISCUSSED COMME CONVENU ' AS REQUESTED SUITE A VOTRE DEMANDE NOTE AND FILE NOTER ET CLASSER NOTE AND RETURN NOTER ET RETOURNER FOR INFORMATION XX POUR INFORMATION FROM: Date:l5.7.69 J. Rolz-Bennett DE: CR.l3 (1Ul4) - ' 1' · ·, t' ' \ .·. '\ YZ12 S CUN) ~ 125/123 14 1708Z UNGOVT : ETATPRIORITE , OMNIPRESS ...... - ' LONDIN 888 KINDLY TRANSMIT TO SENDERS FOLLOWING REPL ~~UOTE ON BEHALF SECGEN WISH TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR MESSAGE OF ONE JULY CON CERNING RELtEF SUPPLIES IN WAR-AFFECTED AREAS OF NIGERIA. SECGEN, WHO IS DOING ALL HE CAN TO GET RELIEF SUPPLIES : P3/23 :: DISTRIBUTED TO CIVILIAN ~OPULAriOK' AFFECTED BY HOS~ITILITIES, HAS TAKEN NOTE OF YOUR MESSAGE. SINCERELY, JOSE ROLZ·BENNETT, USGSPA UNQUOTE : ·------~~------~----' . . ,,.... ~_:... ~ • ' ' . 't ROLZ-B EN NETT + . · COL 3.32 + .- ... . . ------..------. "' . . . .', . .. I I - --r------, I ! . . UNA!ION 222422 RC 13 SJ C PTV7Sl9 LTB0164DA5230UYS~l3 222422QN URPU CO LONDON 46 30 1'38 U!HANT UNITED lvAT!ONS NEwYORK I URGENT REQUEST YOUR PERSONAL INTERVENTION TO ARB~NGE A~D . GUARANTEE ~. RRIVAL OF'. RELIEF" SUPPLIES El¥ AIR FOR BlAFRA STOP CONFIDENT THAT YOU ARE FULLY Al.it'i. ~E OF DESPERATE: UR- t l r ., ~ GENCY TO PREVENT MASS STARTAVTION OF PUPULATION .:: :& · ~ · ' ~ I • .,, . ·. ' - ~ !HE R'IGHT hO~J JEREMY THORP HUGH FRASER J/~f'iES ·: ., ' . GRIFFITHS • \. . · 'l..~ ' CFN ORO ' ROUTING SLIP FICHE DE TRANSMISSION TOr l'irs. Mira Jj ' ' FOR ACTION POUR SUITE A DONNER FOR APPROVAL POUR APPROBATION FOR SIGNATURE POUR SIGNATURE PREP ARE DRAFT PROJET A REDIGER FOR COMMENTS POUR OBSERVATIONS MAY WE CONFER? POURRIONS-NOUS EN PARLER? YOUR ATTENTION VOTR.E ATTENTION AS DISCUSSED COMME CONVENU AS REQUESTED SUITE A VOTRE DEMANDE NOTE AND FILE NOTER ET CLASSER NOTE AND RETURN NOTER ET RETOURNER -- FOR INFORMATION XX POUR INFORMATION Date: 17. 9. 69 FROM: J. Rolz-Bennett DE: CR. 13 ( 11...64) I '"- cc. Mr s . Mira 8 ~""--•nar 1 69 AU,II!,li&Dt 1..969 I ...-e 1 tt • COMMITTEE 313/5 Caledonian Road .· ' I FOR London N1 01-607 0465 lj ~ I 8th September 1969 ij ., Chairman: Lord Brockway . \ His Excellency U Thant Secretary General United Nations Ne1.1 YGrk . De.'3.r U Than t, I enclose a copy of theimportant letter which I have rRc ei ved from General 0 ju1;:wu . J. hope very much that fruitfuJ. consideration will be Given to his proposals . ~~incer ely yovrs :F·ENNER BROCK'v'l AY t.,.' '· ,.J. '· ,. . .. • J ~ J \ COMMITTEE FOR PEACE 313/5 Caledonian Road IN NIGERIA London, N.l ******************* 01-607-0465 •.. 8th Septeober 1969 Q£EY- Letter from General Ojukwu. ... 18th August 1969 Lord F. Brockway House of Commons Westminster, London My dea r Lord Brockway, I recP-ntly held discussions with Mrs. Anne Kerr, Labour MeQber of Parliament, who visited us. I was not only full of admiration for lllr. Kerr's couJ:.'age, but also appreciative o;f lr the encouragement you had g iven to her to undertake the trip. . M:cs. Kerr referred to s ome misconception in Britain a bout our peace posture, a nd I thought I should take this opportunity to clarify the position. As you may well recall, the Biafran Government agreed to the four-stage peace formula submitted on your l ast visit by your Lordship a nd your distinguished coll ~ue, Mr. J ames Griffiths. This would have involved an unconditional cessation of hostili ties; a c o oling-off period? an international peace keeping force; and the r esumption of negotiations. These J.1urnane and sensible proposals were, of course , rejected by Lagos . . I wish t o emphasise that the Biafran Government's position on unconditional n egotiation still stands. For such negotiations to succeed , Biafra is willing t o accept the following stage I I by-stage approach: a) States friendly to both Biafra and Nigeria should f irst meet t o c lGa r and 8stablish common grounds . This would avoid initia l direc t confrontrrtion which , in the present sta te of bitterness and distrust between both sides , will only l ead t o acrimony; b) Representat ives of both Biafra and Nigeria should then meet ; and finQlly c ) A meeting of the principals, who hold untimate authority and are therefore in a position to fully commit their side . Bo r this , I am afr a i d I would have t o insist on a-~essation of h ostilities or a truce, as I cann ot leave Biaf ra whilst the hostilities are s till on. I would be willing to forego this if it is agreed to h old the -. meeting in Biafr a . You may observe from this that it is not true that we ha ve made a c essation of hostilities a pre-condition for a ny negotiation . It is my b elief, h owever, that this wi ll create a n atmosphere conduciv e t o meaningful t alks , and demonstra te the part i e s preference for a negotiate d settl ement. ., . 1 I hope y ou will find thi s u seful and that it will assist ')i y ou i n y our e fforts t o r e -establish peace bet ween Biafra and Nigeria. Meanwhile , I avail myself of this opportunity to ' renew t o you the ass urances of my h ighest consi deration and esteem. :~·,: 0 Yours very sincerely, •'. C. ODUI,illGWU OJUKWU. Janua ry 21, 1970 De a r Secreta-ry U Thant, The mi lita ry of Nigeria pr·omised there would be no reta liation. But all the government does is sit and do nothing, and that is mass retaliation. While they do nothing, thousands of peop le are dying of starvation. They have the means to prevent this, but not the desire. On your trip to Nigeria you accepted the government's· word concerning the conditions of the Ibo. That is not reasonable. Your obligation to yours elf, the UN a nd the world was to g o inside f a llen Biafra and see for yourself. Take no one's worq,but to use your own eyes. Th i s a probl em of Prime Importa nce to the world and conse~uently should be firs t on your a genda . The Nigeria n government can withstand the criticism of a few nations, but not the condemnation of the whole world. This is the power of the UN: to show them the world holds t h e m responsible for p reventing the stored grai n and supplies from being delivered a nd utilized i mmedia tely. Th e UN should pool all of its resources a nd pressure Nigeria to a llow it to be delivered. God direct you to do everythin g you can and do it ~uickly. Time is lives. If nothing i s done, you as h e ad of t h e UN, and e a ch nation in the world must acc ept respons ibility for a llowing mass murder, e qual only t o Hitler's attemp ted e x termina tion of the Jews . THE WEATHER Cloudy Thursday; high 14. Cold tonight; low zero to -10. FINAL High t o d a y 5. Complete weather on Page 56.) DAYTON DAILY N __ s Vol. 93, No. 134 Dayton, Ohio, Wednesday, January 21, 1970 68 Pages 10un.. '-- _;,____.. - "(_____ EYEWITNESS REPORT Biafra a Hell-Hole of ape, Death By HUGH A. MULUGAN hunger, hemeles&ne~~S and r9n Once-proud lbo tribe6men beg, f ight for food. oro were "such monsters" he refugees faced death. About never the nurses go any OWERRI, Nigeria --1.8- tusion t.came. Page 10. ly :well ought to Jet 600 were crammed Into· the 'TheY· where without an escort, ••es• The first newsmen aUowed in EVERYWHERE refttgtiiS be dea, ceatiPued. "NO\t tiny Niger Maternity Home, pecially white ones - the na many of them lying motionless si4e fallen Biafra • w fam were on th~ ~. tt>l!lf'r1ng all I've got •o try end fl¥ them tive nurses can always go in the hot sun amid vomit, lsbed ·refugees flal~Ung for their worldly goods pn their ;WOrking in Nigeria leta than aDd ambuliUICes. I'm uot .a up. Don' 8tJ neat them unt..S bush if something happens." dust and files. food, looting by Nlprian sol heads, huntfag lost ~ban>!r. two weeks, leaned hiJ llead dector, I'm • bloody qper ytN've ca-.esptns on MulUpn diers and heard serm-ai first and cblldren, trying ulesper agai n 's t an ambulan~ and (poUceman):• your nO&'I~ WJ'HE YOUNG GIRLS are band accounts of w.amen being ately to chu&e theirflilafran wept with rage. A GROUP OF British con 'DIE DOCTOR SAID ha had The doctOt, frOm Colchester, afraid to come out of the bush, struction workers took up a Such scenes were repeated raped by victorious Nigerian money iDto Nlg8rlan p)unds to "I've had Lugers stuck in just returned from an open would only :,live his name as they are terrified of what will troops. buy what food was available collectIon to find food for endlessly In the newsmen's both my ears," he sobbed. field where 80 to 100 woUilded ••Doctor PIIJI." Without nam happen," Ibo novelist Cyprian them. They said three to four at liUie impromptu roadside 150-mlle of lbo For The farther the press party "My life has been threatened Biafran soldiers were "lying ing the • he said the sol F;kwensl told the newsmen. died daily. tour land. markets. m p t e e n times by soldiers in their own pus and excre •'There is now a saying among all Maj. Gen. Yakubu.Gowon's went inside Blafran territory, u diers on ·dltif· Ia die area of Many of the children could A young Brit i ah doetor. wanting to steal my trucks ment, waiting for treatment pedial¢ Jlospitalat Okp- them: •stay in hidinng or you 0 0 iatent:IODS, the worse the conditions of the not move and lay gasping as g d it did not will be conscripted into the that the Nigerian army nurse Elna Petersen of Copen seem army."' and the government r e I i e f hagen tried to feed them. "My sister Bibi was takea machinery could begin coping "God help these children," and raped b;r the solclitts," with the problem. off Lon d o.n e r Les Archer told a university atudent named Uli airstrip, except for a few some foreip newsmen. "No Paul Ohagwa said. TWo potholes, seemed" to be in ex Blat· body else seems to want to. I cellent condition. But it WB$ ran nurses who WOUld anlJ caMot believe this is happen give their names as deserted save for the rusting Teresa ing." and Caroline said they were carcasses of at least six planes raped several times as they bombed in their parking bays passed t h r o u g h roadblocks THE ONCE PROUD lbos, in the final federal siege. trying to make their way out who t h r o u g h education and of the bush. ambition had moved farther geUOpllmes up the ladder of progress than "WE USED TO a night, now we get In Port Harcourt, r e c a p N i g e r I a 's 200 other tribes, 11otldnt,•• tured by fed era ltroops 17 were reduced to begging, with said Ekwensi. "It is lmpera barred all foreign relief months ago and now a state outstretched h a n d s by the qen capital, the state governor en r o a d s I d e, and fighting and cies that helped Blafra. 't tertained topbrassathis clawing each other when a B u t the government has daughter's wedding feast. But food bag fell off a truck or barred all foreign relief agen· just a few miles away, lbo broke at a feeding station. cies that helped Blafra. I::~:~~~-~~,~ ~·;~<6'{"£ *" /•: J J ENRIGHT 5291 ROBINWOOD AV DAYTON OH ~ 5 ~ 31 Secretary U Thant United Nations Bldg. Ne·w York, N. Y. Personal Att: r1 r. U Thant ' U THANT MUST GO! The United Nations is silent and indifferent to the deaths of 2,000,000 Biafrans by starvation. Even now, with imminent death for 2,000,000 million more, U Thant has chosen to underestimate the magnitude of this disaster.by his recent usual IRRESPONSIBLE STATEMENT in Lagos that all was well in Biafra. The SECRETARY GENERAL CANNOT ABSOLVE HIMSELF FROM COMPLICITY IN GENOCIDE.without bothering to seek the truth about the affected areas. HE CHOSE TO SWALLOW NIGERIAN PROPAGANDA dished out to him in Lagos. FALSEHOOD, SUBJECTIVITY AND MISINFORMATION HAS BECOME THE TRADEMARK OF U THANT. Under the LEADERSHIP OF U THANT, THE UN HAS BECOME MORALLY BANKRUPT, HAS ABANDONED ITS DECLARATION OF HUN~N RIGHTS, HAS PRECIPITATED A WAR BY INJUDICIOUS ACTION. It has become a lost hope for man. U THANT HAI?.__BE1'__B,!\X~P. _.Ttl~ TRUST Qf_ HI §__.QFFJ_C~_ ANQ . lViJJ.ST RESIGN. U THANT lVlUST GOI -!:•******* . TH:Z B I AF:t~i :. ASSOCIATION IN THE AMERICAS, INC 1 NEW y'ORK CHAPTER Emmanuel Isu, President 3121 Middletown Road Bronx, New York 10461 January 23, 1970 *{~***~~* cont'd •. 1 -2- NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, EDITORIAL, JANUARY 22, 1970: THE I'.'IEDDLESOME NIR. THANT One of the abovementioned "statesmen" who couldn't bother to dig too deeply into the real situation in Biafra was United Nations Secretary General U Thant, Presumably, lVIr, Thant didn't want to stick his nose into Nigeria's internal affairs, The secretary general has no such qualms however, when it comes to Vietnam. Thant sounded off in Paris on Tuesday to the effect that the biggest problem in Vietnam was finding a new ~overnment for Saigon. That, of course, lS the same tune sung by the Red North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong. Which sort of makes us wonder if the UN wouldn't be better off with a head man who lmows when to keep his eyes )pen and when to keep his mouth shut. *******