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lfnil6d Nations *' BOOth GENERAL PLENARY MEETING ASSEMBLY Thur.day, 20 April 1961, FIFTEENTH SESSION (It 10.80 a.m. Official Records New York

CONTENTS 4. At the very moment when world public opinion is Page Agenda itGIn 92: focused on the historic trial of the century, the new The situation in ...... 381 trial at Jerusalem where a monster stands before his judges, at the very time when several Asian and American countries are working for the complete de­ , President: Mr. Frederick H. BOLAND (Ireland). colonization of all continents, , the still down­ trodden Mrica, is wondering bitterly when the Eu,ropean nations will act to stay the butcher's ann of the tyrants among them, the A.(1olf Eichmanns in their midst. ' AGENDA ITEM 92 5. For day ~er day in these African lands Qf Angola The situation in Angola and Cabinda, the long, sad list of Mrican martyrs grows ever longer. Indeed, they are' t~rrible, the o ·1. The PRESIDENT: At the 966th meeting the butchers. of the Angolans and theCabindans. They ·Assembly decided that this item should be dealt· with began with, the shooting at Leopoldville on 4 January directly ,in plenary meeting. In connr-xion with this 1959. Congolese killed by Portuguese bullets were item, thirty-six Members of the Assembly, have sub­ buried. Yes, ,in the very heart of,Leppoldville, Por­ mitted a draft resolution [A/L.345 a:nd Add.1-5]. tuguese fired on Congolese during the riots at that 2; Mr. DADET (Congo, Brazzaville) (translated time. And today, with a truly Satanic cynical ""lee, they from French): On behalf of the. 'Government of the are continuing the sinister work of their fifteenth century Re'¥ublic of the Congo (Brazzaville)' and of the entire ancestors. grief-stricken Congolese people, my delegation pays a 6. Has the generous and liberal voice of humanism reverent tribute to the meJ:11ory ,of all AngQlan and been so completely stilled throughout Europe that' ..,no ,Cabindan nationalists, to the memory of the hundreds of European State can help to curb, if only in the name courageous women,' the hundreds of innocent children of humanity- and justice, that stream of madness which and young men and women of Angola and Cabinda is still sweeping an Africa that yearns only for· freedom treacherously.mown down by the bullets of a system and peace? ,still carefully and vigorously rn.aintained by a European ·nation which claims to be civilized and shamelessly 7. No! After all, there are limits, even to the worst boasts and vaunts that it is the country wnere Our abuses. The Portuguese abuses in Africa have lasted 1Lady of Fatima, revered by all Christians'of the Roman f(;)r too long. We believe that the Portuguese were the ·Catholic faith, revealed herself. But Fatima-as the first to become directly responsible for the ills from' world now realizes-is merely being used by the hypo­ which the African continent has suffered for hundreds critical Portuguese as a screen the better to mask Satan of.years. Liste!1 to this report by a French journalist, and a devilish regime. Mlchel 'C1erc~ In the French magazine· Paris-Match, of 1 April: 3. The names of all the Angolanand Cabindanfighters ·who fell for the principle of freedom are now enshrined "It is true that the first white men to arrive in the as those of heroes in the sacred pages of the history Congo. were not· all imbued with noble intentions. ·of the struggle of the Africans against men who believed That was in the ;fifteenth century. The Portuguese -who unfortunately still believe-that they· are pre- were hunting Moors on the Atlantic seaboard when idestined to subjugate and enslave, with impunity and the navigator, Diego ICaO, 'dropped anchor in the !for ever, other men on their own land. Yes, they are estuary of the great river. ' :dead, killed, the men and women of Buela, of Cacilha, , "He was chasing a mirage: the liberation of a '.0£ Quidiambo. Yes, they are dead, the dutiful sons and kingdom, the kingdom of 'Prester John', which had the' dear daughters, the martyrs of Angola and Cabinda, never existed save in the imagination of poets. He murdered by thirsting for African blood believed that the Congo would lead him to the heart 'on special mission from the Iberian Peninsula. Yes, they ?f E~t wh~re ~e would be able to wipe out the are dead, those of Bemoo, of Cuimba and Madimba, all l1~dels l~ their laIr. Unfortunately the idealist Diego slain by the machine-guns of the Portuguese pirates. But Cao had madveitently opened the road for the dread­ yours is the glory, you dead 'of AngolaandlCabinda. ful anny of slave traders. Africa will not long continue to offer itself up as a "They swarmed in, .took possession of the estuary ~vholesale sacrifice to a country which is responsible for and turned M'Pinda, in a creek on the south bank Its age-old miseries. For other Africans will emerge from of the ri,:,er, into a great market for the export· of the shadows to' take the places of those who· are in human bemgs. Brought there in caravans, the captives their grav~s. For the Congolese firmly believe that were ... bound together, the nante of the trafficker Africa will, ineluctably, come into its own again. Heroic engraved. on their chains. To mark their road the dead of Angola and. Cabinda, your sacrifice will not Slave trad~rs used to plant.behind them rows of kapok have been in vain. trees, which grow very quickly and very hig-hand S81 AjPV.990 ...... '1 LI'" ,aL: i!!J

382 General Assembly-fifteenth 8elsioD-PleJUlry Meetlq. nati~OCl reproduce themselves over the centuries, so that even thing that is happening in Cabinda and Angola. But before going into detail, I propose to read to the work~Q today the former slave routes are lined by these lation ­ trees. In .four centuries, fifteen million negroes crossed Assembly three documents which were sent to me last the Atlantic. Five million were beaten to death by week for information by the political organizations of Africa the slave traders. As recently as 1877, the corpses the Angalanand Cabindan nationals who have taken the splf. of men who had refused to embark were found, refuge in the Congo. sta.l;1d(n chained together and drowned, near Banana". tries a 14. The fitist document is a memorandum J;:om the been c: And that is how the Portuguese begat! their grim work Alliance des ressortissants de Zombo [Alliance of the the mE in Africa, aithough they had never been called in by Nationals of Zombo] who are now refugees in the equalit~ any African people. Congo. It reads as follows: have n< 8. .The Portuguese are thus the first to be directly "Following the recent massacres perpetrated in "The responsible for all the massacres that have marked .its territory even while it continues to be believed tugal a African colonization. An those massacres are many. at meetings of the international community that no separab But believes that they are still not enough. problem exists in Angola,.the Alliance des ressor­ Portugt 9. In vain did Eichmann flee, in vain did Eichmann tissants de Zombo (ALIAZO), aware of its respon· commit hide and change his name; today Eichmann is on trial ~ibilities, protests most strongly against the false allegations of the Portuguese authorities and of their· "Sin< awaiting judgement. "Five million were beaten to death 4 Febn by the slave traders. As recently as 1877, the corpses delegates to the who, in desperation, continue to mislead world opinion by giving a com­ impriso: of men who had refused to embark were found, chained them b, together and drowned near Banana." And today, in pletely untrue version of the bloody incidents which have occurred in their colonies. been re Angola and Cabinda, thousands of Africans, men PortUgl women and children, are still dying all the time, -"A few days ago, the Security Council, having for so machine-gumled and massacred by the brutal Portuguese before it a well-founded request from Liberia that innumeJ soldiery. Why this. new African. sacrifice? Merely 'the situation resulting from the violation of the fun­ inflicted because the twentieth-century Angotans and Cabindans damental rights of the people of Angola' should be in theiJ are refusing to embark on the slave-ships of the considered, was unable to obtain the requisite number animals slave traders. The infamy of Portugal! of votes to deal as it should with this question relat­ armed 10. Sickened to the core by the continual massacres ing to the plight of millions of people who are shame­ inflames which are taking place beneath the eyes of the Con­ fully persecuted and humiliated in their own country we wan golese, my Government has instructed me to call the im­ by the so-called Christian eivilizers from Portugal and hut mediate attention of our Organization to the gravity and who cry with all their being for international assistance in. putting pressure on blood-thirsty Por­ "\Ve of the situation, which is deteriorating from week to arE" free week. tugal to negotiate with its colonized peoples in peace and without violence. For need we recall that the Purtugt1 11. Indeed, in the past few days there has been such on the J a recrudescence of the .massacring of Angolans and time when our peaceful people could be intimidated by military parades is past and that force of arms and not Cabindans by the Porh:(guese army that the United whom t1 Nations must act immediately to put a stop to this can bJiing only misery and chaos, not a solution and friendship? cipated, butchery. Day and night the is attack­ to our i ing defenceless men and women; it is supported by an "This body, whose duty it is to guard the peace called 'c air 0 force that is bombarding concentration points and of the world and to prevent any conflict before the are Afri attacking all those·· who are fleeing through the forests worst happens, could not debate the subject because tfAll J towards our frontiers. To give you some detailn, in our there are those still prepared to believe the odious limitatio region alone, in Cabinda-that is to say, under the very lies of Salazar and his accomplices who refer to our Portugal eyes of the Congolese-more than 100 Cabindans, our African countries as 'overseas provinces of a sove­ .Charter .brothers, were savagely massacred last week by the reign Portuguese nation' instead of 'colonies to be Rights, i Portuguese militia. Women and children are fleeing looted and basely exploited', as they have. been in mere fac from their villages to take refuge in the forests, -inces­ fact for five centuries through the perpetuation of to persi: santly and pitilessly pursued by· the Portuguese troops. obscurantism, insecurity and forced fabour. genocide Refu~ees are streaming towards our frontiers and those "Mr. Vasco Vieira Garin, in defending Portugal's slave-tra, of the -Congo (Leopoldville), which must inevitably interests, persists in maintaining this attitude in the too mud give rise to many serious problems between ourselves· United Nations, so that he may with impunity de­ .nize our and Portugal within the next few days, as we can no nounce foreign interference 'in the domestic affairs longer allow Portuguese to assail our brothers while "In Cl of a sovereign nation'--in this case, the New State world to several hundred other Portuguese are living peacefully of Portugal. When he speaks of violation of the among us amassing great wealth. to reasol United Nations Charter in respect of his country,· law of tl 12. It has often been said here that we must do our can he affirm that the Universal Declaration of. allowed' utmost to preserve peace. But by its behaviour in its Human Rights is applied, if only in part, in· Angola delay pr< African colonies, Portugal represents a serious threat and elsewhere in the , or in innocent to that peace. The Portuguese have long made every ~l~ on~ Portugal itself? Since we .. all country, r:an pulous It effort to prevent news of what is happening inside he give the natlles of the-· Africans, particularly th peace? AngoIaal'lQ Cabinda from reaching the outer world, Attgolans, who represent'their regions in the Supra­ but they are no longer able to conceal the truth. We "No! : natianal Parliament at Lisbon, as was always the humanity Congolese know better than anyone why the Portuguese case, even in the colonial era, for the Africans 0 are now driven to put down by force of arms peoples the French Community and· the British Common­ j'ilstice 3J who are. demanding Cllnly justice, _nothing but justice. wealth, who send representatives to: the Parliament accompli< which is 13. .In view of this tragedy in Angola and Cabinda, in Paris and London? To prove to the world th hope'that my delegation has been instructed to reveal here every- sincerity of his statements, can he agree to an intel! 99OthmeetiDc~2() April 1961 lIS na:~ional --But commission of inquiry into the marvel!01.!s What you have just heard is a cry of distrer,s and ) the work!)f Christian civilization and Portuguese assl~l- addressed to the United Nations. Persecution and e last lation 'l\~hich has been carried out by Portugal In humiliation' are forcing these poor people to appeal to ns of Africa f{,r more than four hWldred years, and into all Members of our Organization for help. Let us not taken the splfttldid conditions of peace, happiness and under- deny Angola the assistance for which its shattered sons statldr'llg which prevail between races? If these.coun- are appealing. tries are not colonies, have there ever previously 15. The second document is a c~y of a letter from the rl the been cases of provinces, t~ns of times larger. than Mouvement pour la liberation de l'enc1ave de Cabinda 'f the the metropolitan country Itself, where there IS .no [Movement for the Liberation of the Cabinda Enclave]. 1 the equality of dvic rights be!Wee~ citiz~s and which It was sent to me direct from the Congo for information. have no elected representatives In Parbament? Members of the Assembly are free to judge for them- ~d in "These 'question-marks are ample. proo,£ that Po/- selves how Portugal has behaved and acted. The letter lieved tueal and its alleged 'colony-provinces are qUite reads as follows: . at no separate countries and that the empty. claims o~ the "Further to its telegram of today's date, the Mouve- essar­ Portuguese are designed to ~O"!~r ~rlghtful cnmes vement pour la liberation de renclave de Cabinda ~span- committed under the cloak of cIV1hzation. has the honour to confirm that bloodshed first occurred false "Since the attack 011 the prison at on on 4 April 1961 in the Cabind~ enclave. Un£or- their ebruary last bv patriots infuriated by the arbitra.ry tunately, dozens of people were "killed and hundreds ation, 4 F J f wounded. The panic-stricken population has fled to corn­ imprisonment of their leader$ and bent on reemg the forest, as the Portuguese troops are burning which them by force, these spontaneous revolts which have Id·' h· h b· H· EI been reported from time to time.. in Angola .and the viI ages and ecunatlng t e In a Itants. IS xce - h h k lency Mr. Laurenc;o Pucuta, Baron of Cabinda and aving Portuguese Congo show that the people, eld In c ec representative of the , as well as many for so long, can no longer bear the endless and customary chiefs and nearly all the intellectuals have . that innumerable ve:<>:ations and the inhuman treatment been arrested and deported. : fun­ .inflicted on tht~m almost daily, and 'that the presence "You. will remember that in the memorandwn Id be in their viIIages of hunters-no one knows what Qv 1mber animals they are there to hunt-and of parachutists addressed to the Minister for the Portuguese er- relat­ armed to the teeth against tmarmed people, only seas Provinces in December 1960-a copy of which lame­ inflames their feelings. That is not what we want; was sent; to you under cover of our letter .of 1.1 Jan- untry h· . f d uary 1961~the customary authorities requested the rtugal we want the right to enjoy our erltage In ree om "Portuguese Government, in conformity with the reso- tional and human dignity. lution on adopted by the United Par­ "\Ve bring to the notice· of world opinion that we Nations General Assembly in December 1960, to peace ar{' free-born men, subject to God and not to the open negotiations for a joint study of the means t the Pvrtuguese who came to settle among us as friends of according independence to the Protectorate of dated on the pretext of bringing us Christian civili~ation, Cabinda. The memorandum also requested that the arms and not as' slave-masters; for we do not know from first reform, namely internal self-government, should I and whom they bought us that we should not be eman- ,be put into effect, if possible, by 1 January 1961. cipated, or by what referendum we .answered 'yes' "On 4 January 1961, to the great and general to our integration into Portugal that we should be surprise, the Baron of Cabinda and all the other peace called 'overseas Portuguese'. We do know that we signatories of the memorandum were arrested and e the are Africans and wish to remain so. were deported the same day, without trial, to an cause "All power has its limitations, and the supreme unknown destination. dious ~~espect o our limitation is for the human person. When ('Overco:me with anger the peOple openly displayed sove­ Portugal freely' subscribed ". to the United Nations their wrath to the Governor of the Cabina District, to be Charter and the Universal Declqration of Human upon which the Portuguese troops received order Rights, it recognized that limitation of power by the to open fire. The m.any victims included seventy~ en in amo~lg >n of mere fact of signing. It is vain, therefore, for Portugal three killed and hundreds of wounded, them to persist in i~s fo~y. We ~o n?t want war; the several women and children. There were also many genocide committed In our midst since the end of the arrests and those arrested were deported. The Portu- 19a1's slave-trading days has already weakened our people guese Government is following up this shameful suc- n the too much. All we ask is that Portugal should recog- cess, by continuing its massa.cres and arrests. Many ~. de­ nize our right to a better life and to independence. abandoned children are wandering about deserted vil- . ffairs "In conclusion, we implore all countries .of the lages,with no one to succour them. State f the world to help us in this struggle to bring Portugal "The Mouvement pour la liberation de l'enclave de lntry, . to reason·th~ for, in this century of light; should the Cabinda has never believed that the United Nations In of. law of. jungle, under which 'might is right', be was intended to serve as an instrument to bring Woe ngola allowed to prevail by default? Will those countries upon weak and colonized countries.. The people of >r in delay prodding Portugal into proper behaviour until Cabinda have always turned to the United Nations can . innocent people have been exterminated by unscru- in their struggle for independence in the hope that , , V th " pulous mercenaries, with resulting danger to world the international Organization will give tllem all upra­ peace? requisite support and assistance. In the telegram sent s the "No! For we do not believe that, in the name of to you on 14 October 1960, the people of Cabinda I1S 0 humanity and of human solidarity, peoples whO! love . showed that they recognized and appreciated the mon­ j'i1stice and freedom will remain silent and become efforts being made by the United Nations to put an l1ents accomplices of Portugal in this sordid undertaking, end to colonization. Today, alas, it finds that the :l th which is a disgrace to civilization; and it is in that very resolution which it.· believed would bring it intel1 hope' that we retain our confidence in the future!" " salvation is now recoiling on it like a boomerang. _------.·iI·'ii~.Sii~N :m;;;~C:tiJi'; IlII ..-,!II:•••.·•. ·J:=.i iljliSt;;jntmc '1;24 tELZttfiZiln_\1lII·Itii·iiili'_._"-".--.'."'.'''''. 384 General ~17...... JPifteenth Sesslon--Plenary Meetin8l! !:' Has the resolution",/on the ending of co1onialism crushing indigenour;f pe;!"4Jatio:B.' On plantations, what is adopted by the U11,fted Nations any value in the eyes farms, mines, work s{~es, nativ.es now working under' tcjl fear t of Portugal? If tit has, why these massacres, why threat 'of arms and rectttjtedby fm-ce. This happening irt, the h these arrests? :Jjr it has not, why has. the United Ma-voio, Nanbuangongo, 1V.Ladimba, Quitexe, Fazenda, ana,cabi Nations aroused false hopes? Indeed, this resolution Santa Isabel, Primavera and ';Q.thersites.Alanning is bringing misfortune to the very peoples which it is news massacres by Portuguese wrmedforcesand 20. ~PI intended to' save. -militia rea,ching us every day. Tn Bembe, Cuirnba, have det "It is: with profound bitterness thatthe Mouvement Madimba 'atld other areas slaughter being stepped the Ang up. Entire vi+lages set afire and destroyed :by bombs. themselvl pour la liberation de l'enclave de Cabinda recalls faJ.1lili,~s that, as early as September 1960, it asked the United Whole ki1!ed. Portuguese troops' composed which w N.a.tions to send an international commission to en­ settlers carrying out \\!.ompleteextermination defence-by demo quire into the disturbances which had occurred in iesspeople. They killing men, pre~t women, in- matically Cabinda. Nothing was done about that appeal. En­ fants. Situation desclibed by Portngueseof course among P couragedby the indifference of th~ United Nations as nQrmal. Once again call on humanity to exert and priv. to Cabinda's problems,Portugal is brazenly epples ar) in the.true sense of the word. Portugal will never be ~d foot, are thrown into the ocean ; others are thrust 24; "It is able to make us Congolese believe that things are going lnto -drums of :petrol which are then set 0n 'fire; others and backw wOl1derlully well in Cabinda. We know only too well are ~nged; thus' the 'Work of exterminating Africans income of what 'is actual~y happening there. :contmues. cent illiter zation anc 16. Here is a thirddocUlnent which I have also re­ 19. My delegation wishes to add its anguished appeal accident r ceived direct from Leopoldville. It is a cable \vhich to the repeated appeals of the Angolans and Cabindans, for the d{ has been sent to mefor-irdonnation: whose eyes are turned towards the United Nations. Portuguesl ~'Once again draw your attention to events Angola In part~cular, we .ask ;all the great Powers, and beg Portugues( where Portuguese 'committing indescribable barbari­ them WIth all ,Gur hearts, to lay aside their-differences Railway; t ties. PQrtuguese authorities now calling onPor­ and hasten to save the- peoples whom Portugal is deci· of . tuguese civilians--·,,:all Portuguese colonies .to fmm ma~ing. You ,have heard the facts: the Portuguese are for the, .~ militias. !Settlers, tri~, women and young persons ~lhng l?regnant women and young children. This newS Quelimane being anned bycolbnial administration with aim . 1S nottn the least exaggerated; We Congolese know Marques, c 99Oth· me:edng-20 April 1961 385 ~tions, what is happening near-us. There are serious grounds and the financing of .the largest hydro-electric and under· tol fear that certain attitudes may precipitate' a disaster agricultural schemes now being carried out there. ~ing ii1- the heart 'of Africa if the appeals of the Angolans 25. Since Portugal does not recognize the :African peo­ ~en?a, and (:abindans receive no response. pIe's right to· self-determination, it was forced to impose rmmg Portuguese nationality on us. But to be a "Portpguese ~and 20. :P;prtugal knows better than anyone why things have deteriorated in its African colonies. First of all" Negro-African"--or rather, an indigenous inhabitant­ limba, the Ahgolans and the Cabindans refuse· to consider' does not necessarily mean that one is ca Portuguese epped themselves Portuguese. The Portuguese Constitution, citizen. A racialist law provides that citizenship is not ombs. which was drafted Without any effective participation granted to persons of the. black race or their descendants posed .by democratically elected local representatives, auto­ in the same way as it is nonnaIIy granted to the fence­ matically i~c1uded the. inhabitants of these countries Portuguese. n, in­ among Portuguese nationals, while in practice all rights 26. Even in. theory an indigenous inhabitant has not :ourse and privileges are completely denied to them. Human exert the slightest chance of taking part in public life or the rights, in the accepted sense, have never been respected management of his country's affairs, either directly :chery in these countries, contrary to· the statements of the :efu1ly or through freely chosen representatives. Nor can black Portuguese Government. Freedom of association and . citizens, a minority. amounting to no more than 0.3 per ch we the Press have never been allowed. In Angola and in e will cent of the population of the Portuguese.colonies in Cabinda, every publication of every kind is subjected continental Africa, take part in public life or the man­ enous to a particularly severe censorship. Angolans living in Those agement of their country's affairs, since for over thirty Angola have never been ,;J.ble to denoULtlce in writing years Portugal has been engulfed in a fascist "­ must the least injustice. In social and human, as in political .riible ship. Nor. does any political party exist in Portugal, and economic affairs, the inequalities and injustices are except the National Union, Salazar~s own party. unless humiliating and! flagrant. pIniOn 27. Practical steps have been taken to make it im­ rtures 21. I am not going to invent anythi~g. I shall merely possible for Africans to own town or country property. ention repeat what thos~ under Portuguese colonization them­ It can be asserted that almost all African peasants work lation. selves have said. Yet I should have preferred it if the on land to which they have no officially recognized title.. Lllages representative of Portugal had b...""C11 present here to The law allows, indigenous inhabitants living within deny the following statement drafted by the very tribal organizations only the use of and yield from persons whom. Portugal is oppressing. ~ the land necessary for' dwelling and fanning, while tele­ denying them any title to rural property. Of the 25 mil­ ~r not 22. Portugal, as is well· known, began the modern imperialist expan~ion of Europe into Africa and was lion hectares, of cultivated land in Angola,. about 2 mil­ the first to practise the systematic trade in black slaves. lion belong to a few thOusand settlers. is the : wish After it had played a leading part, through its actions country's most profitable crop, but over four-fifths of ngola. in Africa, in committing the greatest crime of "genocide" the coffee plantations are likewise owned by the settlers. ~nding in history,' fortugaV undertook the military conquest 28. Although over 70 per cent of Angola's agricul­ allow­ of its present colonies in continental Africa, with the tural production comes directly from indigenous agri­ t fast, . help of tbe international imperialist alliance against our culture-worked mainly by women because of the gen­ ession peoples and the self-seeking support'of certain im­ eral practice of forced labour-the income· of .the black ~cribe perialist Powers. However, owing to the heroic resist­ peasant of Angola'is very low. The colonial administra- . ance. of our. peoples, the military occupation of these tion deliberately impoverishes;. the peasants by such uation territories was not completed until about 1920; measures as officially fixing a low pric(;:for crops grown peace 23. Once almost all the' traditional leaders of African by the indigenous inhabitants,. keepiJ:lg ~on~ tight., ~sing societies had been destroyed" Portugal chose the classic theoretica11Y,a.t least,abolishiiig barter, failirig ~to pro­ Ticans method of -direct rule. The fundamental vide real technical assistance~ systematically expelling erican assumptions of Portuguese colonialism have always been Africans from the most fertile land, and the authorities 10 had expressed in these terms: African territory is to be of Angola and confiecate farm tools for ere at considered res nullius; western civilization and culture alleged non-payment of the annual personal tax. 1 shot .have an absolute value unique in the world; the colonial 29. The Portuguese col6nial administration also uses stovao,'; peoples in continental Africa are, mentally and morally, variouspractica1 measures to impose a tight control of ~sb.de . at the animal stage of development. On these assump­ peasant economy. The exploited labour of the African ..;a m· tions, the' Portuguese leaders undertook .a policy of peasant is virtually tantamount to slavery, since the Neto forced &'1I1exation of colonies, spiritual assimilation of single-crop system is imposed by law. In 1953, more t mur· pe()ples arid petice repression. ' than 570,000 indigenous inhabitants of Angola and hand I' thrust 2{ It is obvious, however, that an under-developed Mozambique were forced to grow on an area others and backward country such as Portugal, with a national of over 320,()()():. hectares. These compulsory crops not [deans income of about $150 a year per caput and with 49 per only exhaust Mrican soils but also still further reduce cent illiteracy, can. contribute little to promoting civili­ food crops in our countries-which already suffer from zation and culture among African poeples. It is no chronic rnalnutrition-'unduly raise the cost of living appeal accident that the most important and decisive work in these regions and lead to the direct starvation among ndans, for the development of the African territories under the working masses. ations. Portuguese rule was carried out with the help of oon­ 30; Forced labour is still practised in the Portuguese· ld beg Portuguese capital: these are·the. Beira and colonies. There are many reasons: the ". reduction of rences Railway; the Trans-Zambezian Railway and the port POpulation.:-which is a consequence of tli'e slave trade ; deci· of Beira..Similarly, non..Portttguese capital was used practised for centuries by the Portuguese-the search :se are for the sugar-cane, a.nd. pahn plantations at for cheap African. labour, the Portuguese policy of i neWS QUelimane, the installation of electricity at Louren~o­ genocide, Portugal's economic backwaniness and defi­ know Marques, diamond mining and oil-prospecting in Angola cits in its balance of trade and payments, and the 386 General Auembly-Fifteenth Seuion--Plell81t'J' MeetiDp attempt to obtain foreign currency to subsidize mass profit 'of the Colonial Agriculture COmpi'i\.nY (Sao inadequa immigration by white settlers. The system of forced Tome), the Bank of Apgola, Diamang (the Angolan among t labour has features inherited from slavery. The in­ Diamond Company), Comgeral, Purfina, the Agricul... settle a digenous inhabitants are sold.by the administrative tural Company of Cassequel (Angola) and Sena Sugar permaner authorities to European farmers and companies, which Estates Limited (Mozambique) in 1957 was, on an populatio compete fiercely for manpower. A few years ago, the average, about 49 per cent of their capital. In 1957,' it must' Archbishop of Luanda, in a confidential memorandum all the public expenses. of , the. allegedly tugal is ( . to the Governor of Angola, stated that the official prac­ , Sao Tome and Principe Island to domin .tice of forced labour was responsible for the failure could have been covered by the total net profits of these 40. It i of Christianity to make headway among the Angolan seven finns alone, leaving a surplus of 50 million ment givl masses. In this document the Archbishop revealed that escudos, or an amount greater than that spent in the to adapt the administrative authorities were selling forced same year on public . colonial ~ labourers at a price varying between 1,000 and 1,200 36. Until 1943, the annual personal tax paid by the ~~rao¥~h escudos per head. The authorities defended themselves Angolans was the main source. of revenue for the the main against. the charge of selling blacks by claiming that colony's budget. In Angola, taxes on income, agricul- the aml they were merely hiring them out., Such corruption tur~ exports and earnings from business and other Powers, affects not only the Portuguese authorities, but also, activities have been levied only since 1950. Our wealth armed c( through those authorities, the Mrican 'village chiefs and the product of our labour are used by the Por-' h imposed by the colonial administration. tuguese Government to promote white colonization. The is ~ y t~ 31. The permanent effects of the practice of forced white settlements ofCela and the Limpopo valley have :;~ltaih~ labour are the destruction of African economic life, the already been established with this labour and wealth, disintegration of millions of Mrican families,. the prosti­ work has been carried out 011 the left bank of the guarante{ tution of a considerable number of women, the spread Cuanza and the white settlement of Cabinda is being ~it1 ~~t~ of venereal disease, a reduction in the birth rate and established. One part of the C~la. settlement alone will an increase in infantile mortality, a shortening of the contain about 530 properties with a total area of about military useful life of the worker, the destruction of the relatively 40,000 hectares; 500 million escudos wiU be spent on it, short int independent agriculture of millions of African peasants, or about twenty times as much as the State spent in 1957 ~::~~ the expropriation by settlers of land and other property on agricultural and forestry services in Angola. The abandoned by African forced labourers, and the ,like. Treasury spends about 1 million escudos on these settle- coast and 32. In Mozambique, there is an official trade amount­ · ments to instal each European family. The indigenous in the € inhabitants are not usually allowed to live there. pilot offi ing to over 4OO~OOO Africans a year, who are sent to already t the mines in Rhodesia and South Africa; Portugal has 37. The Africans' health is disregarded. Speaking of considera1 . a financial interest in maintaining this trade, since it health, it should be noted that in the Portuguese colonies manship is one of the only certain. sources of.the foreign cur­ most hospitals and the like are open mainly to the train a r rency needed to accelerate preparations for mass im­ · European population alone. In Angola, for' .instance, barbarous migration by Portuguese settlers and may enable the 84 per cent of deaths among the indigenous inhabitants and civili colony to achieve a satisfactory balance of payments. in 1956 were attributed to senility or to non-ascertained of riflem 33. The practice of forced labour is the fundamental .or unknown causes, according to the information sup- was sent reason for the barbarous massacre of over 1,000 blacks plied by the WorId Health Organization.We may colony tl on the island of Sao Tome in February 1953. The po!nt out, in passing, that infant mortality among the siderably. reduction in exports of forced labourers from Angola Angol&4J.s is .more than 40 per cent. The island of Sao verted in to this archipelago and the rise in the price of.coffee Tome has the highest death rate ~n the world-42 per Angolan .. ~ledccthe-··GoveF'nJ ..nentcofSa(}Tome forcibly t(}impose t~().!l~cl1i

,. 1- . ---(Sao inadequate health services, c-;by fostering alcoholism 45. It is mainly because of this shocking state of among the masses and by very low. wages), and to affairs that the Portuguese authorities·'are stubbornly :rolan~ ~icul­ settle a white population, in order to maintain the opposing the dispatch of a United ,Nations commission :ugar permanent domination of the Africans, by the white of inqairy to Angola and Cabinda. What Angola and n an population. It is.a, diabolical plan. C~>nsidering t;hefacts, Cabinda are demanding today is the immediate inde~ 1957,' it must be admItted that the colomal war whIch Por­ pendenGc and self-detennination now enjoyed by African ~edly tugal is preparing will enable it to achieve its plans countries which until recently were colonies of European sland to dominate and exterminate the African peoples. Powers. . these 40. It is no merech~ce that the Portuguese Govern­ 46. In this tragic situation, we Congolese say clearly illion ment gives not the slightest indication that it is prepared that any support given to Portugal by any country will l the to adapt its colonial policy to contemporary reality. The force us to reconsider our position towards that country. colonial army has just changed its strategy and tactics The people of Angola and Cabinda are 011r brothers~ on a new line-announced two years ago by the Gover­ . peaceful Africans who are being wantonly slaughtered r the nor of the Congo Dis~ict of Angola, according to which . before our very eyes. The' Head of the Republic of the the main enemy of Portuguese sovereignty is no longer the 'Congo (Brazzaville) personally is most indignant 'icul­ at Portugal cruelty. )ther the ambition and competition of other imperialist Powers, but African nationalism, which, in case of ealth 47. In certain parts of Africa where there are Por­ Por- ' armed conflict, would turn to guerrilla warfare. This tuguese there is reason to fear a strong reaction against is why tactical centres 'have already been set up by the them in the near future. It is the pressing duty of those The military commands throughout Angolan 'territory. . have European countries which are close friends of Portugal ~lth , 41. The Portuguese ministers are trying to obtain . to bring it to its senses; they must persuade the Por­ the guarantees of support from NATO for difficulties they tuguese authorities to cease their atrocities immediately may encounter in their'colonies and are seeking alliances and to negotiate directly with the true leaders of Angola leing equivocation~ will with other colonial Powel'$. For some time, 'Portuguese and Cabinda, without in order to decide lbout military forces have been' carrying out manreuvres at on a process by which it would be possible to carry m it, short intervals, either alone m,· iti lais6n with other out the decolonization of these countries which Portugal 1957 foreign forces, as in the recent "Capex" exercises in is keeping, against their will in shameful bondage. The South Africa, the "Angolex" exercises on the Angolan 48. My delegation, on behalf of its Government, wishes ~ttle­ coast and the Belgian-Portuguese air ,and sea manreuvres to express its warm thanks to those countries which nous in the estuary of the Congo. Special recruiting of voted in favour of the Security Council resolution on pilot officers, even without previous training, has the situation in Angola. On 15 March, at the end of already. begun, and the fonner rates of pay have been my second speech to the Security ,Council1 on the crimes g of considerably increased. Settlers are asked to take marks- and persecution in Angola and Cabinda, I said: "There mies manship courses, the declared purpose of which is to are Africans, there are men who are suffering. Think , the train a militia in case of,need. A few days after the of them and act forthwith."~I was not mistaken, for lUce, barbarous m!1rder of more than fifty African seamen since then the situation has daily deteriorated. We must tants and civilians by the Portuguese authorities, a battalion all act forthwith to keep the peace in this part of Africa. lined of riflemen with special training in colonial warfare Portugal is waging war on a whole African people. sup- was sent to the allegedly Portuguese -Guinea. In that There are no rebels in Angola; there are citizens of may colony the political police 'has been increatk:d con- the. A?golan nation who are fighting. desperately for the siderably. The island of Sao Tome is soon to be con- theIr mdependence and freedom agamst a devilish Sao verted into a military base for use against local and slavers' State. I shall continue to repeat that they. are per Angolan nationalist movements. . not Portuguese rebelling in Angola, but Angolan martyrs ~~-I'" ~;i~;:r~hiJ:ep:~;~i:':~~a~tl;s~~~~;~"~:~1; . rebeHingagainst aiJloodthirsty Portugal. ..', .. 49. This is why my delegation turns once more to • m order to, prolong its own "domination in Africa. Our Great Britain and with a remindertbat we peoples know of the POltuguese Prime Minister's know that they have great influence with Lisborl and nent ~ shameless offers to give and certain western that it is now more than e~ver important to subordinate the European countries a share in the plunder of Portuguese any sentiment of friendship to the human. problem the. colonies in return for their support of the maintenance which is now the key to the Angolan tragedy. ,The kind of the Portuguese empire. Portuga~ has long claimed French and British have long been the two great lons, to be an '~African Power",and we know that it is African colonial Powers. To borrow the words of our :cent trying to persuade the genuinely African States to colleague the representative of , those two Ltion recognize it as such. . countries have lost colonies but they have· retained the ary- 43. The aim of Portugal's attempts in the most im­ friendship of territories which have gained international portant, international bodies to endorse its compound­ sovereignty, and so much the better. The French and ants ing of the concepts of colonialism and racialism is to win En~lis~ can do. mu~h to end this iniquitous tragedy, ions acceptance for its claim that it possesses no colonies, whIch IS a credIt neIther to Portugal nor to its friends hose since apartheid does not exist there-officially. The nor Europe as a whole. How can a responsible and nore struggle which we are carrying on in exceptionally diffi­ honourable country remain shoulder to shoulder with a etter cult circumstances has already succeeded in breaching bloodthirsty and inhuman country? The French and t of the· wall of silence built around the peoples under English, I am sure, will hear our appeal. The' appeal the Portugue$e domination in order to hide Portugal's we make frol11 this rostrum 011 behalf of all the .little ably' fascist colonialism. .' . orphans in Angf)la and Cabinda, of thousands of widows immediat~ It is, of course, I who am speaking; is the of mankind, must receive a favourable and' 44. it answer. peo~le of the Angolan nation and the inhabitants of Cabmda who are laying bare all these facts about our 1 Official Records of the Securit~ Council, Si#IIInlh Yea,.) brothers' plight. 946th meeting. General Assembly-Fifteenth Seuion-Plenary'Meetings 50. The Soviet Union and. the United States of shortness of the time available to the Assembly before that no America have done their duty splendidly in the Security the closing date, to.make a special: effort to keep tt.~~ir regardll .Council. The Angolans and Cabindans now have their interventions as brief as they conveniently can.'" 63. In eyes on other States Members of the United Nations,. 55. Mr. COOPER (Liberia): It is regrettable that before t particularly those with former colonies in Africa whose the representative of Portugal has chosen to be absent which I magnanimous gesture in emancipating them is not from this debate. This is nothing new. We have had tiOllS frl forgotten by the Africans. similar occurrences before, especially when we were eil take 51. Angola and Cabinda are not Portuguese; they are discussing colonialism and human rights. Portugal is a problem two Portuguese colonies. The Portuguese must de-, great Christian country, and I would like to draw the and pol colonize, as France and Great Britain have done. The attention of the representative of Portugal to the Bible still COIl gratuitous ilSsertion that Angola and Cabinda, two on which his Christian faith is based, and I should like from of African cou,tries, are Portuguese provinces is no more to make this quotation: "The wicked flee when no man we gav than a monstrous lie. Therefore, let no one come here pursueth". seeds of and tell· us that under some provision of the U nit~d 56. I fully agree with the Pr~sident: the time is very Portugu Nations Charter, we must not intervene in the domestic short, and I think it would be wise fc r representatives populati affairs of Portugal. If there were riots and disturbances who follow me to make their speeches as 1, ief as what w€ in Lisbon, my delegation would not be so presumptuous possible. the stab as to make it my business, because Lisbon is trulyPor­ 57. We can only endorse everything that has already place in tuguese. But, we repeat, . Angola and Cabinda are not been said by the representative of the Congo (Brazn. "M parts of Portugal. ville). He has given us a complete outline of all the Febru 52. I shall end with this moving appeal, these heart­ atrocities committed in that country by Portugal. censOI rending entreaties to us out· of Africa: 58. The situation in Angola, fraught with danger grow- grim "Portuguese settlers troops undertaking complete ing out of the denial of fundamental human rights and 3 in t extermination of people. Killing men, pregnant women freedoms by the Portuguese authorities, is now fast .most I and .young children. Portugal naturally describing taking on all the elements leading to an imminent threat the po sitJ~tion as normal. Once again demand mankind to peace and security in that area of Africa. the p( interv'ene, put pressure Portugal cease these horrible .59... For this reason, mV' delegation' raised the issue while J dier a massacrt's immediately. Always ready negotiate peace­ berore the Security CoU\'1cil and, in conjunction with fully Portugal provided· it accepts hand we extend. the delegations of the United Arab Republic and Cey- =:Il 2 If r~ply. 0" Portugal continues use force we will with Ion, submitted a draft resolution askiZl~.""O for immediate ing tb force, believe this will have grave repercussions, actipn by the Council in tms matter. By a narrow h especially. international peace. Those thus massacred majority, we were told that the Seo.uity Council would fig tin are men like any others. Mankind should not stand not de'dlwith the matter sin<;:e it did not constitute a :~;s by impassively while massacre continues. Horrible threat to the peace and security.' of the world. . was ~u scenes butchery taking place in Angola. Unless com­ 60. The failure of the Security Council to act in such later g mission inqairy ;\1rgently· sent Angola international a matter in the face of evidence unrefuted in any re- 64 opinion will never understand scale of misery tortures spect, and without any assurance that there would be in 'the~~ Angolan peopie. We count your intervention as an improvement in the situation, has compelled my always so that justice may be done inhuman situation delegation, in soletm1 fulfilm.ent of its obligations under athvast vc e Cow ended." the Charter, to bring this matter, together with other . We repeat that our appeal is justified by another new African-Asian delegations, before the General Assembly. :g;:% fact, which is described in the following message received 61. Suffice it to mention that, since the Security Coun- ness so ' yesterday: .·uAtIibassador Dadet representative· tongo CBrazza­ ville) EiE~~gn~ ;:~ty~T;r~:~.1 ~~ger~ on which "United Nations, New York. which my delegation expressed on the situation in Angola " "Cabinda liberation movement informs you Por­ Angola and thus now completely justifying our con- hi 'd . f thi w· t s matt, tuguese troops contInuing massacres in Cabinda. SI eratlOn 0 ' s matter. . e now strongly urge that that suc1 Certain persons arrested arms and legs cut off aban~ we adopt such· urgent measures as will bring an imme- should Di doned in fox-est hanged from trees. Pregnant women mate end to the bloodshed, to the massacre and tl\ the disembowelled. Mass deportations. We demand inter­ blind bigotry and ruthless behaviour of a Power 'bent :~~t~ vention to end massacre deportations free political on aggravating tension ill tha.t part of the world. respect sl prisoners. Request United Nations plebiscite for self­ 62. Angola is not an extension of Portugal in Europe adopt a <: determination: Immediate independence with inter­ and never will be. No amoup/" of brute force, subtlety 66 N national technical assistance only possible satisfactory and wishful thinking wm ever. succeed in imposing h~e .ha~~ solution save Portuguese colonies. integration on an unwilling and hostile people. Portugal , distressinl U(Signed) FRANCK cannot plead a utdtary nation created bya unilateral reports 0: , UPresident Movement act and·in the same breath arbitrarily define the layers burning for Liberation of Cabinda Enclave}} under which that unity manifests itself. The unity of a 'defen<;:eles people can be achieved only through free consultations under thrl 53. Men are dying in Africa, in Angola and Cabinda. among all of them on a basis of equality. Thus we say de.signed . Let us ·think of them. and let us act forthwith. to . Portugal: Stop this farcical penorr.aance. If )"Oii' 'I. coti'tinue 1 54. The PRESIDENT: In nonna! eircum~tances, the plead·before us the virtue of your Christian heritage; . let that same heritage teach you the lesson of truth- 67. Let Chair is always extremely reluctant to make any sug­ April 196 gestion to representatives regarding the' length of their 2 Official Records of the Secur-ity Council, Si·'feenth Year, This has interven.tions. However, ~,t: the present stage of the S1/,pplement for January, Felmlary and March 1961, docu­ - - ses~on, I would ask delegat1l>ns, in view of the extreme ment 8/4769. B1bi4., 9 --- 389 before that nothing can substitut~ for .man's· desire tob~ free, Congo (Bni.zzaville) and I am quoting it here merely th~ir I regardless of his status in Hfe or the colour of his skin. to re-emphasize what he has already s~id: . (~;. 63. In our presentation of the case a~inst Portugal '''Portuguese authorities presently appealing to e that before the Security Council, we enume11,lted,the reasons Portuguese civilians all Portuguese colonies for lbsent which had moved the Liberian delegation, on. insUuC:­ formation of militia. Settlers, including 111ef,l., women e had tiOllS from the Liberian Government, to have the Coun­ and youth have ("peen anned by coloniaL administration were cil take measures to bring ,about a solution. of the with purpose crushing native population. In planta­ LI is a problem. VVe explained the historical, social~ economic tions, fanns, mines, shops, natives wot'king presently w the and political reasons which had contributed and4e under threat of arms and have been recruited by Bible still contributing to the trouble in Angola. By quoting force ..• Heartrending news reaches us daily of d like from official Portuguese sources and other docwnents, massacres cQ~tted .by Portuguese military troops ) man we gave the background for the uprisings and the and. militia. In region of Bembe, Cuimba, Madimba seeds of revolt which have been widely sown through and others slaughters on increase.. Entire villages l very Portuguese behaviour towards the African indigenous burnt and destroyed by bombs. Entire families put ative,s population. In an effort to ~~ndtJhis Assembly of to death. Portuguese troops composed of settl~s '~ef as what we said then, I. shalt qt.t,bte the pertinent part of embarking on inevitable extermination of defenceless the statement of my delegatioh on the'events that took people. Killing pregnant v:,pmen and children 01 ',ready place in those fateful qays in Luanda. We said: t~der years. This situation is evidently considered by ~aZ7:1­ "Much of what happened in those early days, of Portuguese as nonnal. Once again we request inter­ 11 the Februa,ry in Angola has, been cloaked by rigorous vention of part all mankind to exercise pressure 911. censor:~hip. But even official pronouncements .tell Cl Portugal to cease immediately horrible slaughters.1Ne ~enough are always readY' to negotiate peacefully P9l'tugal ~ow- grim story. On 4 February, between 2 and ::> '. 3 in the morning, a group of more than 300 people, on condition they accept hand we are extending. If sand Portugal persists in employment of force we will rfast most of them Africans but some Eu!'opeans, attacked them~by reply with force and we. ,believe, that there will be threat the police barracks and prison. FoUrteen of the Portuguese Government's own count, were killed, serious repercussions especially affecting international while six 'European policetnen and one Afri~ sol­ peace. The victims of ma~isacres are men like any issue dier also lost their lives. Between forty and fifty ot.fters. Mankind must not continue to look on pas­ with persons were wounded, amI more than 100 were sivelyin face· of such massacres. Horrible scenes of Cey- slaughter occurring in Angola and unless Commission ~diate taken into custody. On 5 February, an incident dur­ ing the funeral of the seven official viotims of the of Inquiry sent to Angola on urgent basis inter­ mow national opinion will never 'understand the extent of ~ou1d fighting touched off new disorders, as the result of which ten Mricans-again by the Portuguese Govern­ misery and torture of Angolan people. We count on ute a ment's count-were killed. On 11 February,. there your intervention as always so that justice may be was another raid on the prison, and ca:su.alities were done to put an end tO'this inhuman situation. We will such later given as seven killed and several ,wounded."8 give you nam.es of some of the people killed and .y re­ 64. Moreover, in the interventions of other delegations villages destroyed in a letter which follows.'" Id be in the Security Council, and by African :Member States, Even in P-ortugal itself we hear echoes of PQrtu- l my 68. a vast volume of irrefutable infonnation· was laid before . guese repression in Angola. So today we read of mder the Cooocil about Portuguese atrocities infHcted with demonstrations carried out in such a marmer as to make other impunity on the African people which had reached ouch evident whose,initiative they bear and the purpose in­ mbly. proportions that the wall of silence and self-righteous­ tended. The suppression of human rights and the denial

,.o!£r~ed~J.!t aI}yflY~.csqggests c :oun- ness so cleverly erected for so many years could no theJestering.oLacancerous .,' dIsease In- any S.OClety or government or administration. t.;-·I. ~Th~~~":'~s~ of tliisgrim aI1~ desolate story 'r.he subjected people may suffer its worst manifesta.­ ~e~ on which the case against Portuguese administration in tions and ill effects, but it is always easy to trace its Angola was based when the Security Council discussed presence in the entire'body politic. ' con- this matter. It was our sincere belief then, as it is now, 6? Since the debate 011 Angola in the Security Coun­ ~ that such a picture called for immediate' action and cd, we have read of some efforts to lay the basis for L' the should not be ignored. It suggested all too well the some kind of· autonomy for Angola. If these reports are magnitude and urgency of a problem whose course tra~e. correct, we would say to Portugal: let not tl1is com­ bent should have been easy to Our experience in this mendable effort, however much overtaken hy events, be respect should have compelled the Security Council to founded on the force of bayonets and gu.ns. Restore lrope adopt a different attitude. confidence among the.Angolans, stop the useless mas­ nlety 66. Now, what have we today? All delegations present sacre anq proceed on the basis of negotiations and peace­ osing here 'have certainly not failed to"be deeply mtlrved.by the ful measures. ~~~ distressing reports that continue to come out of Angola: 70. We WQulcl say also· to those who would: hesitate reports of murder on the increase, of the razing· and a~f: to see the; good. in a debate of this matter by the Assem­ burning of all villages; of the mass slat}ghter of bly to 1t:1ce note and support this great body;constitut­ Hens 'defenceless' women and children, ofnative$ working ing the c~,~scienc.e: of all mankind, in calling upon por­ under threat of ~1"111S, and. of unspeakable barbarities----all ~ d~.s~.gned tugal to st~ such r,:pr~s.siv~meas1U'esand confonn to . y5: I to terrorize the Angolans- and for.ce. them to the PtU'Pos.es.a.nd PrU1ctpl~s;,/of the 'Charterand. resolu- tage continue to submit to Portuguese domination. tions of the Assembly. 1/ . ~th~ 67. . Let me quote here .part' Qf; the ~ssage dated 5 ./ AP:l1 1961 from the UnIOn of PopuJ,atlQUS' 00) Angola. 71. If. we are obliged to t;fiport some ofthe facts today, Year, " ThiS has already been quoted by the renres~ll:tative of it is 1.)ecal1se we feel tha$/ they must betotd OVet and ~~ - ' « oVe? again for the benefit of world opinion, tor an those Blbicl." 943rd meeting. \\ who· p~etend not to have .heard them, and thus ca11 --,v .. ~ 390 General Aesemhly-Fifteenth Session-.-Plenary Meetings

attention to this evil being done. in the name of Chris~ population to achieve Portuguese citizenship as UWh~ tianity, to arouse all ~en tot!Jis danger ~xisting to $." .. still hol international good relations, which could eastly lead to 78. The Portuguese delegation has contended that there the nati war, and, above all, to move the United Nations to .act is no discrimination or segregation in the provinces of with ne before it is too late. PO~Jgal. May I again quote the following from Congo: 72. As so tnany recite the ,brutaiity of the Port?guese, Harl?ers ·Magazine : in the travellin police in Angola and other Portuguese colomes,.of "While white Portuguese will in most cases accept atrocities inflicted on the African PeOples, of the 111­ pickup 1 the educated and assimilated African as one of them­ pretos i transigence of the Portuguese Government and authori­ selves, they have erected an absolute color bar against ties ·in the face of this denial of fundamental human we puII( the ind£genas in all forms of intercourse except sexual. knowin~ rights and freedom and these clear violations of the Not long ago I had the experience of trying to arrange Charter of the United Nations and recent resolutions adminis1 service for two of my pretos"-I guess that means ameaI( passed by this very Assembly on such matters, we have labourers-"at a little restaurant in one of the small . not been presented with evidence to refute these facts. come. I towns of the interior. After travelling for several preto'S e We have been told in a callous and self-righteous man­ hours in a pouring rain, we pulled up at the restau­ case wa: ner that it is none of our busidess because Portugal has rant in the early evening. The two barefooted native to preserve public br.der in one of its provinces. men in the back of the truck, dressed only in singlets can get came ou 73. Portugal contends that Angola and other ,Portu­ and shorts, were cold, wet and hungry. Despite pro­ cold an1 guese territories in Africa are bulwarks against Com­ longed arguments I cpuldnot gain· admittance for them. munism. We are astonished and alarmed that the sup~ them, and since I would not eat without first seeing pression of human rights and the extermination of them served, the impasse seemed to be complete. "And human beings must be considered as a bulwark against A compromise, however, was finally reached. No a small Communism. dinner could be served them, but they could have sitting, 74. This nation, which never tires of vaunting its rolls and drink. A table was set up outside under the years of Christianity in its so~called in Africa, awning, and there my two pretos sat, as stiff and in its c: would have us forget one of Christianity's greatest in­ expressionless as dolls, eating a dry roll apiece, and child of junctions: that we are indeed our brother's keeper. holding a bottle of cola. diverted her a qUI 75. If we have spoken in this vein, it is because we "This occurred in a small interior town. In the the can have had enough of Portugal hiding behind. Christianity port cities of Luando and , I would never dream stepped in such behaviour. Surely, it would he a weak defence of attempting to introduce an ind£gena into one of girl hare of the great virtues and high moral standards of Chris­ the hotel dining rooms of the white quarter; and I no word tianity, if after 400 years in Africa all that emerged am sure that no native, if he could find suitable cloth­ the duty were racial discrimination, abject poverty, forced labour, ing would dare to enter by himself. For any ·native killings and massacres wrapped up in a doctrine support­ in the interior to assume a posture other than that of "It is ing an assimilado society. What benefits have the Afri­ the timid servant would be unthinkable. one of t colonies cans of Angola derived from the 400 years of Portu­ "During recent years I have noticed an increasing guese domination? After years there can scarcely ruled ne 400 deterioration inthe attitude of the whites even toward spirit an( be found in Angola 300 natives with elementary edu­ the mulatto and assimilated African, a change brought and the r cation. about by the great influ1C of Portuguese colonists servile, ( 76. The Portuguese delegation contends.that Portugal since the early 1940's. The Portuguese peasant or that wh~ has no colonies; that Angola is a province of Portugal worker is hil11Self often illiterate and, like the native, other grc and, therefore, Angolans are Portuguese. However, one the .product of an exploitative economic system, ac­ fear, tim never heard of Angola as a province of Portugal until customed to a standard of.living that is the lowest in I have m and after the admission of Portugal into the United . In Angola be comes into direct ened of ~ Nations, competition with the native for the available manual length at 77. To refute such arguments I would like to quote and semi-skilled labour. And this competition is one­ travellin~ the following from an American journaI-Harper's sided, since the white Portuguese has rights and neverpa Magazine, in its issue for May 1961: privileges denied to the African. run from "The easiest way for a person of African ancestry "In the uneven strugg!e, the ind£gena and the 81. I shot to become a nfio-ind£gena is for him to have a white assimilado are being forced downward by this reduc­ statement 1 father who agrees to acknowledge, support and edu­ tion in economic opportunities. On my most recent Silence", it cate him. Some people achieve acceptable status in visit to Luanda, I saw not one person of African what is wri this way, but many more do not. In the native quarters descent in any of the larger dining rooms and hotels; "Bord€: of the larger towns you can find thousands of father­ although in former days mulattos could sometimes be one of th less mulatto children roaming the streets. It has alsb found in the better restaurants. Even -the~native· --rthaz no been possible" during the past thirty years or so, for waiters and maids formerly employed by the hotels ever, bee; an Mrican to become a Portuguese citizen by his have now been replaced by whites." Portugue own efforts. Ifhe has succee4ed in obtaining an educa­ 79. How do the Angolans compare with the indigenous least kno' don or has accomplished something in public service businesslt statu~ population in other parts of colonial Africa? The Portu­ or business enterprise, he may apply for the of gese delegation has tried to impress us that the Angolans throughot assimilado, or 'assimilated native'. If his application being citizens of Portugal, their political and social status areas in is granted, he becomes a Portuguese citiz.eri· and re­ is far superior to those Africans living under a colonial to foreig ceivesan identity card, But the bilhete de identidade. rule, and· in many instances better than Afri~s now able in the thirty years of this system's extstence,·less living than: in African States. appalHng 1 per cent of the African population in Angola has and on tb been assimilated in this way. At the present rate, 80. To answer the Portuguese delegation permit me its rulers. it would take. some 4,000 years for all of the native to quote the following from the self-same magazine: and hims€: •

990th meeting-20 April 1961 as "What a colonial writer said of Angola in 1903 82. The recent revolt in Angola.is only the inevitable still holds· true: 'The Portuguese colonist considers result of a. long and repressive rule of Portugal in ~ere the native a beast of burden, an agricultural machine Africa against the background. of social injustice; of s of with no rights or privileges.' Even in the Belgian bloodlettings which are only just becoming well known; rom Congo I have not seen such callous treatment. Once of economic exploitation unparalleled in any part of in the high country of the Upper Zambesi I was the world and unequalled in history; of hopes for OOt­ travelling with some Portuguese companions in a tennent for the African peoples completely shut out and cept pickup truck. It was raining and the five scantily clad of a future fraught with even sterner measures and tem­ pretos in the back were wet and cold. After dark} graver dangers. dnst ~uaI. we puIkd into the muddy ward of the chefe de posto, 83. Five million Mricans are no longer prepal'ed to knowing that we would find there the customary live in. their own country only for the benefit of th J1f.e mge administrative hospitality. A couple of brandies and eans who have usurped. their rights and expropriated their a meal quickly prepared by the servants proved wel­ lands. Five million Africans are dE:.l.-nanding their free­ mall come. During this time I had been thinking of the reral dom from a COWltry which for 400 years has been pret(}s outside in the rain. 'What of them?' Their oblivious to their well-being. They are pleading for the :tau­ case was dismissed with a wave of the hand. 'They ltive right of self-determination enshrined in the Charter. can get under the truck if they wish.' And when we They are heeding the call to freedom which so many ~lets came out that was where they were, lying in the mud, pro- of their brothers and neighbours have already listened cold and unfed, with a five-hour journey before to and won. They are demanding their rightful place for them. eing alongside other free peoples and nations. Nothing-I ,lete. "And I sometimes think of a scene in the lobby of repeat, nothing---ean.-stop them. Neither Portuguese No a small hotel on the coast. Close to where I was clumsy manipulations of words nor m.isinterpretation ~ave sitting, there stood a tiny Negro girl, perhaps six of the meaning of the Charter, nor bullets nor bayonets , the years of age, whose job it was to rock a white baby nOr lashings will extinguish the freedom flame so well and in its carriage. Nearby was her yOung mistress, a now kindled in their bosom. and child of eight, playing with a doll. For a moment I diverted the little servant girl's attention by asking 84. Nor should I fail to remind Portugual that no her a question and for that momentshe ceased rocking 'blatant desire to label these desperate people only the the carriage. Instantly her young white mistress fighting for a better life as conununist-inspired, or 'eam stepped over and, doll' in hand, slapped the Negro simpletons under the influence of "witch doctors"-in e of girl hard across the face. There was no protest and this area of 140,000 people there is only one doctor, Id I no word spoken. The little servant simply resumed and I think the Angolans were happy to have the witch loth­ the duty to w? doh she had been assigned. doctors which they were accused of possessing-will ltive detract from their honour or weaken the struggle thus "It is a depressing experience to travl.~l from, say, engaged. 1t of one of· the British West Coast colonies or former colonies to ,Angola ... In the place of the British­ 85. Nor indeed any malicious attempt at branding ,sing ruled native, with his refreshing independence of Liberia and other countries who have raised this matter 'lard spirit and self-respect, nurtured by a native tradition in this Assembly as communist agents will deter them ught and the rule of law, one·encounters the drably dressed, from fulfi1ling their inescapable duty towards their tlists servile, dirty and unsmiling ind.£gena. I should say brothers. t or that what marks the Angolan natr~t~ off from any 86. Owing to the lack of experience and preparation tive, other group of Africans I have met i5 his aspect of of Angolans. for independence, the question arises as ac­ fear, timidity, underlying anxiety, and hopelessness. to what the United Nations should recommend. It has st in I have been waited on at a table by natives so fright­ always been contended that a dependent people, after ireet ened of a rebuke that they served the soup at ann's 300 to 400 years of domination, is still unprepared for nual length and spilled the wine on the tablecloth. And independence, and also that some of these dependent one- travelling by car through the back country, I have territories lack the necessary resources to make their and never passed a woman on the road who did not economies viable. run from me on sight, and I have passed l'mU'1y." 87. In. many instances, this argument has been falla­ the 81. I should like to quote the Editor's introductory cious, for we have now in the United Nations scores due- statement to this article, entitled "The Kingdom of of nations who seemed to have suffered such handicaps. ~eent Silence", from which I have read excerpts. This is The situation in Angola. might be a unique one, con­ iean what is written: sidering that no government could be set up with only ltels; "Bordering on the Congo, is 300 Angolans of elementary education level. Neverthe­ s be Qn~_ pi the most brutally-ruled colonies in ~e wor-Id. less, we feel that continuing Angola under Portuguese ltive . --~It haz now become one of the most expIOSlV~. How­ tutelage, at the rate of progress now being made, would otels ever because of the rigid censorship imposed by the require hundreds of years. Indeed, it is even doubtful 'Portuguese colonial government, it remains one of the that the Angolans would ever be prepared for self­ 110US least known. The author of this article is an American government if it were up to the Portuguese. In these lrtu­ businessman who has been working and travelling circumstances, it is our opinion that the only solution is .lans throughout Angola for nearly fifteen years, visiting the granting of independence with United Nations :atus areas in .the interior which have long been closed assistance. to foreign correspondents. Recently retired, he is :>nial 88. Whenever the question of :portuguese colonies has ving now able to report with comparative unpunity on the appalUng conditions of near-slavery in the colony­ come up for discussion in the organs of the United and on the need for a fresh American policy towards Nations, Portugal has tried to take refuge under : me its rulers. To avoid reprisals against·his informants Article ·2, paragraph 7, of the Charter. This paragraph and himself, he must remain anonymous." opens: 392 General Assembly-Fifteenth Session-Plenary Meetings "Nothing contained in the present Charter shall Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign to be cO' t which all authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters equality of all its Members '. We would remind him which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction however, that this does not entitle Portugal, which is i~ 100. Fr( of any state ... ." Europe, to exploit Africans ill their own country and to of Africa, 89. For the benefit of Members, we should like to inflict upon them such inhumane measures as she feels in the tel quote from the statement of our representative when he necessary to uphold her alien regime in Angola. To try heard of debated this issue before the'Security Council. He said: to include the peoples of Angola within Portugal's C011g0. VI absolute sovereignty, a people different in every senSe in the Sal "As is known tc> IYlembers, the General Assembly geographically, ethnically, historically and socially, wh~ Angola al in 1959 appointed. a Committee of six. to study the have nothing in common with the Portuguese except the in other 1 principles which should determine whether or not an enforced links of domination and exploitation would main indiJ obligation exists Jo transmit information under Ar­ always be unacceptable to self-respecting and f:ee peo_ the Ango: ticle 73 e of the Charter. The Commitl:ee of six met ples and, above all, to the people of Angola and the daries in in September 1960 and .laid down wjelve principles independent African States. who estal which were adopted by the General Assembly in reso­ cut acras lution 1541 CXV). The mention of this action taken 93. It would be a sad day indeed were this Organiza­ !ion to accept such ingenuous argument and thus freeze same peol by the General Assembly is relevant since, once and situation, for all, the General Assembly established the over­ mto eternal doom the hopes of subjected Peoples of ever overcoming injustices which are the basic causes as indeed riding principle that the situation in the Portuguese bound up Territork:s is of international concern and that the of war and'whioh this Organization was established to prevent. ~till undet question of domestic jurisdiction invoked by the fight of a Portuguese Government is invalid. 94.. We have heard it said again-and the representa­ tive o! Portugal a;nd his Government have played much 101. We . "The General Assembly went even further1 in upon It-that ArtIcle 2, paragraph 4, delineates the area by PortUj resolution 1542 (XV), to lay down by an overwhe1ni­ ri~ ing majority the law by which it decided that terri­ wif!1 which the Charter is'concerned in matters of inter­ human tories under Portuguese'.administration are in fact natIonal peace and security. This Article reads: spect of h non-self-governing within OJ.apter XI of the Charter.. "~1l J\fembers shall refrain in their international tion for t By this act the General Assembly with much greater re1a!lOn~ .' fr!Jm t~e threat ~r use of force against the disregard force emphasized the international concern of the terrItorial. mtegrIty or p--....lttical independence of any and above United Nations in the Portuguese Territories, and state, or m any other manner inconsistent with the tension be Purposes of the United Nations." States by it even explicitly enumerated those Portuguese Terri­ condition tories with regard to which there exists an inter­ T~is i~ indeed true and we are again in agreement national obligation on the part of the Portuguese respect of WIth hlm. HQwever, let not the complete and true intent a manner Government. of this Article be obscured. "Again by this action the General Assembly not 95. In the interpretation of this Article, in the light of 102. In only established the international concern but also ?ur present-day world, we submit that it is just as facts outH established that it was itself competent to consider Impo~tant in international relations for all Members to by the p( and e~neconditions in the Portuguese Territories, refram from the threat or use of f.orce against the terri­ measures including Angola."4 tor~al. integrity or political independence of any State along witl a;s It I~ for all States to conduct their international rela­ cu1ated a 90. It is imperative to emphasize that anything which titled "T1J deeply divides the peoples and nations of the world tIons m a manner consistent with the Purposes of the Charter. I shall not tire this august body with what to the sho cannot be considered as coming within the exclusive cion and, jurisdiction of any State~ Does Portugual really believe those Purposes of the Charter are. They are clearly and explicitly enumerated in Article 1. sentatives that the people of Africa must fold their arms while time, mak she carries out a deliberate policy of butchery and 96. .For our purposes, it is sufficient to, say that all massacre of their kith and .kin under the guise of the .mformation which is available to us, both from 103. In domestic jurisdiction? Does Portugal really expect the officlal and.other sources, tells a grim story of violations call attent peoples of the Republic of the Congo (Brnzzavine) and o~ hu:nan rights of a weak and helpless people whose ing in the the Republic of the Congo (Leopoldville) to be silent kinshlp to other Members of the United Nations cannot is likely 1 spectators while she perpetrates on their brothers in be disputed by a foreign and alien people who should peace and Angola the worst forms of injustice? Does Portugal be their guardian and benefactor. because 0 really intend that the Members of the United Nations ?7. Ca!l Portugal say, therefore, that in conducting her thousands should close their eyes while she consistently denies mte!national relations with the independent States of bouring S ftmdamental human rights and the right of self-deter­ AfrIca, who are Members of the United Nations 104-0 In ~d brot~ers s~ mination to such a large part of the world? whose she holds as pawns, she is'doing amble, W€ 91. It is useless to, invoke the argument of domestic ln a.£eordance Wlth the Purposes of the Charter? jurisdiction, since the Africans will never remain, in­ 98. In order to attain a world order which may be free different to the atrocious acts and repressive measures of war and of the threat of war, of fear itself in all its of the Portuguese in Angola. Until the recent revolt in ma~ifestatio~s which b~eed wa.r, for which purpose the Angola,. Portugal deluded herself into believing that she Umted Nations came mto eXlstence each Member in could foo! all the Angolans all t~e time, btft to try to su~scribing ~o the Charter automati~l1y gave up soule equate thIS famous world body WIth those mIserable and of Its sov~relgnty !Wdagreed to abide. by t.he principles weak people of ~ngola, even for one solitary moment, of the DnttedNatIons and to conform to its resolutions.

would be absurd. , m the extreme. 99. Can Portugal explain her behaviour in the face of 92. We (:l.gr~e with the representative of Portugal that resolution 1514 (XV) adopted by theGeneral Assembly ArticleZ,' pa~agraph 1 of the Charter says that' lIthe last year?; Can she·explain her behaviour in the face of resolut!0n' 1512.(XV) w~ich. laid down, by an over­ 41bitl., 945th meeting. whelmmg maJorIty, the crltenon concerned what· were Printed in 1

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!I I I I, 990th meeting-20 April 1961 393 - to be considered Non-Self-Governing Territories, in tion 1514 (XV), by which the General Assembly de­ 'eign which all her colonies, including Angola, were listed? clared, without dissent, that the subjection of peoples to him, 100. From recent reports which came from this part alien subjugation, domination and exploitation con­ is in stitute a denial of fundamental human rights. ld to of Africa, we have seen what distress has been caused feels in the territories which border on Angola. We have 105. In the first operative paragraph of this draft resolution, we call upon the to I try heard of the flight of thousands of Angolans to the gal's Co:ngo. We should be mr.e an ostrich hiding his head consider urgently the introduction of measures and ~se, in the sand if we failed to realize that the people of reforms in Angola. To us it appears that in respolise to who Angola are of the same stdl~k and blood as are people such an appeal the :t;>ortuguese are now more than ever : the in other parts of Africa and therefore, they cannot re­ determined ruthlessly to· suppress any movement in ould main indiffer.ent indefinitely' to the cry and appeal from Angola for freedom and respect for human rights. We pea- the Angolans. It must be remembered that most boun­ read recently in The New York Times of the dispatch the daries in Africa are artificial; it was not the Africans of thousands of Portuguese soldiers to Angola from the who established these arbitrary boundaries which now metropolis, fully armed with modern weapons, and for . cut across villages, split up families and divide the the sole purpose of subduing by force any movement l1Za- ·for independence by the indigenous population. eeze same people. Before the coming of the European, the s of situation was different. More than this, all free Africans, 106. The second operative paragraph decides to ap­ uses as indeed all free men, know that their freedom is point-and here change must be made-not a sub-com­ d to bound up in the freedom of all other Africans who are mittee but a committee. We have not decided on the &till under alien rule. Hence, the fight in Angola is the number to be appointed to this committee. It could be fight of all the African peoples. / three, five or seven, and it is generally understood that :nta­ the members of such committees are usually appointed by lUch 101. We are faced with a clear violation of the Charter by Portugal in respect of her denial of fundamental the President of the General Assembly. I am sure the area Members who are sponsoring this draft resolution will iter- human rights to the African peoples of Angola, in re­ spect of her rejection of the principle' of self-determina­ have no objection in this regard. . tion for the peoples in her colonies,. in respect of her 107. It is our humble opinion that, as this draft resolu­ onal t~e tion only reaffirms measures which this Assembly has the disregard of the res?lu!ions of General Assembly and .above all, and thIS IS urgent, I~ respect of creating already found necessary to adopt in accordance with any the Purposes and Principles of the Charter, we should the tenslOn between herself and all the mdependent African Stat~s. by he: treatmen~ of their brothers in Angola, a be able to count on the overwhelming support of all condItIon whIch they WIll never acceptsupinely, and in Members, and I am sure·the passing of this draft resolu­ nent respect of not conducting her international relations in tion and its implementation by the General Assembly ltent a manner consistent with the Purposes of the Charter. will bring relief to the inhabitants of Angola and uphold fundamental human rights and freedom. 102. In view of the .gravity of the situation and the Lt of 108. It is commonly asked whether the African is pro­ tas facts outlined with regard to the treatment of Angolans by the Portuguese Government, which require urgent Communist or pro-Western. The African is first pro­ s to African, and whether he has a liking for Westem ~rri­ measure? to ~e taken by t?is Assembly, my delegation, along WIth thIrty-five AfrIcan-Asian countries, has cir­ democracy or favours· communism depends upon the :tate he receives in the fight for freedom ~ate~ a draft r~sol~tion en­ aid and assistance 'ela- [A/L.345 and Ad.d.1-5] for his fellow Africans. The African will know whether the titled The SItuatIon m Angola". My delegation, owing to the shortness of time, is introducing this draft resolu­ his friends are to be counted among the Western Pow­ ~hat ers or among the States of the East, for much will and tion and, in order to save time, hopes that the repre­ sentatives participating in this debate wit~ at the same depend on how these countries vote on this draft resolu­ tion on Angola. It .will be useless to profess friendship time, make their comments on it. J : all for the African if we vote against this draft resolution ram 103. In the first three paragraphs of the p1"eamble, we and it will be tantamount to upholding Portuguese sup­ ions call attention to the situation in Angola which is result­ pression and atrocities in Angola against the indigenous lose ing in the loss of life. The continuance of this situation population of that area. mot is likely to endanger the maintenance of international 109. The PRESIDENT: In view of ~he number of mId peace and security.. No one can, deny that fact now wher~ representatives who desire to be heard on this question, because of recent developments in that colony I w?uld ~enew tJ:e request which I made to delegations her thousands of Angolans have taken refuge in the neigh­ earher thIS ?1?rnmg tl~t they ex~rt every,possible effort :; of bouring State of Congo (Leopoldville). to keep theIr mterventIOns as bnef as they conveniently Dns, 104. In the fourth and fifth paragraphs of the pre­ can. ~ so amble, we call attention to General Assembly resolu- The meeting ro~e at 1.15 p.m. free l its the : in )1lle pIes ::ms, ~ of tbIy ~ of 'fer­ rere Printed in U.S.A. 5-9501-Apri11962-2,225