Political notes

from John Leonarc. American Involvement in the Congo No other nation, not even Belgium, is as deeply involved in the Congo as the United States, American involvement goes back to 1960 when American influence on President Kasavubu was instrumental in getting the Soviet and Czech Embassies evicted. This American commitment has remained and over the years both the embassy and the CIA have taken a hand in shaping events, Embassy officials are in almost constant touch with President Mobutu and key cabinet ministers. What has happened in a sense is that the U.S. and Belgium divide the role that a former colonial power normally plays alone in its former colonies. The Belgians supply the teachers, technical workers, planters and businessmen. But it is the U.S. rather than the Belgian government, which provides the strategic support, advice and political influence and the biggest part of financial aid. American financial assistance averages $50 million annually. It is used for imports of industrial machinery, trucks, chemicals and textiles for an economy which is kept running mainly by the Belgian business community. On the official level, this division of labour between American "strategic supply" and Belgian "presence" has been working well. But American and Belgian interests have basic differences and their priorities are not the same. The Belgians need a Congo that is viable in their own terms, They could not stay in a completely "Congolized" Congo. The minimum American objective, on the other habd, is to prevent the Congo from disintegrating into militantly nationalist factions. This would affect the rest of the continent, At present, the American position is extremely strong but there are potential weaknesses, As the other Western powers reduce their commitments to the Congo, American involvement becomes relatively greater and deeper. Secondly, the American position became more prittle and vulnerable when General Mobutu moved into the presidency. He has always had American support, but from 1960 to November 1965 he was the power-behind-ethe-power ready to move in if necessary, Now Mobutu is in power himself, and there is no visible alternative or suceessor to fall back on. Survey of Negro Unemployment. Preliminary results of a survey, based on responses to a two-page questionare sent to every employer with more than 100 employees, show that in nine major American cities the Negro unemployment rate is as much as five times as high as for whites, In Atlanta, for example, the overall rate is 2.6 per cent., but for negroes it is 15.5 per cent. In San Francisco the figures are 4.3 and 12.0 per cent., and in Cleveland 3.1 and 15.5 per cent. Even more illuminating is the breakdown of types of work done. In each case, the proportion of Negroes doing white collar jobs is minimal, with most of those so classified to be found in junior clerical and shopworker positions. Overwhelmingly, Negroes work as la-ourers or factory machine minders or messengers. In Cleveland Negroes,who make up 13 per cent of the population occupy only 3.2 per cent. of the white collar jobs and 5 per cent of craftmen's jobs. This is not necessarily a reflection of racial discrimination since in many cases Negroes do not have the necessary skills or education for the better jobs. Discrimination, however is blatantly apparent in education. A report by the Civil Rights Comm ission says America has “educated a whole generation of children in schools that are inferior and who have had no connection with White society."