Wilson Clears the Decks for a Rhodesian Sell-out

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from Geoff Coggan Sir Dingle Foot, who last week resigned his position as Solicitor General on "grounds of age" (he is 62), has now clarified his motives in a resignation letter which announces his intention to take part in debates "with greater freedom than is possible in office," "I do not believe", he said, "that there is any acceptable compromise to be found with the Smith gang. No understanding that they give is worth anything at all. Very few people in this country appreciate the vicious and preposterous colour bar that exists in Rhodesia," The Sunday Times this week, conumenting on the resignation, and the implication of a forthcoming sell-out to Ian Smith, draws disturbing conclusions from a study of cabinet changes over the past year anda half. It sees in these a picture of a cabinet in which Harold Wilson has "reduced to a whsiper" the voices against the Government's Rhodesia policy. "One by one, the Ministers most likely to make a fuss over the Rhodesian situation are being moved to posts where they can exercise minimal influence. Had the Tiger talks been accepted, several of these Ministers would have resigned, including Sir Dingle. Today, by design or fortunate coincidence, they are busy in other beehives," In support of this argument, the Sunday Times cites the examples of Barbara Castle, moved from Overseas Development to theTransport Ministry in December 1965 -— the month after Smith declared UDI. Her successor, the "mild left winger" Anthony Greenwood, was later moved to the Housing Ministry; and the subsequent succession of Arthur Bottomley, himself an opponent of the Smith regime, coincided with the downgrading of the post to non-Cabinet status. Lord Beswick, appointed Under Secretary for Commonwealth Relations and Colonies in October 1965, told the Lords in February this year, "I want the sanctions to be as severe as possible.” In July, Wilson made him the Government Chief Whip. Another conveniently moved Minister was Judith Hart, a "known hard-liner on Rhodesia", who was appointed to the Ministry of Social Security a few weeks ago, The current Cabinet changes, announced on Monday night, certainly bear out the Sunday Times hypothesis, Arthur Bottomley has departed, and Harold Bowden, the Commonwealth Secretary of State, whose personal statement on Rhodesia have left little room for manoeuvre, has been moved to take over Lord Hill's job as Chairman of ITA.