By its policy of granting independence upon request, France hoped to keep the friendship of the 13 new states that until this year comprised the French empire in western Africa. As its staunchest ally in the area, France counted on Felix Houphouet-Boigny, 55, the sly old pro who sat in five French Cabinets and is now Premier of the Ivory Coast. Last week Houphouet-Boigny assembled five Presidents, three Premiers and three ministers plenipotentiary* for a conference in the Ivory Coast's boomtown capital of Abidjan, and emerged just 48 hours later to announce...
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