Foreign Relations: Mission to Africa

As U.S. Attorney General and as ace political troubleshooter for the New Frontier, Robert Francis Kennedy, 35, has been far more conspicuous for his tough mind, razored tongue and tireless energies than for his diplomatic techniques. Yet last week Bobby turned up in morning coat in the Ivory Coast Republic on Africa's western bulge—and scored a nice diplomatic success.

President John Kennedy had dispatched Brother Bobby to the Ivory Coast as a gesture of friendship to one of Africa's most European-minded rulers: President Félix Houphouet-Boigny. The Ivory Coast was celebrating its first...