BELGIUM: The Sudden Guests

Maurice Van Hemelrijck, 57, a man with a flair for dramatic decisions, is Belgium's Minister for the Congo—and hopes very much to be the last one. Long before the bloody Léopoldville riots last January, he had warned his government that unless it began giving the Congo democracy and some sort of independence, it would face "catastrophe" and lose the colony altogether. When he flew into Léopoldville last week, he got the kind of ugly welcome that France's Premier Guy Mollet once got in Algiers. Angry white settlers shut up their shops in...

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