RHODESIA: Tragic and Fateful Decision

"The deal is off!"

With that terse announcement, followed by a long sad sigh, British Negotiator Ivor Richard last week formally acknowledged what was already apparent. Rhodesia's Prime Minister Ian Smith had rejected a British proposal for achieving black majority rule within 14 months. That plan envisioned a 32-man interim government of blacks and whites, with a British "commissioner" at its head (TIME, Jan. 17). Since the commissioner would have a decisive vote and broad discretionary powers to alter the racial makeup of the group, Smith dismissed the idea as "political suicide."...

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