"Discrimination based solely on the color of a man's skin cannot be defended," said the burly, mustachioed Ambassador to the United Nations. That truism would probably have passed unnoticed except for the identity of the speaker. He was Roelofse F. ("Pik") Botha, permanent representative for South Africa. Botha's concession came too late to block a Black African resolution calling for South Africa's expulsion from the U.N. The motion failed, however, when the three Western members of the Security Councilthe U.S., Britain and Francecast a veto against it.
Botha's remarkably open-minded speech was an indication...
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