Archive Report
Archive Report
World Powers and the Congo's Civil War
Risks of a Cold War Confrontation in Africa
Civil war in the Congo is drawing East and West into a cold war confrontation that easily could escalate into another Viet Nam. Ranged against each other in savage conflict are Communist-backed Congolese rebels and the Western-supported central Congolese government of Premier Moise Tshombe. Stepped-up shipments of weapons to rebel-held areas in the northeastern Congo now threaten to swing the Congolese balance of power against the legitimate government.
Secretary of State Dean Rusk has warned that Africa may become a major front in the cold war unless outside interference in the Congo's affairs is ended. He told a news conference, Dec. 23, that the Congo situation presented one of the two most ...