ANGOLANS SEEK AID FROM CHINA, USSR, CUBA
An announcement by Holden Roberto, head of the Angolan government-in-exile, in Leopoldville January 3 was considered by the New York Times of such importance as to rate page one treatment the next day. The capitalist press in Western Europe picked up the dispatch from this source and likewise gave it prominent handling,
"Me. Roberto is considered a political moderate with essentially pro-Western sympathies," said the special dispatch to America's most authoritative bourgeois newspaper, but he has "decided to accept the help of Communist China and 'other Communist countries! in the fight to free Angola from Portuguese rule,"
The New York Times learned through "African diplomatic sources" that within a month "an Angolan delegation is expected to visit Peking at the invitation of the Chinese Communist Government." The trip to China "will probably be followed by visits to Moscow and possibly Cuba."
According to the New York Times, Holden Roberto met Chinese Foreign Minister Chen Yi at Kenya's independence celebrations in Nairobi, Later he met Soviet and Cuban representatives at the United Nations in New York,
In an interview with the special correspondent of the New York Dimes, Holden Roberto was reported to have said, "The Communists assured me that we can have whatever we need in arms and money. We are firmly decided to accept."
; Explaining further why the Angolan government-in-exile had decided to shift its orientation in foreign policy, Holden Roberto declared: "Until now we have kept out of the cold war and within the
framework of African politics. We are now at a point where a radical | change of policy is imperative for us to make headway in our struggle."
He has given up hope that. the United States or its allies will put pressure on Portugal to negotiate with the freedom fighters.
"T came to the conclusion that the Western countries are hypocritical, They help our enemies. While paying lip service to selfdetermination, the United States supplies its North Atlantic treaty's ally, Portugal, with arms that are used to kill us."
He gave another example of American hypocrisy. G,. Mennen Williems, Assistant Secretary of. State for African Affairs, tried to convince Congolese Premier Cyrille Adoula not to recognize the Angolan government-in-exile. But the Congo granted recognition last June and several other African countries followed suit.
“With our present support we could go on fighting for another 20 years," Roberto continued. "In the end there would be no one left to liberate,"
"Only the Communists can give us what we need. None of the. African countries produce arms; they have to buy them themselves. It would be a betrayal of the suffering Angolan people not to turn to those who can help,"
The correspondent of the New York Times expressed doubt that the "new Angolan policy" will be acceptable to the Congo. Adoula “is . known to-be suspicious of Communists." In November he expelled the staff of the Soviet Embassy on charges that they had aided Congolese insurgents.
However, Holden Roberto said in response that "Mr, Adoula will understand that we need help. Besides, the Congolese shouldn't inter fere in our internal affairs," a
CHOU_EN-LAI'S