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7 -3- =) few. These would be wise and able men in any context. To offset their personal quality and ceospetence, however, is the sad lack of able supporting staff, the ab- sence of @ framework or tradition of vigor and competence in public service, the lack of a conmoa toncue ++ even within single countries -- which forees all public of fi- cials in this modern, swift-paced world to think and to work in a second language. One often has the feeling that these able men are lost in a sea of ineffictency and lassitude. Tocir staff seen entirely unrelated to events as they are. One doesn't, after a while, ask too much. An American ambassader told me he counted it a hearten- ing result of the current U.S. Leadership Grant Program that one African public of. ficial came back from his four months in the U.S. and answered his countrymen's ques- tion: "Nol There is no siesta hour in the U.S.! I have seen men who work. And we must learn to work, too, if we are to progress," We of the West haven't always been helpful. Take these two cases in point: In the farous de Gaulle referendum of 1958 in French Africa, Guinea was the only colonial territory to opt for freedom rather than membership in the French Community, Overnight, the stiff French reaction w. to stop French assistance progres and to witht French personnel; it is even said -- theugh I cannot personally vouch for it -- that what equipment the French could not take with them was destroyed. The ine evitsble happened. President Sékou Toure, who came up through a tough laber movement fount a ready friend in the U.S.S.R., and there emerged in Conakry the only coupul- sively left-leaning state on the continent. There is a sizable Russian program of technical assistance in Guinea as a result. Guirca is the only Black African country to which a Cowmunist airline flies a regular weckly service -- Prague to Conakry, Now after the fsrous snowplow story -- for which in any version whatever I do not vouch -- President Touré is said to be somewhat disenchanted and his relations with the West are said to be on the mend, Then consider the case of the last small Portusuese enclave in Dahon saw it last sum. sisted of a block square overgrown park on the sea some miles Crom Cota » surrounding a burned-out mansion. The story was told to me hy a responsible Western diplomat. A relic of the Ll?th century, this quite uscless little area housed a Portuguese official and a library in which had been collected documents frou the time ef the esrlicest Portugucse visitors -- something like 1482. he date docsn't matter. This last bit of forcign property was a bit of a thorn in the side of the new-fledzed Republic. Apparently Dahomey oftered all sorts of settlements wnich the Portuguese refused. The enclave might, for instance, have be given recor nizcc diplomatic status, or been made a consulate, No, It was Portugueso property, and nothing could be done. vs When I After months of effort, their paticnce at an end, the Dahomeyan authorities set a fina) date for the removel of thig irritatine reminder of the bad old colonial days Sceeirs thar the Cevermicac of Dohumey meant business, on the eve of the deadline in 1901 the Portes residcat buraed the mansion, the dirreplaccable library, and even his own car. owas Caken to the border by Dah ‘an authoriiies to be expelled, and had the gall to announce thar by his aetion the honor of Portusal had been saved. We Amerien pletcly di: have done nothin: quite Like this, bet we cannot expect to be coun sdciated from the actions of our French and Portusuese friends. Americans haven't ale. been helpiel at hove, either. I have recently visited ict friend in Fren speaking Airica, a meshey of his country's Supreme Court. visited the U.S., Lut says he likes us anyway. Here is the stery he told me looked over his treasured scrapbooks of the crip: