It's been an interesting month. The in hopeless poverty and 5% are what the Daily Mirror calls "disChicago police have revived The gustingly rich".
Theatre of Cruelty and the Pope has Referring to the events in Czechoreturned from Colombia. slovakia the Pope declared he would While he was there he made two renounce his trip instantly if that suggestions-that the big landowners would help to prevent the worsenshould be more heavily taxed and ing of evils that oppress that nation. that the government should seek However, as his staying or going more foreign aid. would make absolutely no difference He had a bad word for contra- at all he, and 18 chosen Cardinals, ception, which was a pity, since hopped on their private Boeing 707.
Colombia, because of poor medical The flight cost $80,000-a sum that services, has an infant mortality would take the averare Colombian rate seven times higher than Great 200 years to earn. Britain. While the people died of starvaThe Pope also remarked on living tion and hungry kids were driven conditions. He said that they should off the street, the Cathedral was reimproved, Nobody would dis- decorated in cream and gold for the agree with him - especially the visit; in addition the Church of Our people whose ceilings fell in when Lady of Lourdes had a new statue. the US Government helicopter he The priest who runs that church, borrowed flew overhead. Monsignor Bernado Ortega said: Five thousand starving children, "It has a simple crown of solid known to the wits of Bogota as gold set with precious stones given "stray dogs" were cleared off the voluntarily by the people of the street during the Holy Father's visit. Darish s A student demonstrating against But another Bolivian priest. Father His Holiness was shot to death by Mossett, who lives with his hungry group of devout policemen. flock in the countryside was accused During one of his speeches he of being a Communist and given a told the peasants that poverty was severe reprimand. a virtue which should be patiently Though the Pope left no practical borne. This must have delighted aid behind him, he did leave spiritual them-over a hundred peasants die aid in the form of the texts of the every day from starvation. 23 speeches he made during his trip. Naturally the Vicar of Christ spoke Exactly how much comfort these out against the Revolution. And very will bring to the 60% of the popusensible of him, too, in a country who can't Fond H
merican on companies nave otal investment in Nigeria of its relatively high production over a billion dollars. And even cost. If Nigeria could be deve- the Federal government looked nore important, Nigerian oil loped as an alternative production was the fastest Middle Eastern oil, the Western growing in the world-in 1966 petroleum industry might be alone it increased an incredible able to weather the vagaries of 53 per cent. Arab nationalism.
Today, the United States is The only problem was that represented in Nigeria and three-fourths of the Nigerian oil Biafra by Gulf, Mobil, Texaco, seemed to be located in the Eastern Region the to very bleak indeed. Worse still. scrambled to pump on May 30, 1967, the Eastern oil they could to fill the gap about their Region formally seceded, declar- caused by the Arab-Israeli War.
ing itself the independent Re- The major question for the did not escape the costs of war.
public of Biafra, headed by companies was whether or not Compulsory Lieutenant Colonel Odumegwu Biafra could display Ojukwu. sovereignty. June negotiations The question now was this: with Biafran envoys in New forced; the cost of living rose.
which they African business. President Bongo of Gabon and Ordinary Nigerians, however, Felix houphouet-Boigny of the Ivory Coast. As for the real "effective duced; strikebreaking laws and saving was intro- thing formal French recognition De Gaulle would wait and compulsory arbitration were ensee.
Though de Pope let no practical aid behind him, he did leave spiritual aid in the form of the texts of the 23 speeches be made during his trip.
Twar of Chris spoke Exactly how much comfort these out against the Revolution. And very will bring to the 60% of the popusensible of him, too, in a country lation who can't read is questionwhere 80% of the population live able.