276. Telegram From the Embassy in the Congo to the Department of State0
1330. While arrest of Lumumba may be expected to reduce political temperature in Congo in immediate future, much depends on ability Congolese authorities keep him confined and eventually on outcome of trial. Certainly seating of Kasavubu delegation and now arrest of Lumumba have enhanced prestige Kasavubu and his supporters internally and in UN. I fully agree that GOC should capitalize immediately on this situation but the lack of dynamics and political skills of Kasavubu and present government do not encourage me to believe they will be able achieve very much.
While Afro-Asian hangers-on are, and should be, discouraged, I anticipate no letup in their efforts to restore Lumumba. There may, however, be a change of tactics which should soon be evident if my guess is correct. This likely take form of concentrated attack on UN and particularly UNOC for favoring “imperialist” policies and on inefficiency UNOC. If they believe, however, that a further reinforcing of “neutralist” influence on UNOC can be achieved, they may attempt that. They already have excellent start through attitude Dayal and Indianization top military command. Dayal views scene with Olympian detachment, unconcealed disdain and anxiously awaits day when he can get out of Congo mess and bathe in pure waters of Pakistan. He [Page 613] is man of principle but does not understand practical problems involved in translating them into action which might conceivably lead to progress on the road to achievement.
Although UN prestige ebbed slowly from the beginning because of its refusal to take clear and firm stand on vital matters such as restoration of law and order, it dipped sharply after inexcusable blunders in handling Welbeck’s ouster. It would have been much better to have replaced Dayal then. If my understanding that he endeavored to resign while in New York is correct, it might be worthwhile to explore with SYG possibility accepting such resignation now on face-saving basis his services in Pakistan are urgently required.
Rikhye’s prestige is at low level as result Ghana affair. [2 lines of source text not declassified]
It has long seemed to me that UNOC has lacked, at the top, executive skills and that its present disorganization and wasteful procedures can be corrected only by the assignment of a special representative who possesses such skills in addition to some ability in the diplomatic field. A part of the problem lies, of course, in the fact that no clear or strong mandate has been given to UNOC by New York. Its posture has accordingly been hesitant, uncertain and largely ineffective. This became evident early to the Congolese who interpreted this as weakness and they have accordingly issued themselves licenses to do as they please. The UN response has been to deal with the resulting brushfires on an ad hoc basis without any clear definition of either the strategy or the tactics of carrying out in actual practice objectives laid down in the SC resolution on the Congo. In a following telegram I shall attempt to make some suggestions as to what might be done to get on with the job.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 770G.00/12–360. Secret. Also sent to USUN and repeated to Brussels.↩