Office of the Historian

174. Editorial Note

The negotiations at Kitona concluded at 2:30 a.m. on December 21, with an agreement embodied in an exchange of letters between Katangan provincial President Moise Tshombe and U.N. Under-Secretary for Special Political Affairs Ralph J. Bunche. Tshombe’s letter to Bunche transmitted an eight-point declaration acknowledging Congolese unity, but his letter stated, “I would however draw your attention to the fact that the haste with which my journey was made did not allow me the time to consult the competent authorities of Katanga so as to be authorized to speak on their behalf. I accordingly propose to do this on my return and to inform the Central Government of the steps to be taken with a view to the application of the enclosed declaration.”

The declaration reads as follows:

“The President of the Government of the Province of Katanga:

  • “(1) Accepts the application of the Loi Fondamentale of 19 May 1960;
  • “(2) Recognizes the indissoluble unity of the Republic of the Congo;
  • “(3) Recognizes President Kasa-Vubu as Head of State;
  • “(4) Recognizes the authority of the Central Government over all parts of the Republic;
  • “(5) Agrees to the participation of representatives of the province of Katanga in the Governmental commission to be convened at Léopoldville on 3 January 1962 with a view to study and consideration of the draft constitution;
  • “(6) Pledges himself to take all necessary steps to enable deputies and senators of the province of Katanga to discharge, from 27 December 1961, their national mandate within the Government of the Republic;
  • “(7) Agrees to the placing of the Katanga gendarmerie under the authority of the President of the Republic;
  • “(8) Pledges himself to ensure respect for the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council and to facilitate their implementation.” (American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1961, page 871)

The texts of Tshombe’s letter to Bunche, Bunche’s reply, and Bunche’s letter to Prime Minister Cyrille Adoula, all dated December 21, are printed ibid., pages 871–873, along with extracts from Acting Secretary-General U Thant’s report on the negotiations (U.N. document S/5038).