Britain Beware

To round out the newly created Central African Federation (TIME, Sept. 21), some Britons propose to turn over to Southern Rhodesia a huge chunk of the sprawling desert protectorate of Bechuanaland. Last week Bechuanaland's southern neighbor, South Africa, spoke up in angry protest--a protest unusually strong for a land that belongs to the Commonwealth and pays homage to Elizabeth as its Queen. South Africa's dour old Prime Minister Daniel Malan warned Whitehall that any fiddling with Bechuanaland would be regarded in Cape Town as a downright "unfriendly act"; in retaliation, South Africa might turn against another British protectorate and "completely starve out Basutoland," which is entirely encircled by South African territory.

Malan was well aware that British public opinion might force the London government to protect its protectorate, but he did not care a fig for that. "British public opinion is their difficulty, not ours," he snapped. "If we were to take any notice of British public opinion, we should have no further reason to exist."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.