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Courier-Journal — Friday, Nov. 15, 1968 Nigeria as. Biafra: Can Anybody Win? Missionaries Still Missing More than three week* have passed since a light plane carrying three young American missionaries disappeared over the dense rain-forest of central Congo. Max L. Myers, 34, of Moline, 111., a Methodist layman, who piloted the single-engine -Cessna lost since the middle of October, Is shown holding a child on his shoulders at a Central Congo-village. Also aboard the flight were MreTHarrison Goodall and Mrs: Birney C. Hoyt. Mr. Myers and Mrs. Goodall were assigned by the United Christian Missionary Society, a Disciples of Christ agency. Mrs^Hoyt was placed by the Catholic Medical Mission. (RNS) French Bishops Stress Birth Control Conscience (Continued from Page 1) order is not always guilty. It occurs In fact that spouses consider them- selves to be confronted by a true conflict of doty. \On the one hand they are aware of the duty of respect for the opening to life in every conjugal act. They believe themselves in conscience bound to avoid a new birth or post- pone it to a little later, and are deprived of resorting to biological rhythm. \On the other hand, they do not see how, for their part, to renounce a physical expression of their love without the stability of their home being threatened. — \On this subject we simply recall the constant moral teaching: When one faces a choice of duties, where one cannot avoid an evil whatever be the decision taken, traditional wis- dom requires that one seek before God to find which is the greater duty. \The spouses will decide for them- The bishops also had some advice for Catholics who feel the encyclical is fundamentally wrong. They ap- pealed to them to \avoid polemics that cast trouble in souls and stoke unrest in the Church.\ Observers noted that sections of the French bishops' statoment bore a striking resemblance in content and choice of words to a declaration made by the Canadian hierarchy in Sept- tember. The Canadian bishops in their statement declared: \Counsellors may meet others who, accepting the teachings of the Holy Father, find that because of particular circumstances they are involved in what seems to them a clear conflict of duties, e.g.. the reconciling of conjugal love and responsible parent- hood with the education of children already born or with the health of the mother. \In accord with the accepted prin- ciples of moral theology, if these persons have tried sincerely but without success to pursue a line of conduct In keeping with the given directives, they may be safely assured rufllnt^el-'/ , , Umuahia, Biafra — All wars are tragic, and the Biafria-Nigeria war is particularly so, not only' because of the millions who have starved or wtio may starve, but also because true long- er it continues, the less likely it be- comes that either side can w-in. At best, either side can orject to gain only an end to the overt hostili- ties which are costing them so much money and so many men, and some minimal guarantees of good f^aith, if not good will, on the part o-f the-ir leaders. And even that might be expecting too much, for the Biafrans — or the Ibos, whose tribe constitutes a major- ity in Biafra — are determinec3 never again to submit to the kind of Niger- ian government from whicha they seceded in 1967. A four-day trip throughout tBie tiny nation made that abundantly clear, not only by the proliferation o»f road- side signs such as one anno-uncirag the \Win the 'War Hotel,\ but by trie attitude and character of the people. \When the Nigerian federation was formed the Ibos became a msainstay of the civil service. They contributed scores of military officers and educa- tors, as well as clerks and post office workers. In addition, they became known throughout the federation as trades- men and professionals — dloctors, lawyers, judges. \In return we received onaly the hatred of the other tribes,\ ozne Ibo educatior said bitterly. \The Flausas, the Fulani, the Yoruba were jealous of our leadership.\ It was not only that. For years the Ibos because of a peculiar combina- tion of circumstances — ardent mis- sionary work, which brought educa- tion, the lack of other ressources which forced them to turn to them- selves as their major resource — had been famous in West Africa. Like the Jews in Europe and the Chinese in Asia, they were Che en- vied entrepreneurs who scattered throughout tropical Africa to make their fortunes- They were proud of their self-sufficiency, they vre-re de- termined to prove that their pride was well-earned. And as In Europe, the scorn which accompanied their success culminated in a pogrom. In Northern and West- ern Nigeria, hundreds of thowsands of Ibos were slain by other tribes- men in 1966. The return to the homeland began shortly thereafter. But far from being the solution to their difficulties, the return bsrought only new troubles. \We could do no right,\ said one Ibo chief. \We were too ambitious and too prominent before thnc po- groms. But when we returned to the East, our homeland, wc were accused of running out on the federatSon — of destroying it for selfish mo«ivcs.\ . . Undejc^ these circumstances, he ••'said, '•'lec&slon and* independence .were, inevitable, .^e could no Monger The Innocent victims. take part un the federal government because doi ng so put us in danger of our lives. A.nd we had to defend our- selves from those who wanted to force us to- take part in the federa- tion.\ The war began in May 1967. At that time tfae borders of Biafra were those of the old Nigerian Eastern Re- gion. They enclosed some 12 million persons (the latest pre-war census figure) plus perhaps 2 million refu- gees from other parts of Nigeria. Its capital was Enugu, perilously close to the border with Northern Ni- geria. Enugu fell a year ago. Its ports were Port Harcourt and Calabar. They fell this spring. Onitsha, a city on the Niger River on the western edge of Biafra, fell last fall, shortly before Enugu. Owerri, Aba, Ikot Ekpene — all cities between Port Harcourt and the present capital of Umuahia — fell this spring. But Biafra has not fallen. Despite a shortage of arms and ammunition and the opposition of a well-armed federal force — supplied mainly by Britain — the Biafrans have largely held their own. * They are angry at the daily air raids by Soviet-built MIG jets, piloted by Egyptians. But they are angry not because they have hurt Biafra mili- tarily — they have not touched most of the military targets this writer saw —but because they drop their bombs and strafe hospitals, markets and other civilian centers. The anger has been easy to trans- late into increased determination. The Ibos, the memories of the 1966 . pogroms still fresh in their minds, v see the raids as only one more step in a Nigerian war of genocide against the Ibos. And the Ibos, who have a reputa- tion for stubbornness unmatched by any other African people, consider the atrocities and the deprivations not as a liability, but as fuel for their energies. Biafrans are quite willing to con- template the future should the fed- eral forces overrun them. \The people in the towns and vil- lages will probably stay there, or perhaps move a little further into the bush until they are sure of their safety,\ said one. \And they will do just as they please, whatever the Ni- gerians think they should do, or want them to do.\ \The Commandoes will begin guer- rilla war, probably from the forests in the East around Bende,\ predicts Rolf Steiner, the French head of the Biaf ran elite corps. And there it is: passive resistance, a la Ghandi and guerrilla war, • la Ho Chi Mlnh. Their Luck Runs Out By JOHN R. SULLIVAN (NC News Service) Nguru, Biafra — It was 9:30 on a clear, warm. Saturday morning when Sister Conrad of Holy Rosary Convent saw that the last of the children had been fed. There were 4,000 of them in what had been part of a girls' high school before the war. In another building nearby — a former classroom, with the pictures of plants and animals still chalked on the blackboards — Sister Joseph Therese, an Ibo nun, moved among tne 31 children in thier cribs. These children were victims of kwashiorkor, the protein deficiency which has already killed more than a million Biafrans. These were the fortunate ones, however'—they were here to receive protein injections, blood transfusions, and constant medi- cal attention. With luck, they would not die. At 9:30 a.m, Oct, 19, Sister Conrad stood at the door as the last of the 4,000 children and their mothers left At 9:30 luck ran out for three of the children. A Nigerian jet fighter, manufactured in the Soviet Union and flown by an Egyptian pilot, pass- ed once oveT the convent compound, circled and dropped its bomb. W'hen the debris settled, three children in the clinic were dead. Most of the others were injured. One nurse could no longer help — she was dead. One -woman, who gave her time pre- paring food for the feeding center, would no longer cook—she was dead. The feeding center, from which 4,000 persons had exited 10 minutes before, was wrecked — one wall was missing, the roof fallen in. The far end of the clinic building, too, had largely disappeared. Between the two buildings was a crater 17 feet deep and 30 feet in diameter. Two days later, they found a woman's body buried in the dirt in the crater. \If that bomb had fallen the week before, we wouldn't be counting the dead,\ said Sister Columba the next Wednesday. Normally, she explained, the feed- Pope Congratulates President-Elect Vatican City — (RNS)—Pope Paul VI has cabled his congratulations to Richard M. Nixon on his election as the 37th President of the United States. The Pope told Mr. Nixon that he would pray \that God may grant you abundant graces of strength and guid- ance\ in carrying out his duties as President Full text of the papal raesfiige: \Expressing felicitations upon your election to the Presidency, we assure you of our prayers that God may grant you abundant graces of strength and guidance in the accomplishment of your future arduous duties, and may bestow upon you, your family, and the beloved American people prosperity and happiness in justice and true peace,\ ing center would be filled until after 10 a.m. But because of recent morn- ing air raids nearby, the people had decided they wanted to start — and finish earlier. The new schedule had started only a few days before. Johnson Announces New Biafra Aid Washington — (NC — President Lyndon B. Johnson coupled an an- nouncement of new U.S. relief aid to victims of the Nigeria-Biafra war with an indirect plea that the war end soon. The President noted that the new gift brings American contributions to the International Committee of the Red Cross for its relief work to $12.5 million in cash, food and equipment. American voluntary agencies, such as Catholic Relief Service, Church World Service and Jewish agencies, have given more than $4.3 million. President Johnson, however, recently refused to loan military cargo planes to the relief effort COURIER-JOURNAL Vol. 81 No. 7 — November li, 11(8 riMkM Woakly ajr *• R«dM«tor CathtUc Frau Aawdatiaa. SUBSCRIPTION RATBk Blast* Ctay Ucs 1 raw BaWtrlatlHi ta U.S.. M.Ms Cuah aai Boatfc Aaaarka, tMtx •Uur tmlgn Miatriaa, M.i». MaiaOMca, W Sdo Strut, ••rtnttar. M.T. 14**. F Claaa Factaaa Pal* at JUckartar. Bf.Y. JhU SALE WARM WINTER COATS EXCITING WITH FUR 138.00 Rep. 160.00 and 165.00 Mink! Sheared beaver! Persian lamb! Chinchillette, that fabulous-looking dyed rabbit! On collars, some with matching cuffs, all with beautiful new fashion winter coats attached! One look and you'll know this is the time to buy that new coat, and Forman's the place. Coat Collections, Floor Two, Midtown and Pittsford, a selection at Culver- Ridge. Fur products labeled to show country of origin of imported furs. No mail or phone orders please Shop at Forman's Midtown Tuesday and Thursday nights until 9 • Culver-Ridge and f> ittsford /Aonday through Friday until 9 • Plea.se turn to pages 16A and 17A for other other Forman news X *-4r
