U.N. Officials Attacked By Katanga Troops

Press, Volume C, Issue 29684, 30 November 1961, Page 17

U.N. Officials Attacked By Katanga Troops

(N .Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) NEW YORK, November 29. The Australian acting United Nations representative in Elisabethville (Mr George Ivan Smith) and another United Nations official were brutally beaten up with rifle butts by “crazed gendarmerie and para-commandos” in Elisabethville last night, the United Nations announced.

A spokesman said the men were dragged from an official dinner given for a visiting United States Senator, Mr Thomas Dodd, of Connecticut, in full view' of the Senator and his wife and most members of the Elisabethville Diplomatic Corps. Mr Ivan Smith, of Sydney, a former director of the Australian International Broadcasting Service, managed to get clear after being beaten up. But the other official, Mr Brian Urquhart, of Britain, assistant to the officer-in-charge of the United Nations Congo Command, Dr. Sture Linner, was dragged off by the Katangese. He was later released and admitted to hospital. The nature of injuries suffered by the two men was not immediately available, though it was feared one or both had suffered broken ribs. Protest Ordered Shortly after news of the attack reached New York, the United Nations acting Sec-retary-General (U Thant, of Burma) cabled Mr Ivan Smith ordering him to "lodge a protest in the strongest terms against this inhuman treatment.” He said he was “profoundly shocked” at the attack on the two men, who had made considerable sacrifice to serve the United Nations efforts to assist the people of the Congo towards peace and stability. A United Nations spokesman said Mr Urquhart was “literally kidnapped” by the

Katangese after'he and Mr Ivan Smith were hauled out of the dinner party being given in a house for Senator Dodd. The United Nations immediately protested to Katanga’s Interior Minister (Mr Godfroid Munungo) and the Katanga Foreign Affairs Minister (Mr Evarista Kimba). The Katangese Ministers pleaded with the United Nations not to send in troops, and after a considerable amount of discussion, Mr Urquhart was eventually produced through the efforts of the two Ministers, the spokesman said. The attacks took place after Mr Ivan Smith and Mr Urquhart had driven to the house. Earlier, they had attended a reception at the United States Consulate which was also in Senator Dodd's honour. On their way from the Consulate to the house, the two officials were stopped by a detachment of Katangan guards, but they managed to extricate themselves from them and resume their journey to the dinner party. Press Appointment Mr Ivan Smith, who was the first director of Australia’s International Broadcasting Service and later a director of the 8.8. C. Overseas Service, was appointed head of the United Nations Press Division in January this year. Born in Sydney, New South Wales, he joined the United Nations in 1947 as chief of programmes in the radio division.