CONGO READING THE RUSSIANS' MAIL A COUPLE OF SOVIET DIPLOMATS GOT THE 
KIND OF TREATMENT IN THE CONGO LAST WEEK THAT MANY OTHER 
COUNTRIES HAVE OFTEN WISHED BUT NOT DARED TO METE OUT TO 
RED ENVOYS . ALMOST FROM THE DAY OF THE CONGO'S INDEPENDENCE 
IN 1960, THE RUSSIANS AND THEIR SATELLITES WORKED DOGGEDLY TO DESTROY 
WHAT LITTLE STABILITY THE COUNTRY HAD IN HOPES OF GETTING A 
COMMUNIST FACTION IN CONTROL . EXPELLED EN MASSE AFTER THE DEMISE 
OF ERRATIC PATRICE LUMUMBA, THE REDS BEGAN FILTERING BACK INTO LEOPOLDVILLE 
LAST YEAR, NOTABLY TO THE TOWERING EIGHT-STORY APARTMENT BUILDING THAT IS 
BOTH EMBASSY AND RESIDENCE FOR SOVIET AMBASSADOR SERGEI NEMCHINA AND HIS 
100-MAN STAFF OF OPERATIVES . TWO OF NEMCHINA'S MOST IMPORTANT AIDES, 
HIS SLIM, FAIR EMBASSY COUNSELOR BORIS VORONIN AND STOCKY, BUSHY-HAIRED PRESS 
ATTACHE YURI MIAKOTNYKH, HAVE DEVELOPED ESPECIALLY CLOSE CONTACTS WITH EXTREMISTS OPPOSED 
TO PREMIER CYRILLE ADOULA'S MODERATE REGIME . MIAKOTNYKH WORKED HARD TO 
PENETRATE THE TRADE UNIONS AND LEFTWING STUDENT GROUPS, EVEN LOBBIED IN 
THE CORRIDORS OF PARLIAMENT . TUG OF WAR . WHAT WORRIED 
THE GOVERNMENT MOST WAS THE CLOSE CONTACT OF THE TWO RUSSIANS 
WITH A PLOTTING EXILE GROUP LED BY LUMUMBA'S FORMER PARTY CHIEF 
CHRISTOPHE GBENYE, WHO MADE HIS HEADQUARTERS ACROSS THE CONGO RIVER IN 
THE EX-FRENCH CONGO CAPITAL OF BRAZZAVILLE . ONE DAY LAST WEEK, 
WHEN VORONIN AND MIAKOTNYKH DROVE DOWN TO THE RIVER BANK, KNOWN 
AS " LE BEACH, " FOR THE FERRY RIDE OVER TO 
BRAZZAVILLE, ADOULA'S COPS DECIDED TO STOP THEM ON THE WAY BACK 
AND FIND OUT WHAT THEY HAD BEEN UP TO . SURROUNDING 
THEIR CAR AT THE LANDING STAGE, CONGOLESE POLICE INSISTED ON A 
SEARCH . WITH A SHRUG, THE RUSSIANS OPENED THE TRUNK, THEN 
LET THEM LOOK IN THE FRONT AND BACK SEATS . BUT 
VORONIN WAS CLEARLY DETERMINED NOT TO GIVE UP HIS BRIEFCASE, AND 
HUGGED IT TO HIS CHEST AS HE AND MIAKOTNYKH GOT BACK 
INTO THE CAR . TO MAKE SURE THE RUSSIANS DID NOT 
TRY TO START THE ENGINE AND SPEED AWAY, THE POLICE LET 
THE AIR OUT OF THEIR TIRES, THEN PULLED OPEN THE DOORS 
AND BEGAN A TUG OF WAR WITH VORONIN'S LEGS, YANKING HIS 
SHOES OFF IN THE PROCESS . AS THEY PULLED, MIAKOTNYKH CLUNG 
JUST AS FIERCELY TO VORONIN, UNTIL AT LAST, BOTH MEN WERE 
DRAGGED OUT FEET FIRST, RELIEVED OF THE BRIEFCASE AND HEAVED UNCEREMONIOUSLY 
INTO A PICKUP TRUCK . WHEN ONE OF THE RUSSIANS TRIED 
TO STUFF A DOCUMENT INSIDE HIS SHIRT, A CONGOLESE GUARD RIPPED 
THE ENTIRE FRONT OF HIS SHIRT OFF . OUT IN THE 
RAIN . WITH THAT, THE PRISONERS WERE DRIVEN OFF TO A 
MILITARY CAMP OUTSIDE LEOPOLDVILLE, AND THE CONTENTS OF VORONIN'S BRIEFCASE WERE 
TAKEN TO POLICE HEADQUARTERS . SURE ENOUGH, CLAIMED THE GOVERNMENT, AMONG 
THEM WAS A LETTER FROM GBENYE TO THE RUSSIANS ASKING FOR 
5 BILLION IN COUNTERFEIT CONGOLESE FRANCS TO BE USED TO UNDERMINE 
THE CONGO'S CURRENCY, AND ANOTHER DOCUMENT REQUESTING ARMS, TAPE RECORDS AND 
" OTHER ESPIONAGE EQUIPMENT . " ONE OF THE LETTERS BORE 
TEETH MARKS, AS IF A RUSSIAN HAD TRIED TO SWALLOW IT 
. TO PUT AN ABRUPT STOP TO SUCH SOVIET ACTIVITIES, SQUADS 
OF CONGOLESE POLICE WERE RUSHED TO CORDON OFF THE RUSSIANS' APARTMENTS, 
AND INSIDE, THE RUSSIANS SUDDENLY DISCOVERED THEMSELVES WITHOUT TELEPHONE SERVICE AND 
WITHOUT ELECTRICITY, WHICH MEANT THEY WOULD HAVE TO SWELTER IN THE 
HEAT WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONERS AND DO WITHOUT COOKSTOVES . TWO CZECH 
DIPLOMATS WHO DROVE UP TO THE GATE WERE ARRESTED AND FORCED 
TO STAND OUTSIDE MOST OF THE NIGHT IN A TROPICAL DOWNPOUR 
. FROM MOSCOW CAME AN ANGRY DEMAND FOR THE RELEASE OF 
THE PRISONERS, WHO, ACCORDING TO IZVESTIA, HAD BEEN ARRESTED BY POLICE 
LED BY " AMERICAN ADVISERS . " IGNORING THE PROTEST, ADOULA'S 
AGENTS NEXT MORNING SWOOPED DOWN ON THE HOTEL ROOM OF ANOTHER 
SUSPECTED COMMUNIST TROUBLEMAKER, THE NEWLY ARRIVED CORRESPONDENT OF THE SOVIET NEWS 
AGENCY NOVISTI, HUSTLED HIM OFF TO A CELL . HE WAS 
LATER RELEASED, BUT BY WEEK'S END, THE TWO RUSSIAN DIPLOMATS WERE 
PUT ABOARD EUROPE-BOUND PLANES . USUALLY HESITANT PREMIER ADOULA REJECTED HIS 
CABINET'S RECOMMENDATION THAT DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA AND CZECHOSLOVAKIA BE SEVERED 
. BUT HE DID ORDER AMBASSADOR NEMCHINA TO GET OUT OF 
THE CONGO WITHIN 24 HOURS AND TAKE THE ENTIRE 100-MAN STAFF 
WITH HIM . 