GUINEA TROUBLE IN EREWHON " AN AFRICAN STATESMAN, " ALLOWS GUINEA'S PRESIDENT 
SEKOU TOURE, " IS NOT A NAKED BOY BEGGING FROM RICH 
CAPITALISTS . " ON THE CONTRARY, MANY OF HIS COUNTRY'S WELL-DRESSED 
OFFICIALS OWN SUMPTUOUS VILLAS AND CARS, FAVOR FRENCH FOOD, AMERICAN CIGARETTES 
AND SCOTCH WHISKY (AT $18 A BOTTLE) . CONAKRY, GUINEA'S SWELTERING 
CAPITAL, HAS PLANS FOR TWO NEW LUXURY HOTELS ONE TO BE 
BUILT BY THE U.S., THE OTHER BY THE RUSSIANS . BUT 
GUINEA (POP . 3,300,000), ONCE ONE OF FRENCH WEST AFRICA'S RICHEST 
COUNTRIES, AFTER FIVE YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE HAS BECOME ONE OF THE 
POOREST . THIS WEEK, A MISSION HEADED BY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MINISTER 
ISMAEL TOURE, SEKOU'S HALF-BROTHER, IS DUE IN WASHINGTON, EXPECTED TO PLEAD 
WITH THE ADMINISTRATION TO DOUBLE THE $15 MILLION IN AID THAT 
THE U.S . HAS FUNNELED INTO GUINEA THIS YEAR . SEARS, 
WITH CREDIT . DESPITE DIVERSIFIED AGRICULTURE AND ABUNDANT NATURAL RESOURCES (NOTABLY, 
BAUXITE, IRON, DIAMONDS), STRONGMAN TOURE'S BLEND OF XENOPHOBIA AND SOCIALISM SADDLED 
THE COUNTRY WITH SEVERE FOOD SHORTAGES, INFLATION AND GAPING TRADE DEFICITS 
. THE TROUBLE, AS ONE WESTERN VISITOR PUTS IT, IS THAT 
GUINEA'S GOVERNMENT HAS LONG VIEWED FOREIGN AID AS " ONE BIG 
SEARS, ROEBUCK STORE, WITH UNLIMITED CREDIT . " ALONE AMONG FRANCE'S 
BLACK AFRICAN TERRITORIES, GUINEA CHOSE TOTAL INDEPENDENCE RATHER THAN CHARLES DE 
GAULLE'S OFFER OF CONTINUED " ASSOCIATION . " WHEN FRENCH AID 
WAS CUT OFF, TOURE TURNED INSTINCTIVELY TO THE SOVIET BLOC, WHOSE 
ECONOMIC EMBRACE RAPIDLY MADE GUINEA A KIND OF COLD-WAR EREWHON . 
IN RETURN FOR ITS PRIZED PINEAPPLES, BANANAS AND OTHER PRODUCE, MOSCOW 
SENT TROPICAL GUINEA OVERPRICED, SUPERANNUATED SNOWPLOWS, PREFABRICATED HOUSING UNITS THAT ITS 
WORKMEN CANNOT ASSEMBLE, AND A PLANT TO PRODUCE SHAVED ICE, WHICH 
MELTS INSTANTLY IN CONAKRY'S SAVAGE HEAT . AS ELSEWHERE, THE COMMUNISTS 
CONCENTRATED ON SHOWY PRESTIGE PROJECTS, SUCH AS A SPORTS STADIUM (STILL 
UNFINISHED AFTER THREE YEARS), A VAST BRICK FACTORY, A PRINTING PLANT 
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 40,000 NEWSPAPERS AN HOUR, THOUGH AT MOST ONE 
IN TEN GUINEANS CAN READ . EXPERTS DISCOVERED THAT A RUSSIAN-BUILT 
RADIO STATION, DESIGNED TO BEAM THE VOICE OF TOURE THE LENGTH 
OF AFRICA, HAD BEEN SITED ON AN IRON LODE THAT BADLY 
INTERFERES WITH TRANSMISSION . MIFFED MAMMIES . TOURE LEARNED TO FEAR 
RUSSIANS BEARING GIFTS . SOVIET LOANS PETERED OUT SOON AFTER HE 
EXPELLED THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR FOR FOMENTING ANTI-TOURE DEMONSTRATIONS IN 1961 IN 
ONE OF HIS MORE ASTUTE AIDMANSHIP GAMBITS, HE LATER SNUBBED MOSCOW 
BY STRENGTHENING HIS TIES WITH PEKING, WHOSE TECHNICIANS HAVE ALREADY BUILT 
A MATCH FACTORY AND A CIGARETTE PLANT . BUT RUSSIAN/DICTATED " 
REFORMS " AND TOURE'S OWN POLICIES PERSISTED . ON MOSCOW'S URGING, 
TOURE HAD DIVORCED GUINEA'S CURRENCY FROM FRANCE'S MONETARY SYSTEM, FLOODED THE 
COUNTRY WITH NEW PAPER FRANCS EMBELLISHED WITH HIS PORTRAIT, WHICH WERE 
ALMOST VALUELESS OUTSIDE GUINEA . AS A RESULT, CATTLE, COFFEE AND 
BANANAS AND U.S . FOOD FOR PEACE SUPPLIES WERE SMUGGLED INTO 
NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES TO BE SOLD FOR HARD CURRENNY . TOURE ALSO 
NATIONALIZED VIRTUALLY EVERY BUSINESS IN GUINEA, INCLUDING THE ONCE-LUCRATIVE DIAMOND MINES 
. SOON EVERY COMMODITY FROM TAP WATER TO BEER-BOTTLE CAPS WAS 
IN SHORT SUPPLY . ONCE-DOCILE GUINEANS REACTED BY STAGING AN ANGRY 
SERIES OF FOOD RIOTS THIS YEAR . THOUGH TOURE PRIDES HIMSELF 
ON HIS EMANCIPATION OF WOMENFOLK HE HAS ALSO INSISTED THAT TRADITIONALLY 
BARE-BREASTED BANANA PORTERS COVER UP IT WAS GUINEA'S VOCIFEROUS MARKET MAMMIES 
MIFFED AT PERENNIAL SHORTAGES AND SOARING PRICES, WHO FINALLY FORCED THE 
PRESIDENT TO MAKE HIS FIRST DRASTIC ECONOMIC REFORMS BY THREATENING TO 
MARCH ON CONAKRY . FEARFUL THAT HE MIGHT BE OVERTHROWN, TOURE 
LAST OCTOBER HASTILY DISMANTLED DOZENS OF STATE MONOPOLIES AND ALLOWED PRIVATE 
RETAILERS TO BUY UP THEIR STOCKS . IN REPEATED BROADCASTS, HE 
CONFESSED THAT HIS NATIONALIZATION OF THE ECONOMY HAD BEEN A COLOSSAL 
FLOP . SAID HE : " THE PRIVATE TRADER HAS A 
GREATER SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY THAN CIVIL SERVANTS, WHO GET PAID AT 
THE END OF EACH MONTH AND ONLY ONCE IN A WHILE 
THINK OF THE NATION OR THEIR OWN RESPONSIBILITY . " BUT 
WESTERN BUSINESSMEN ARE WONDERING WHETHER TOURE'S APPARENT CONVERSION TO FREE ENTERPRISE 
IS SINCERE AND WHETHER IT COMES TOO LATE TO DO MUCH 
GOOD . 