TOGO DEATH AT THE GATE FOR SYLVANUS OLYMPIO, 60, PRESIDENT OF TOGO, 
THE NIGHTMARE BEGAN SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT . DISTURBED BY STRANGE SOUNDS 
IN HIS COMFORTABLE HOUSE IN THE CAPITAL CITY OF LOME, OLYMPIO 
GRABBED A PISTOL AND WENT TO THE HEAD OF THE STAIRS 
. THERE, TO HIS CONSTERNATION, WAS A CROWD OF MUTINOUS SOLDIERS 
CROWDING THE FLOOR BELOW . BAREFOOT, CLAD IN SHORTS AND SPORT 
SHIRT, OLYMPIO LEAPED THROUGH A WINDOW ONTO THE SOFT, SANDY EARTH 
OF HIS GARDEN . HE MADE IT TO THE U.S . 
EMBASSY COMPOUND NEXT DOOR . IN THE GRAVELED COURTYARD, OLYMPIO FOUND 
A PARKED PLYMOUTH SEDAN BELONGING TO THE EMBASSY, AND CRAWLED IN 
. THERE, IN THE EARLY MORNING SUNLIGHT, HE WAS SPOTTED HUDDLED 
BENEATH THE STEERING WHEEL BY ONE OF THE MUTINEERS . CRYING 
" ALL RIGHT, YOU HAVE ME .! " , OLYMPIO SURRENDERED 
AND, PRODDED BY RIFLE BUTTS, WAS HUSTLED DOWN THE DRIVEWAY, PAST 
A MANGO TREE AND THROUGH THE GREEN GATE . THERE HE 
BALKED . SERGEANT ETIENNE EYADEMA, COMMANDER OF THE REBEL DETACHMENT, LATER 
DECLARED : " HE COULD NOT STAY THERE . THERE WOULD 
HAVE BEEN DEMONSTRATIONS . HE WOULD NOT MOVE . I SHOT 
HIM . " AT 7 THAT MORNING, U.S . AMBASSADOR LEON 
POULLADA DROVE UP TO THE EMBASSY BUILDING, FOUND PRESIDENT OLYMPIO LYING 
IN A POOL OF BLOOD JUST OUTSIDE THE COMPOUND . THERE 
WERE RED FINGER SMEARS ON THE GATE, AS IF HE HAD 
STRUGGLED TO RISE . AS EMBASSY AIDES CARRIED THE CORPSE INTO 
THE COURTYARD, FAT LIZARDS SCUTTLED AWAY ACROSS THE GRAVEL AND LOUNGING 
TOGOLESE SOLDIERS WATCHED SILENTLY FROM A NEARBY STREET CORNER . " 
BLOW TO PROGRESS . " THUS LAST WEEK DIED THE MAN 
WHO WAS RULER OF A POSTAGESTAMP-SIZED REPUBLIC (75 BY 340 MILES) 
ON THE SWELTERING WEST AFRICAN COAST . CHIEF ARCHITECT OF TOGO'S 
1960 INDEPENDENCE FROM FRENCH CONTROL, LONDON-EDUCATED OLYMPIO PRACTICED STERN AUSTERITY AT 
HOME, REJECTED DEMAGOGUERY AND SIDED OPENLY WITH THE WEST . PRESIDENT 
KENNEDY, WHOM OLYMPIO VISITED IN WASHINGTON LAST MARCH, MOURNED HIS DEATH 
AS " A BLOW TO THE PROGRESS OF STABLE GOVERNMENT IN 
AFRICA . " SUSPICION IMMEDIATELY FOCUSED ON GHANA'S STRONGMAN KWAME NKRUMAH, 
WHO HAS CONDUCTED A BITTER FEUD WITH OLYMPIO OVER CONTROL OF 
THE POWERFUL, 700,000MEMBER EWE (PRONOUNCED EV-VY) TRIBE, WHICH WAS SPLIT BETWEEN 
BOTH COUNTRIES BY EUROPEAN BOUNDARY-SETTERS . TWICE BEFORE, ASSASSINS HAD TRIED 
TO KILL OLYMPIO ; EACH TIME GHANA'S AGENTS WERE ACCUSED . 
BUT THIS TIME IT WAS OLYMPIO'S OWN ZEALOUS ECONOMIES THAT BROUGHT 
DISASTER . " BON . CA VA . " AS PART 
OF HIS ECONOMIC AUSTERITY PROGRAM, OLYMPIO HAD STUBBORNLY REFUSED TO EXPAND 
TOGO'S FLYSPECK ARMY BEYOND ITS STANDING STRENGTH OF 250 MEN EXACTLY 
ONE COMPANY . THIS ANGERED BOTH THE " ARMY " AND 
THE DEMOBILIZED, HARDEYED TOGOLESE VETERANS OF FRENCH COLONIAL WARS, WHO HAD 
FOUGHT FROM INDO-CHINA TO ALGERIA BUT COULD FIND NO PLACE IN 
THEIR HOMELAND'S ARMED FORCES . RECENTLY, A TOUGH EX-SERGEANT, EMMANUEL BODJOLLE, 
35, JOBLESS AND WITH A FAMILY TO SUPPORT, ORGANIZED A CONSPIRACY 
WITH 30 OTHER NONCOMS . LAST WEEK, AFTER OLYMPIO TORE UP 
A FINAL PLEA TO TAKE INTO THE SERVICE AT LEAST 60 
OF THE MOST QUALIFIED VETERANS, BODJOLLE SNAPPED : " BON . 
CA VA . " THAT MIDNIGHT HIS BATTLE-TOUGH INSURGENTS STRUCK, EASILY 
OCCUPYING THE CAPITAL . OLYMPIO'S SUCCESSOR IS NICOLAS GRUNITZKY, 49, HIS 
BROTHER-IN-LAW, WHO WAS SWEPT OUT OF OFFICE AS TERRITORIAL PREMIER FOR 
THE FRENCH WHEN OLYMPIO TOOK OVER FIVE YEARS AGO . GRUNITZKY'S 
FIRST ACT WAS TO ANNOUNCE THAT TOGO WOULD ALIGN ITSELF WITH 
THE AFRO-MALAGASY UNION, THE PRO-FRENCH ASSOCIATION OF WEST AFRICA STATES . 
THEN HE DECLARED FREE ELECTIONS WOULD SOON FOLLOW . BUT, AS 
SO OFTEN HAPPENS IN SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES, HE DECIDED IT WOULD BE 
BEST TO DISSOLVE PARLIAMENT AND RULE ALONE UNTIL THINGS SETTLED DOWN 
. 