THE CONGO TSHOMBE'S TWILIGHT THE KATANGA STRUGGLE SEEMED OVER AT LAST . 
IT HAD BEEN A 2F-YEAR SIEGE THAT BROUGHT THE U.N . 
CLOSE TO BANKRUPTCY, SET THE U.S . AT ODDS WITH ITS 
PRINCIPAL EUROPEAN ALLIES AND THREATENED TO IMMERSE CENTRAL AFRICA IN BLOOD 
. NOW, KATANGA'S REBEL MOISE TSHOMBE SAT WANLY BEHIND A DESK 
IN A STUCCO COTTAGE IN THE COPPER TOWN OF KOLWEZI AND 
DECLARED, " I AM READY TO PROCLAIM IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE WORLD 
THAT KATANGA'S SECESSION IS ENDED . " THE WORDS OF THE 
MERCURIAL MOISE HAD A FAMILIAR RING, AND THERE WERE SKEPTICS WHO 
SUGGESTED THE PLEDGE WAS FALSE . " I'LL BELIEVE IT WHEN 
I SEE IT, " SAID ONE DIPLOMAT IN ELISABETHVILLE . " 
WE KNOW THE MAN, " SHRUGGED CENTRAL GOVERNMENT PREMIER CYRILLE ADOULA 
IN LEOPOLDVILLE . " IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT 
TSHOMBE HAS DECLARED HIMSELF READY TO RENOUNCE HIS AMBITIONS TO FOUND 
AN INDEPENDENT STATE . " WISE ACT . " BUT THIS 
TIME TSHOMBE HAD LITTLE CHOICE . BLUE-HELMETED U.N . TROOPS CONTROLLED 
NEARLY ALL THE MAJOR RAIL AND POPULATION CENTERS OF KATANGA PROVINCE, 
AND U.N . SECRETARY-GENERAL U THANT WAS NOT BACKING DOWN ON 
HIS THREAT TO CRUSH KATANGA'S WILY SECESSIONIST . UP TO THE 
LAST MOMENT, TSHOMBE WAVERED . HAVING FLED FROM ELISABETHVILLE " A 
FRIGHTENED AND DEJECTED MAN, " IN THE WORDS OF BRITISH AND 
BELGIAN OFFICIALS, HE TURNED UP LAST WEEK IN KOLWEZI, WHERE THE 
LAST 3,000 OF HIS 20,000-MAN GENDARMERIE WERE HOLED UP . A 
TWO-MAN PEACE MISSION COMPOSED OF JACQUES HOUARD, BELGIUM'S CONSUL GENERAL IN 
SALISBURY, SOUTHERN RHODESIA, AND ANDRE VAN ROEY, DIRECTOR OF KATANGA'S NATIONAL 
BANK, FOLLOWED HIM THERE . FOR 36 DESPERATE HOURS, THE TWO 
URGED HIM TO YIELD RATHER THAN CARRY OUT HIS THREAT TO 
BLOW UP THE HUGE DAMS AND COPPER AND COBALT MINES OPERATED 
BY THE GIANT UNION MINIERE COMPANY IN KOLWEZI . FINALLY, CONVINCED 
THAT HE HAD NO ALTERNATIVE, TSHOMBE GAVE IN . LATER, APPARENTLY 
TO SHOW NEWSMEN WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED, HE DROVE THEM TO 
A MINOR HYDROELECTRIC SUBSTATION 70 MILES OUTSIDE KOLWEZI, AIMED A SIX-POUND 
ARTILLERY PIECE AT IT AND PULLED THE LANYARD. THE SHOT WAS 
RIGHT ON TARGET . THE SUBSTATION, APPARENTLY LOADED WITH DYNAMITE, DISINTEGRATED 
WHILE TSHOMBE GUFFAWED . AS A FINAL ACT OF OBSTREPEROUSNESS HE 
HAD PEACEMAKER HOUARD THROWN OUT OF KATANGA BECAUSE, AS FOREIGN MINISTER 
EVARISTE KIMBA COMPLAINED, " YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING FOR US . 
" BUT TSHOMBE WAS BEATEN NONETHELESS . EVEN HIS OLD ALLY, 
SIR ROY WELENSKY, PRIME MINISTER OF THE RHODESIAS AND NYASALAND, TOLD 
HIM HE HAD " ACTED WISELY " IN YIELDING . IS 
EVERYBODY HAPPY ? THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT PROMISED MOISE " A GENERAL 
AND COMPLETE AMNESTY / FOR HIMSELF AND HIS FOLLOWERS . WITH 
THAT, TSHOMBE RETURNED TO ELISABETHVILLE TO WORK OUT THE PROCEDURES OF 
HIS CAPITULATION WITH U.N. OFFICIALS . HE FOUND THAT SOME OF 
THE DETAILS HAD ALREADY BEEN TAKEN CARE OF THE BLUE-AND-GOLD FLAG 
OF THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT NOW FLUTTERED OVER THE KATANGESE DEFENSE MINISTRY 
. SIXTY CIVIL SERVANTS AND 120 CONGOLESE ARMY OFFICERS ARRIVED FROM 
LEOPOLDVILLE TO TAKE OVER KATANGA'S MILITARY REMNANTS AND ADMINISTER POSTAL SERVICE, 
TELECOMMUNICATIONS, CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION . AS RESIDENT MINISTER, LEOPOLDVILLE'S TOP MAN 
IN KATANGA WOULD BE SLIGHT, SOBER JOSEPH ILEO, 40, A MODERATE 
WHO SERVED AS INTERIM PREMIER OF THE CONGO AFTER ERRATIC PATRICE 
LUMUMBA WAS DEPOSED IN 1960 . THE QUESTION NOW WAS WHETHER 
LEOPOLDVILLE'S CENTRAL GOVERNMENT COULD KEEP KATANGA UNDER CONTROL NOW THAT IT 
WAS WON . IF THE MOB VIOLENCE BACK IN LEO ITSELF 
WAS ANY INDICATION, U.N . TROOPS WOULD HAVE TO STAY ON 
IN KATANGA FOR QUITE A WHILE . DOWN LEO'S BOULEVARD ALBERT 
STORMED 600 STUDENTS AND STREET URCHINS, SHOUTING " TSHOMBE TO THE 
GALLOWS ! " AT THE BRITISH EMBASSY, WHICH IS CONSIDERED FAIR 
GAME BECAUSE OF LONDON'S FRIENDLY POLICY TOWARD KATANGA, THE MOB BATTERED 
DOWN THE DOORS, SACKED THE OFFICES, AND TRIED TO PRY OFF 
A COAT OF ARMS BECAUSE, AS ONE STUDENT CRIED, " IT'S 
MADE OF KATANGA COPPER .! " AFTER AN HOUR, THE U.N.'S 
CONGO CHIEF ROBERT GARDINER ARRIVED AND SCATTERED THE MOB . ALL 
THE WHILE, A JEEPLOAD OF ADOULA'S COPS SAT CHUCKLING NEAR BY, 
MAKING NO MOVE TO STOP PILLAGE . 