THE CONGO BARE CUPBOARD AWAITING THE VICTORIOUS UNITED NATIONS AT THE NATIONAL 
BANK OF KATANGA IN ELISABETHVILLE WERE SOME LEGITIMATE SPOILS OR SO 
IT SEEMED SHOULD HAVE BEEN $16.2 MILLION IN CONGOLESE FRANCS ORIGINALLY 
DEPOSITED IN THE BANK TO SUPPORT THE CURRENCY OF MOISE TSHOMBE'S 
KATANGA AND U.N . OFFICIALS HOPED TO TURN IT OVER TO 
THE CONGO GOVERNMENT FOR RECONSTRUCTION . BUT WHEN THEY GOT THERE, 
TSHOMBE'S CUPBOARD WAS BARE . FOR WEEKS, THE BANK'S DIRECTORS HAD 
REFUSED TO OPEN THEIR FILES AND STRONGROOMS TO U.N . INVESTIGATORS, 
AND NOW THE REASON FOR THEIR RELUCTANCE WAS CLEAR . MOST 
OF THE RECORDS WERE GONE, AND MOST OF THE CASH . 
ALL THE U.N . FOUND WAS $116.28 IN FOREIGN CURRENCY ABOUT 
ENOUGH TO PAY A CONGOLESE ARMY SUB-LIEUTENANT FOR TEN DAYS . 
IT WAS NOT DIFFICULT TO GUESS WHERE THE MONEY WENT . 
TSHOMBE'S OWN KATANGESE OFFICIALS HAD WITHDRAWN HUGE SUMS OF MONEY WITHOUT 
TROUBLING TO LEAVE RECEIPTS . ONE UNNAMED OFFICIAL WALTZED OFF WITH 
133 MILLION KATANGESE FRANCS (WORTH $2,660,000 AT THE OFFICIAL EXCHANGE RATE 
OF 50 TO $1) IN A SINGLE SWIPE . SOME 4,000 
GOLD COINS VALUED AT $280,000 WERE SMUGGLED TO GENEVA FOR SALE 
BY A EUROPEAN SYNDICATE . THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE BANK 
HAD TRANSFERRED 1 BILLION FRANCS TO A BRANCH 150 MILES AWAY 
IN NDOLA, NORTHERN RHODESIA, TO BUY ARMS AND PAY MERCENARIES . 
WITH THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT IN LEOPOLDVILLE ALREADY FACING A 1963 DEFICIT 
OF $100 MILLION, THE LOOTING OF THE BANK WAS A SAD 
BLOW . IT WAS ALSO BAD NEWS TO THE U.S., WHICH 
HAS ALREADY RESIGNED ITSELF TO DONATING ANOTHER HEFTY SUBSIDY TO THE 
CONGOLESE . LAST WEEK A U.S . AID TEAM HEADED BY 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE HARLAN CLEVELAND FLEW INTO LEOPOLDVILLE TO SEE 
WHAT ELSE WAS NEEDED . 