The Katanga Circus, by Mugur Valahu (Speller, $6). The author was born in Rumania, fought on the Russian front in WW II, got his law degree in Paris, has been a journalist for twenty years, and is an American citizen. He spent two years in Katanga during the long and foredoomed struggle for self-determination, and his knowledge of the Communist takeover in Rumania gives him an awesome benchmark for judging the failures of the U.S., the major Western nations, the UN at Leopoldville and Elisabethville. This detailed, day-by-day account is a priceless record of those confused years, written by an urbane citizen of the West and a skilled journalist. Mr. Valahu wrote the text in a witty and graceful French, then made the mistake of translating it himself into an English that greatly needs the help of a native editor. But despite these merely mechanical flaws, this volume will endure as the most complete and impartial narrative of the UN aggression against black and white in Katanga.
W. F. RICKENBACKER
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