U.s.nato Plan African Incursion

    A growing number of newspapers around the world are beginning to report the possibility of NATO or the United States becoming involved in the military defense of South Africa.

    The London Sunday Times reported over the weekend that NATO has drafted secret plans for defending the sea routes around Southern Africa. At the same time, the London Observer stated that NATO's supreme commander has received the authority to use NATO forces in the southern Africa area.

    Earlier this month, the Washington Post had reported that NATO's command headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, was instructed last summer to draw up an air and naval defense plan for South Africa.

    The Post further stated that one of the purposes of the planning was to protect the white minority regime from threats posed by a strong black guerrilla movement in Mozambique.

    The Christian Science Monitor reported that South Africa's military leader, Admiral Hugo Biermann, was in the United States just two weeks ago for a series of secret, face-to-face meetings with Admiral Thomas Moorer, the chairman of the U.S. joint Chiefs of Staff.

    South Africa is admittedly concerned about the expanding black guerrilla movement in Africa, particularly following the coup in Portugal which has triggered an upsurge in the African fighting.

    South African Admiral Biermann has publicly advocated a U.S. - South African military alliance-but so far, the Nixon administration has limited military collaboration to such informal activities as intelligence-gathering.

    The Washington Post says, however, that South Africa's efforts for more U.S. support have already shown considerable success.

    ---ZODIAC