Fraternity over Charity

Ever since the State Department learned five months ago that Guinea's President Sekou Toure was coming to the U.S. on a state visit, there had been apprehension in Washington. The proud and handsome young (37) leader of Africa's newest sovereign republic (TIME cover, Feb. 16) is an alumnus of tough Marxist training in Warsaw and Prague, only one year ago led Guinea out of the French Community, and since then has negotiated substantial foreign trade agreements with Communist-bloc nations. The State Department swallowed hard when Toure asked to see a Southern state where there had been racial problems.

By the time Toure's Air Force Constellation rolled to a stop in Washington last week, the diplomats had completed their plans. All the glitter of a ceremonial Washington welcome was waiting as Toure, in a charcoal-and-grey-striped suit, walked down the ramp. There to greet him and Mme. Toure were Vice President and Mrs. Nixon (who had cut short their Florida vacation to be on hand), a military band, an honor guard and a 21-gun salute.

Noble Response. Toure seemed pleased with his hour-long White House talk with President Eisenhower and Secretary of State Herter. "We spoke of a realistic and dynamic program for the evolution of Africa which would enable us to have collaboration between the people of the U.S. and the people of Africa." In a speech before a National Press Club luncheon, Toure, who speaks only French, made one eloquent point quite simply: "We prefer fraternity to charity."

For Toure's Southern visit the State Department chose North Carolina, which does not have the more acute problems of Deep South states but has plenty of integration difficulties. North Carolina rose nobly to the occasion. Waiting at Raleigh-Durham airport midweek were Governor Luther Hodges and his wife, the mayor of Chapel Hill (pop. 9,177) and the president of North Carolina College, a school for Negroes. Said the Southern Governor to the Negro President: "I am happy to have you in North Carolina. I join President Eisenhower in welcoming you to this country."

Surpassed Expectations. The Governor stayed at Toure's elbow during a tour of the University of North Carolina, sat between President and Mme. Toure at a dinner attended by top-level Negro and white leaders. Guests included the mayor of Durham, the Negro president of a bank, the chairman of the board of the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Co., largest Negro insurance company in the world. Said Toure in his toast to the Governor: The welcome "exceeded my expectations."

Toure and his party, and some ten members of the mostly Negro press party, spent that night at Chapel Hill's Carolina Inn. They were the first Negroes to sleep there, and several white guests had agreed to vacate to make room.

Next day he received an honorary doctor of laws degree from North Carolina College, paid a visit to the Mutual Life Insurance Co., where he told employees of the multimillion-dollar firm: "We know that we must go beyond Africa to get the source of technical achievement, but thank God we don't have to leave Africa so far as human values are concerned." Toure then headed west to Chicago and Los Angeles.

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