OPEN LETTER OF RESIGNATION TO ODUMEGWU OJUKWU
FROM Robert S. Goldstein
Public Relations Representative of Biafra in the United States
(Published in the Morning Post, Lagos, August 17, 1968)
As your Public Relation's Representative in the United States, it is my distasteful duty to tender my resignation based on the
following points:
POINT 1 - In November of 1967 when we met in Umuahia, you and your Cabinet were very impressive. You told me of the woes of your little Republic, that thousands of people had died, were dying
atnd more were prepared to die for freedom's sake.
You and your Cabinet told me you believed world opinion would
help your cause if you could get your story across.
You expressed the opinion that very few if any people in the United
States knew of the plight of the Biafrans.
You asked me to tell the world that Britain had teamed up with
Russia in a conspiracy with the Federal Government of Nigeria to
murder every Ibo in Biafra. You suggested I use my talents to
induce the Press to write about the Biafran side of the war, as at
that time all news came out of Lagos.
You will recall I did not take the asssignment that day but stayed
on several days before deciding to take that job.
To help win the peace
At that time I stated to you and your cabinet that I was taking the
assignment making it crystal clear I would try my best to help win
the peace not the war.
POINT TWO - I immediately arranged the first world Press
conference in Biafra inviting the US Press as well as journalists
and television people from England, France, Switzerland, Africa and
other parts of the Globe. This was the first news break through. I
arranged regular trips into Biafra for the world Press, helped set up
stringers, etc., so that your statements and the statements of your
Cabinet would be heard.
At that time, I was absolutely positive you were right and your
cause was a just one in the best interests of the free world and
your countrymen.
POINT THREE - Finally the Republic of Biafra was recognized first
by Tanzania, then quickly followed by Gabon, the Ivory Coast and
Zambia. Our public relations work was paying off, world opnion
was starting to side with us.
Peace talks were arranged at Kampala. I thought that if anyone
walked away from the table it would be the Federal Government.
But to my dismay it was Biafra that left the Conference. After all
the fighting and killing, I knew that peace would not come easy but
I could not understand leaving the Peace Conference until the last
point was negotiated and the avenue explored.
POINT FOUR - Then urgent telex messages were received from
'Biafra' telling of tens of thousands of people starving in the
refugee camps, the villages, the bush country - stating if something
werent done in the next few months over a million women, children
and aged would be starved to death. I immediately contacted the
Press, urgently petitioned the State Department for action on their
part. Food, medicine and milk were sent to the only available ports
open for immediate shipment to 'Biafra' via land routes through
Federal and Biafra territory, under the auspices of world
organizations such as the International Red Cross among others.
Then came the incredible answer from 'Biafra' that land corridors
could not be acceptable until there was a complete ceasefire, and
that an airlift was the only solution to feed the starving.
You then appeared before the various Heads of State and
representatives of the OAU at Niamey in Niger. I fully expected you
to at least accept the world help that was offered your starving
throngs. However, you delayed, hoping to use these unfortunates
with world sympathy on their side as a tool to further your ambition
to achieve war concessions at the upcoming peace talks in Addis
Ababa. Thus innocent victims continue to perish needlessly of
starvation, the most agonising death that can befall any living
creature.
POINT FIVE - This was incredible to me. I am now convinced that I
have been used by you and your cabinet to help in military
adventures of your origin....using your starving hordes as
hostages to negotiate a victory.
If at some later date, following the isuance of this letter, you do
concede to allow a mercy land corridor...would you expect me to
agree to espouse before the world Press the incredible delay of
your decision. What explanation could I honestly give for the
needless prolongation of this horror.
Inconceivable acts
I pray this communication may in some small way influence you to
move affirmatively, allowing the mercy land corridor to be born.
It is inconceivable to me that you would stop the feeding of
thousands of your countrymen (under auspicies of world
organizations such as the International Red Cross, World Council of
Churches and many more) via a land corridor which is the only
practical way to bring in food to help at this time. It is inconcivable
to me that men of good faith would try to twist world opinion in
such a manner as to deceive people into believing that the
starvation and hunger that is consuming 'Biafra' is a plot of Britian,
Nigeria and others to commit genocide.
POINT SIX - I cannot in all conscience serve you any longer. Nor
can I be a party to suppressing the fact that your starving
thousands have the food, medicine and milk available to them.....it
can and is ready to be delivered through international
organizations to you. Only your constant refusal has stopped its
delivery.
I am this date, tendering my resignation and am returning to Mr.
Collins Obih of the African Continental Bank all the fees you have
given me (Letter of Credit No. 354 $400,000 US.)
I have sent your representative in New York a Bond in the amount
of 800.000 pounds that I was holding in your behalf. I have also
this date, sent the Bond of 200,000 pounds issues by the Central
Bankl of Nigeria back to them for disposal.
POINT SEVEN - I am now convinced that one Nigeria is the only solution to peace. I also call upon you Mr. Ojukwu to allow your
starving people to be fed. Their well-being is of deep concern to
me as well as other right thinking people of the world.
Your acting in the utmost haste in this matter is in my opinion the
first step toward any lasting peace in your country."
Robert S. Goldstein
Sources:www.premiumtimesng.com/opinion/1049...
encomium.ng/ojukwu-indicted-by-cons...

OP, should re-arrange the post and add source.

Hmmmmm breeze don blow.. ..see fowl yansh for outside... ..

kk

At the end they called this man their hero. While millions starved, this cruel creature played the propaganda card for sympathy. If you're igbo and you support Ojukwu, you have no sense of history or morality

Everything is trash to you. I wish it was now, you would have been starved with kwarshiokor by now

newhyt:
Another trash from ewedu gutter media

OPEN LETTER OF RESIGNATION TO ODUMEGWU OJUKWU

FROM Robert S. Goldstein
Public Relations Representative of Biafra in the United States

(Published in the Morning Post, Lagos, August 17, 1968)

As your Public Relation's Representative in the United States, it is my distasteful duty to tender my resignation based on the following points:

POINT 1 - In November of 1967 when we met in Umuahia, you and your Cabinet were very impressive. You told me of the woes of your little Republic, that thousands of people had died, were dying and more were prepared to die for freedom's sake.
You and your Cabinet told me you believed world opinion would help your cause if you could get your story across.
You expressed the opinion that very few if any people in the United States knew of the plight of the Biafrans.
You asked me to tell the world that Britain had teamed up with Russia in a conspiracy with the Federal Government of Nigeria to murder every Ibo in Biafra. You suggested I use my talents to induce the Press to write about the Biafran side of the war, as at that time all news came out of Lagos.
You will recall I did not take the asssignment that day but stayed on several days before deciding to take that job.

To help win the peace

At that time I stated to you and your cabinet that I was taking the assignment making it crystal clear I would try my best to help win the peace not the war.

POINT TWO - I immediately arranged the first world Press conference in Biafra inviting the US Press as well as journalists and television people from England, France, Switzerland, Africa and other parts of the Globe. This was the first news break through. I arranged regular trips into Biafra for the world Press, helped set up stringers, etc., so that your statements and the statements of your Cabinet would be heard.
At that time, I was absolutely positive you were right and your cause was a just one in the best interests of the free world and your countrymen.

POINT THREE - Finally the Republic of Biafra was recognized first by Tanzania, then quickly followed by Gabon, the Ivory Coast and Zambia. Our public relations work was paying off, world opnion was starting to side with us.
Peace talks were arranged at Kampala. I thought that if anyone walked away from the table it would be the Federal Government. But to my dismay it was Biafra that left the Conference. After all the fighting and killing, I knew that peace would not come easy but I could not understand leaving the Peace Conference until the last point was negotiated and the avenue explored.

POINT FOUR - Then urgent telex messages were received from 'Biafra' telling of tens of thousands of people starving in the refugee camps, the villages, the bush country - stating if something werent done in the next few months over a million women, children and aged would be starved to death. I immediately contacted the Press, urgently petitioned the State Department for action on their part. Food, medicine and milk were sent to the only available ports open for immediate shipment to 'Biafra' via land routes through Federal and Biafra territory, under the auspices of world organizations such as the International Red Cross among others.
Then came the incredible answer from 'Biafra' that land corridors could not be acceptable until there was a complete ceasefire, and that an airlift was the only solution to feed the starving.
You then appeared before the various Heads of State and representatives of the OAU at Niamey in Niger. I fully expected you to at least accept the world help that was offered your starving throngs. However, you delayed, hoping to use these unfortunates with world sympathy on their side as a tool to further your ambition to achieve war concessions at the upcoming peace talks in Addis Ababa. Thus innocent victims continue to perish needlessly of starvation, the most agonising death that can befall any living creature.

POINT FIVE - This was incredible to me. I am now convinced that I have been used by you and your cabinet to help in military adventures of your origin....using your starving hordes as hostages to negotiate a victory.
If at some later date, following the isuance of this letter, you do concede to allow a mercy land corridor...would you expect me to agree to espouse before the world Press the incredible delay of your decision. What explanation could I honestly give for the needless prolongation of this horror.

Inconceivable acts

I pray this communication may in some small way influence you to move affirmatively, allowing the mercy land corridor to be born.
It is inconceivable to me that you would stop the feeding of thousands of your countrymen (under auspicies of world organizations such as the International Red Cross, World Council of Churches and many more) via a land corridor which is the only practical way to bring in food to help at this time. It is inconcivable to me that men of good faith would try to twist world opinion in such a manner as to deceive people into believing that the starvation and hunger that is consuming 'Biafra' is a plot of Britian, Nigeria and others to commit genocide.

POINT SIX - I cannot in all conscience serve you any longer. Nor can I be a party to suppressing the fact that your starving thousands have the food, medicine and milk available to them.....it can and is ready to be delivered through international organizations to you. Only your constant refusal has stopped its delivery.
I am this date, tendering my resignation and am returning to Mr. Collins Obih of the African Continental Bank all the fees you have given me (Letter of Credit No. 354 $400,000 US.)
I have sent your representative in New York a Bond in the amount of 800.000 pounds that I was holding in your behalf. I have also this date, sent the Bond of 200,000 pounds issues by the Central Bankl of Nigeria back to them for disposal.


POINT SEVEN - I am now convinced that one Nigeria is the only solution to peace. I also call upon you Mr. Ojukwu to allow your starving people to be fed. Their well-being is of deep concern to me as well as other right thinking people of the world. Your acting in the utmost haste in this matter is in my opinion the first step toward any lasting peace in your country.

________________________



APPENDIX (put together by Bolaji Aluko)

Nigerians mentioned in the US Diplomatic Files, and the Lexis-Nexis Index for them follow the names
http://www.lexisnexis.com/documents/academic/upa_cis/101146_CF_Biafra67-69.pdf