The pride of Daniel Dupont

Arrangements had been made for journalists from the Papeete news media to accompany the aid consign ment for Fiji cyclone victims prepared by the CEP the French nuclear testing authority and the French armed forces in French Polynesia.

But the Caravelle military aircraft Torea carrying the seven tonnes of food and camping gear took off for Nadi on the morning of.

January 25 without them.

What had happened?

The newspaper La Depeche de Tahiti re ported on January 26: “Un fortunately for our readers, the French Ambassador to Fiji Daniel Dupont did not consider it helpful to say the least of it to have journalists among the group charged by the French Gov ernment with going to the aid of these thousands of

human beings who had fal len victim to a natural dis aster.

“This personal viewpoint of the diplomat was quickly transformed into a sort of veto, and journalists were prevented from reporting on the event. According to in formation we have been able to gather on the affair, it appears that our ambassa dor, embarrassed at seeing that American aid to the cyclone victims was larger than that of France, ‘desired’ that this fact should not be made obvious to the public The newspaper con cluded sourly: “This was an extraordinary diplomatic de cision. It smacks strongly of an infringement of freedom of the press, and of the public’s right to informa tion. ” • U.S. Charge d’Affaires

in Fiji, Russell J. Surber, had shortly before announced U.S. aid to cyclone victims worth a total of SUSI. 2 million. The supplies in cluded two 400-gallon

mobile water carriers, 2000 tents, 100 rolls of plastic sheeting providing 15 shel ters each, 1000 five-gallon plastic water containers, and 1000 2.5 gallon plastic water containers. The sup plies were brought in by a C-141 Starlifter and two C -5A Galaxies.

French aid for Fiji cyclone victims is loaded aboard a military Caravelle in Tahiti ... the press were not welcome. La Depeche photo.