No title {Arrest} Long Walk Original Manuscript (Image #546)

Committee of the ANC but he challenged the statement that it had the approval of the ANC. He supported his arguement by pointing out that when the police raided Rivonia he, Goldberg, Govan, Kathy, Rusty, Raymond and Bob had met to discuss that very document which the police found on the table. With the exception of Raymond who was out of the country when the document was originally drawn up and who therefore remained neutralduring the consultations all the other accused agreed with Walter and disagreed with Govan. In examining the problem one must take into account circumstances in which the document was drawn up. It was drafted and submitted for discussion by skeleton committees operating under conditions of illegality and when many of our members were in jail, had left the country, were house arrested, confined to certain areas and when the police vigilance made meetings very difficult. To insist on plenary meetings on every issue in such a situation would lead to many disasters and hamper our work. Flexibility when each issue is examined on its own merit and even be disposed of at a lower level might have been a correct approach. But this particular document raised questions of principle which needed decisions at the highest level and, subject to conditions, the widest possible consultation of all the Congresses and Regional Commands of MK. To claim that the document had been formally adopted by the ANC simply because it was approved in principle by the Working Committee at the time of only 4 persons Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, J.B. Marks and Dan Tloome was contrary to the whole proceedure we had adopted even as an