Sequel to Long Walk to Freedom - Revision 3 - Chapter 2 Page 14

On compliance with these conditions, I would then report to my organisation, leaving it to its members to review the matter as they deemed fit. The General was satisfied that I had given him something to present to his force, but Hartzenberg sharply differed and insisted that I should there and then make an unequivocal undertaking that I would give them the Volkstaat. I told him that I was a mere servant of the ANC, subject to their authority and discipline; that if I acted unilaterally on a principle of such fundamental importance, the organisation would summarily dismiss me, rendering me useless to the rightwing. He retorted quite firmly that if I did not accept his demand, their plan would be carried out. I said: "So be it" and that was the end of our discussion. That same day, I telephoned former president Botha and briefed him on the General's decision. I requested the former president to persuade the General to join the negotiations at