Crowds gathered in hotel for press conference.
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Scenes of Mobutu speaking to press.
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LV. People leave building.
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Five scenes of crowded streets.
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Initials TDH/KJ/S/JH



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Background: Hours after his promotion to Commander-in-Chief of the Congolese Army by President Kasavubu, 30-year-old Colonel Joseph Mobutu announced in Leopoldville, Sept 14, that the Army had suspended until Dec 31 both Congo Governments - one led by Mr. Lumumba and the other by Mr Ileo - as well as the President himself and both Legislative Houses.

He asked for continued United Nations aid and said he would appeal to all Congolese technicians and students abroad to return and help administer the eleven-weeks old Republic until order was restored.

At an impromptu press conference in a Leopoldville hotel, late on Sept 14, Colonel Mobutu brandished Russian propaganda leaflets bearing Mr Khrushchev's portrait. He said that to his great astonishment he had discovered "Russian technicians were officers who came here disguised as civilians, and wore distributing tons of pamphlets throughout the Congo". He went on to say that he had given the Embassies of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and all Socialist countries 48 hours to leave the country.