1.
LS Bloemfontein
0.06

2.
CU Vorster speaking (SOUND ON FILM)
2.38


TRANSCRIPT: VORSTER (SEQ. 2): "And I want to make this point right at the outset, that this tour was not cancelled by the South African Cricket Association. Nor was it cancelled by the South African Government. It was cancelled by Sir Donald Bradman and his committee. If Sir Donald now says, as he according to newspaper reports did say, that it is my fault, and the fault of my Government, I say to him as a great cricketer, "Sir Donald, you are talking through your hat and you know it." And ever since the first cricket team representing the M.C.C. or Australia or New Zealand came to South Africa, they knew that it was not the whole of South Africa that they were inviting, and when they came here they knew that they weren't coming here to play against the w hole of South Africa. They knew right from the outset that when they invited the Springboks team to come to Britain, New Zealand or Australia as the case might be, they were inviting the whites of South Africa. All decent Australians, and they were the greatest majority, wanted us, wanted our cricketers to come to Australia. The riff-raff, did not want us to come. The decent people said we were welcome. The riff-raff said, and they did -- they threatened violence and they committed violence. The riff-raff won. That is the long and the short of it."




Initials OS/2205 OS/2209


SPORT: CRICKET

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: In Bloemfontein, South Africa on Tuesday, Prime Minister John Vorster reacted strongly to the cancellation of the Springbok cricket tour of Australia by Sir Donald Bradman and Australian Cricket Board of Control.

Speaking at the opening of the ruling Nationalist Party's Free State Congress, Mr. Vorster blamed Sir Donald's Committee and demonstrators for the cancellation of the tour, and said South Africa's apartheid in sport policy would remain unchanged.

This filmed extract from his speech is from the South African Broadcasting Corporation.