By William Higham
SELDOM had the world press been so effectively jerked out of a stupor of resigned boredom or, at best, a so-so mood of curiosity, than it was in Bulawayo on the afternoon of 24th November, 1977, when the formerly obdurate Ian Smith rescinded his oft-quoted claim that Rhodesia would never have black rule in 'his lifetime'.
His historic 'firm commitment to the principle of majority rule based on adult suffrage' speech to a group of dusty, bone-weary international journalists who'd spent six days in the bush on a security force story was met with incredulity.
Amazingly, there had been no leaks; not the faintest whisper.
The shock statement was followed by Smith romping in the grounds of Government House with a pair of lion cubs, a publicity stunt that backfired when a Ministry of Information spokesman forgot to tell the press who, after filing the splash story, had regrouped dazedly in the hotel bar.
More successful was the 'special showing' that evening of a new movie, 'Star Wars'.
The press was invited to a cheese and wine foyer party before watching the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo with guests of honour Ian and Janet Smith.
The event was an impish swipe at world trade sanctions.
Simply put, the movie that went on to become an all-time classic was being shown to Rhodesia's rebel leader and his perennial shadow of foreign journalists ahead of its much-vaunted London premiere in December.
It was a propaganda coup not lost on the press, including America's CBS and Britain's BBC.
For the record, this writer (a sensitive soul) sat with the chastened MI worthy who'd 'forgotten his lions'. He never lived it down.