Owing in part to the sheer number and mutability of the groups involved, the political alignments that have taken place in the Congo between January, 1959, and June, 1960, tend to convey an impression of extreme complexity. Part of the difficulty lies in the fact that the political options and priorities of Congolese leaders have been influenced by entirely different factors, depending on the period considered. Thus, before the Brussels Round Table, intergroup relationships had been largely conditioned by tactical maneuverings vis-à-vis the metropolitan government. The principal aim of Congolese leaders during this period was to organize common fronts designed