Evening star., 1949-04-10

merry Lles ran American Union
disputes with neighboring countr
rate, the world organization has
order to defend and protect the
political prisoners in Venezuela.
Most of these people have beer
held without trial or even forma.
charges since November "a Of last
year when a group Of army off,
GERS overthrew the constitutionalls
elected government and exilec
President Romulo Gallegos.
In a brilliant letter to Secretary
General Trygve Lie. former Pres
ident Gallegos himself says the
number Of political prisoners ir
Venezuela Is actually about 1000
He gives the names Of many OF
them, including 13 former cab
met members, numbers OF Con-
gressmen and others. Because OF
an iron-fisted censorship, no out
side observer knows and no CORE
spondent within the country /.
permitted to tell what the true
facts are. While they scoff at the
mention of 1000, the military au-
thorities themselves admit to hold
ing more than $50 former high
officials and other prominent
persons.
destroyed Constitution
The exiled President charges
that the present governing junta
in his country has not only
destroyed the peoples constitu-
ton, but instituted a bloody de-
fiance of the principles laid down
in the charter Of the Organization
of American States and Of the
United Nations brand-new Dec
laration of Human Rights"
Gallegos even invokes the words
of former Secretary Of State
George c. Marshall, who told the
last meeting of the General As
sembly in Paris that I'VE must
not only reaffirm here our respect
for human rights and funda-
mental liberties, but we must re-
new our determination to extend
and protect these rights and lib
critics." Among other things, Gen.
Marshall described these rights
and liberties" as being freedom OF
thought, conscience and belief;
freedom of opinion and speech" F"
and freedom from arbitrary ar
rest and detention"
The United Nations probably
would not have taken official cog
nizance of Gallegos' plea. because
from a purely legalistic stand
point, he is no longer considered
an authorized spokesman for his
country. This in spite Of the fact
that he Is the only man ever
elected to the Office of President
by the majority of the Venezuelan
people in a free and untrammeled
election. and Notwithstanding the
fact that a group of military
usurpers deposed him and sent
him into exile. However. Presi-
dent Gabriel Gonzalez Videla' Of
Chile has announced that his
government will champion the
Venezuelan cause.
Significant Move
AS one Washington diplomat
points out, This may not be the
first time in our generation that
a purely American political prob
lem has been formally brought to
the attention Of an international
world body. but 1t is significant
move, because" as he expressed
it, "the Gallegos action implies
that the exiled Venezuelan feels or
is convinced that his own neigh
bors who control the functions Of
the Organization of American
States, designed to preserve and
promote democratic institutions In
the Western Hemisphere. would
not. or could not comply fully
with their regional obligations"
I'm the second place." the dip
lomat went on, 1T should serve as
a warning to the officials Of the
Organization of American States,
or the OAS. that unless they want
to see this regional body reduced
to impotent words and phrases,
they must stop looking the other
way whenever democratic leaders
complain about the activities and
actions of relationships here In
the Americas. Our spokesmen
are" he added. terribly exercised
about the threat of Communist
tyranny across the Atlantic. but
they are prone to pass over lightly
the cruel expressions Of strong
armed rulers who hold sway in
several of the nations here in our
own international community"
League Failed
Whether leaders of the hemi-
sphere organization are or are not
looking the other way" while the
Venezuelan complaint goes to the
United Nations, it Is worth re-
membering what happened on a
previous occasion when a purely
American political problem" was
referred to an international
world body" In 1888 the old
League of Nations tried to settle
the bloody war then raging be-
tween Bolivia and Paraguay over
a disputed frontier in the trackleSs
wastes of the Gran Chaco. that
conflict had been going on inter-
mittently for three-quarters of a
century, with neighboring nations
making very few serious efforts
to put a stop to 1t. The Leagues s
intervention proved to be a COM
plete failure, but the sudden real
ization that Old World leaders
were assuming jurisdiction In
purely American disputes so
aroused the statesmen of most Of
the important nations Of the
hemisphere. including those Of Our
own country. that they themselves
went to work in earnest and with