Evening star., 1949-11-13

tIlc 1lTSG 1IcclQC1lt 1Ol HIAOA1A p11SJ
directly. Previously, the heads Of
e by force or been selected by a
airport in the country. Mendoza
was one of the Principal figures
in helping the junta to power.
But because of his strong opinions
he was arrested early In the game
and subsequently exiled. Still
others whose loyalty or ambition
is suspect, but who could not be
accused Of open disloyalty, have
been assigned to military or Dip
.omatic missions outside the
country.
It is generally agreed that II
the junta were to be overthrown
within the near future it would
probably be the result OF one OF
two developments. A disgruntled
army faction might take advan-
tage Of public reaction against
some unpopular act of the gov
ernment. Such a faction might
consist of a single strong officer
and his command, or a group OF
officers seeking personal power for
themselves. More probably it
would consist Of group Of the
younger officers, many OF them
trained in the United States, who
were among the stanchest sup
porters of President Gallegos and
the whole Democratic Action
movement.
Romulo Betancourt, not only
the organizer of the Accion Demo-
cratica but the party boss even
after Gallegos was elected and
put into office as President, and
now in this country, denies that
he is taking any part in a con-
spiracy against the junta. He
assures those who talk with him
that he cannot afford to jeopar-
die his stay in the United States
by embarrassing its Government.
But he does not deny that there
is a well-organized underground
movement within Venezuela
against the military rulers.
More Student Disturbances
Accion Democratica polled over
a million votes, or over 30 per
cent of the total, in the Gallegos
elections, and it would be foolish
to suppose that all these people.
or that any great number OF
them, now support the DICTATOR
ship. That there is still organ
lied leadership among them il
evidenced by the fact that they
publish and distribute a daily
news sheet and long mimeo-
graphed bulletins telling Of tho
party's activities. There are many
stories in Caracas to the effect
that members Of the junta find
copies of these publications on
their desks every morning.
| There is still censorship of the
press and spot censoring Of the
mail. Constitutional guarantees
are still suspended. Student dis
turbances. always politically i'm
portant in the Latin American
countries, have been on the In
crease. For several weeks now
students of the University OF Los
Andes in the state of Merida have
been on strike. Sympathy strikes
have taken place at the University
of Caracas, and in other cities.
At the University of Los Andes at
least one student was killed and
% arrested during recent fight
with soldiers.
The % were shipped of to the
notorious penal colony OF Ell
Dorado, way down on the remote
southwestern frontier. near the
trackless jungles of Brazilian
Amazonia. Ell Dorado is a Vene-
zuelan Devils Island, minus the
sea breezes of the recently abol-
ished French penal colony. Ell
Dorado has long been a prison for
only the most hardened criminals.
few of whom ever return to tell
the story of their punishment.
Today, according to the most re-
Eliable sources, political prisoners,
including young college students.
are mixed indiscriminately with
the worst thieves and murdererss
One of his undying enemies as
sured me that even the old tyrant.
Juan Vincente Gomez, never went
quite that far.
At any rate, the arrest and i'm
prisenment at Ell Dorado OF tho
university students has resulted
in wave of bitter resentment
among all classes Of Venezuelans.
For the first time since the Junta
came tc power the local press.
from the newspaper El Graflco on
the extreme right to the pro-
Communist El Nacional, has dared
to condemn such extreme meas
ureS.
Incidents such as these might
be sufficient to touch of a popu-
lar uprising against the Junta,
with factions Of the army sup
porting it. A split In the military
might leave the Communists In .
position to do their worst.
Rrn1l,n