Evening star., 1950-04-16

companies have been chief targets
of the leftists and the excuse for
the battle cry against Yankee
imperialism" Ambassador Pat
terson had protested several times
against what he and nearly all
United States citizens in Guate-
mala felt was unjust treatment
Of these particular organizations.
1.-THE left-wing groups" accord
ing to an important Guatemalan
businessman. have the idea that
Mr.. Patterson might well be made
to serve their purposes much in
the same way that former Ambas-
sador Spruille Braden was made
to serve the extremists Of Argen-
tina during the election campaign
that resulted in Gen. Juan Peron
becoming the all-powerful ruler
Of that far South American re-
public"
Braden Incident Well Known
Interestingly enough. President
Arevalo is quite familiar with the
on-Braden incident. He spent
several years in Argentina before
he was elected President of Qua
temala, and witnessed the early
triumph of Peronism. He under
stands well the effectiveness of
the slogan, "Braden or Peron, +"
which was the battle cry' of the
Peronists. Therefore why should
not Patterson against Arbenz"
have the same results in Guate-
mala?
Nor have the Guatemalan ex-
tremists forgotten the anti-Yankee
campaign put on by former Presi-
dent Lazaro Cardenas and his
supporters in Mexico a few years
ago, which resulted in the expro-
priation Of United States oil and
other properties south of the bor-
der. Today the Guatemalan labor
leaders are the pupils Of Vincente
Lombardo Toledano. arch enemy
Of Yankee big business and eco
nomlc imperialism" the man who
actually spearheaded the cam
paign of venom and vituperation
in Mexico during the Cardenas
era. The Guatemalan labor uri-
ions are members of Lombardo's
leftists and pro Communist
CTAL, the Latin American Con-
federation of Labor.
Lombardo's followers in Qua
temala have identified themselves
with the various Communist peace
movements. The secretary gen.
eral of the CommuniSt-supported
peace congress organized by Lom-
bardo and held in Mexico City
last summer is one Of the chief
figures In the Guatemalan anti
United States campaign.
In all the comment on the Qua
temalan situation heard in this
country no one seems to recall that
appropriation of foreign enterprise
Is by no means a new thing in
that Central American republic.
The government has already tax
en- over and operates the major
portion Of the coffee industry. the
chief business enterprise in the
Central American nation. The ma
jority of the largest and most
productive plantations were the
property Of Germans, all confls-
Gated during the war.
Government Takes Over
Ironically enough we were part
ly responsible for the breakdown
on German planters, who although
they were Guatemalan citizens
many of them born in the country
were interned throughout the con-
flict and now see their former
possessions in the hands of Guate-
malan politicians. Human nature
being what it is, some of them are
now aiding and abetting the left
lists in their Snti-Yankee crusade
All of which serves the purpose
of Moscow in its cold war against
Uncle Sam. If an excuse for the
conflscation of United States in
terests in Guatemala can be
brought about, why not in coun-
tries next door, and eventually
In most of Latin America? AL
though many of our own people
seem to have forgotten it, the
Communists have not overlooked
the fact that Latin America was
our chief arsenal of strategic wal
materials in the last war.
But one Of our foremost military
men feels that the Communists
have even more important consid-
erations in mind. He recalls the
fact that before the last war the
Nazis had concentrated and built
up interests, and the Japs hac
established colonies in the variou.
countries f1anking the Panama
Canal. ANY one with common
sense" he SAID, knows that th'
master minds in the Kremlin al.
not unaware of the Importance tt
us Of this vital waterway. Tht
Communists" he continued, "havt
long been active in the Centra
American nations. Two years agt
they succeeded for a while in vir.
tually controlling Costa Rica, mex
4 foor to the Canal. Fortunately, ,
E,volt by patriotic citizens broke