Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-02-25


Another exiled opposition
leader, Louis Dejoie. who has
strong influence In the upper
class and among women and
shopkeepers. has been broad
casting the same message In
recent weeks.
Haitians have been listening
to these broadcasts and things
are tense with anxiety and
expectancy.
Between 2 Blood Enemies
Haiti is the ham in the
Caribbean sandwich--stuck be-
tween two blood enemies, Fidel
Castro's new Cuba and Rafael
Trujillo's tough dictatorship in
the Dominican Republic.
This uncomfortable position
combines with desperate eco
nomic crisis, with continuing
hatreds among Haitian politi-
cal factions and with the abb
sence Of an efficient govern
ment based on popular support.
to add up to an unstable situa-
ton which could explode at
any time.
President Duvalier was voted
into office in an army-run cleo
ton in September. 1857. after
10 months of political turmoil
following the custer of strong
man President Paul Magloire.
Mr.. Duvalier has virtual die
tatorial powers. He gives the
impression now Of a man Of
arbitrary temperament with
jittery nerves. His critics say.
apparently with some justifica-
ton, that he has no competent
men about him and appears to
want none.
Exit VisaS Banned
in January Mr.. Duvalier, I'M
de- the shocks of Mr.. Castro's
success in Cuba, attempted to
remove the stigma of Dictator
ship from his regime by freeing
all political opponents whom
he had jailed, including some ]
sentenced to death. A liberati-
cation of his rule was pro- !
claimed. I
But now, in fear of an in
vasion by his Haitian oppon- t
ents from Cuba, Mr.. Duvalier i
is clamping down hard and ut
tering dire threats. He has
banned all exit visas for
Haitlans-preSumably to hold S
within the country any who r
would like to join anti-Duvalier G
forces. {
In firebrand declarations dur i
ing impromptu speeches he has {
declared that should his en- l
emieS seek to overthrow him l
he would unleash a total revo- 5
luton and not leave one stone I
on another in Port au Prince. l
In what seems to be an effort I
to terrorize middle-class OPP
ponentS he has in his declara- S
tons, invoked the 150-year-old 5
Haitian revolutionary war cry {
"Cut off their heads! Burn /
down their homeS!" {
Raids on Homes Recalled
In certain residential dis
trictS of Port au Prince SOL =
diers have been removed from
police posts. That is being
viewed by Haitians in light of
the fact that in 1858 there
were numerous attacks on
homeS-uSually of persons con-
sidered hostile to Mr.. Duvalier.
On recent occasions hot
headed Duvalier partisans APP
pear to have taken the law
into their own hands. Franck
Hogarth, a former partisan of
Mr. Dejoie, was shot and killed
on February II. An army
spokesman claimed he was shot
resisting arrest after proclaim
ing that Mr.. Dejoie would re-
turn. That same day a busi-
nesSman was beaten nearly to +
death by a lieutenant of the
presidential guard.
President Duvalier said in an
interview on February Is that !
he had information Haitian .
exiles are being given military |
training in Cuba in preparation !
for an invasion Of Haiti. The .
only sign of military prepared
ness against any such invasion
is the daily training of soldiers !
and militiamen on the palace /
grounds in Port au Prince. Air
ports outside the capital have !
barrels on their runways "a
hours a day and planes must
establish their identification {
before the barrels are moved ]
so they can land.
TrujiIlO Unpopular !
Mr.. Duvalier now has the 4
active backing of the Domin-
lean Republic dictator, Cen
eralissimo Rafael Trujillo, an !
other Latin American ruler /
marked by Fidel Castro for
overthrow. Haiti and the Do
minican Republic divide the !
island of HiSpaniola. To the g
west Of Haiti, only so miles /
across the windward passage, .
is the easternmost point of Z
Cuba. lib
Mr.. Duvalier and Mr.. Trujillo
met in December on their Dor \
der and issued q Joint declara- i
ton against communism" =,
Each government promised not &