Evening star., 1961-02-23
He Didn't Tell q Lie

There is certain touch Of irony In
the fact that Earl z. T. Smiths pros
pective appointment as Ambassador to
Switzerland was washed out on George
WaShington's birthday. No cherry trees
were involved. Instead, Mr.. Smiths real
"sin" was that he told the truth about
Fidel Castro and the American attitude
toward this proc Communist dictator.
The stated reason for Mr. Smiths
request that his name be dropped from
consideration, and President Kennedy'S
compliance with the request, is that
there have been indications" that my
presence in Switzerland would compli-
cate the responsibilities that the Swiss
government has assumed in behalf of
the United States in Cuba" Whether
the Swiss actually protested the Smith
selection is not clear. There were enough
indications of reluctance on Bern's part,
however, to create an embarrassing stu
alton, and, presumably, to make it neces-
sary for the President to take this face
saving way out.
The Swiss attitude, however, is far
from being the whole story of the op-
POS1G1Ou W MAI. SIl1Gu.
He served as our Ambassador to
Cuba from May, 1857, to January, 1859.
This covered the last year and half Of
the BatiSta regime and brief period
after Castro came to power. Soon recog-
nizing Castro for what he was, AmbaSSa-
dor Smith tried hard to persuade his
superiors in the State Department that
yHYo ~ ND tho
interests of the United States would best
be served by trying to support the
Batista regime. He failed in this because
Of the popular notion that BatiSta was
dictator, and thus, per sc, an evil man
who should be ousted in favor Of the
political "Robin Hood" with the flowing
beard, and never mind the strong evi-
dence of CaStro's IeaningS toward the
Communists. t5 -
The "sin" of this factual reporting
0n Castro was compounded last August
SOwhen Mr.. Smith was called to testify
before the Senate Internal Security sub
committee. In response to questions,
MI. Smith testified candidly to the facts
as he saw them. Conceding that the
Batista regime was corrupt, he said
nevertheless that without the United
States, Castro would not be in power
today" BY this he meant that, in his
opinion, Batista was doomed when the
United States stopped supplying him
with arms as result of pressure exerted
by certain members of Congress, some
segments of the press and Castro agents
and sympathizers in the United States.
In short, Mr.. Smith told the truth as
he saw 1t, both as Ambassador to Cuba
and as Senate witness. For this he will
not soon be forgiven by those whom the
truth nicked, including Fidel Castro.
Mr.. Smith left with the subcom-
nnittee, however, a comment on dictator
ships which Is still very timely. There
are influential sources in the United
States, he said, which are dedicated to
the overthrow of all relationships, but
"they adopt doctrinaire attitude to-
ward this question which is so imprac-
tical that they ultimately unwittingly
defeat themselves" In the case Of Cuba,
I'VE helped to overthrow the Batista die
tatorship which was pro-American only
to install the Castro dictatorship which
Is pro-Russian."
The truth of this must be evident
TO anyone whose mind is not hopelessly
closed. One dictatorship is down, worse
dictatorship has taken its place. Relative
prosperity has given way to utter misery
In Cuba. A strong Communist beach
head has been established 80 miles off
our coast. And we are far from seeing
the end of the trouble and the danger
which this poses for us, not only at home
but throughout Latin America.