Evening star., 1961-04-23
BY NORMAN THOMAS


North American Newspaper Alliance
NEW YORK, April 22.-No
conceivable action that our
Government can now take with
regard to Cuba can completely
repair the damage that was be-
gun under the Eisenhower adj
ministration and continued by
President Kennedy with the
CIA the principal agent of
disaster.
It is however, possible to
avert the worse consequences
Of past mistakes, or to continue
q policy conceivably leading
directly to World War III and
certainly to the permanent dis
credit Of the United States in
the councils of the Nation. Let
us look at the record:
The friendship OF our Gov
ernment and great American
corporations with the cruel
BatiSta regime was a factor in
the Castro revolution. That
revolution was a social revolu-
ton some Of whose develop
mentS have greatly disappoint-
ed those who were originally
its friends, myself among them.
o. S. Policy at Fault
Those developments have
been encouraged rather than
discouraged by American policy,
beginning with the refusal of
American oil companies, incor-
porated in Cuba, to refine oil
from whatever source brought
to Cuba. This refusal precipi-
tated confiScationS of American
sugar plantations which, with
other anti-American acts led
to our curtailment of the Cuban
sugar quota which was an
Swered, as every child ought to
have known it would be, by
Cuba's turning ever closer to
the Soviet Union.
There is circumstantial evi-
dence, much Of it published
openly in our newspapers, that
our Government, principally
through the CIA, began at an
early date to extend substantial
aid for the organization of
counter-revolution from which
it tried to eliminate pro-
BatiSta ielements.
Mr.. Kennedy's office during
the presidential campaign is
sued a statement criticizing
the Eisenhower administration
for not doing more, and prom
ising all possible aid to rebels
against Mr.. Castro in exile or
in Cuba. Under criticism, Mr..
Kennedy went very far in ex-
planning this statement away
and a highly placed Democrat
assured me it had been sent
out from his office by mistake.
Holds CIA Responsible
Nevertheless, in office, Mr..
Kennedy seems to have carried
out his policy, taking pains
merely to assure us and the
United Nations that no Ameri-
can forces would be engaged
in it.
Just how far the CIA Is re-
sponSible for the landing which
led to defeat is not known, but
it is hard to believe that the
expedition could possibly have
taken place against the wishes
or the advice Of the CIA. From
] that defeat we suffer in the
worlds opinion. (The widely
scattered demonstrations
against us are by no means
all Communist machine-made.)
We would suffer infinitely
! worse disaster If we should
continue in a course which
conceivably might lead to
World War III and certainly
would lose US any respect and
affection among the Latin
American masses.
We cannot legitimately JUS
tify our actions in terms Of
the Monroe Doctrine which
said in effect: You keep out
of the Western Hemisphere
and we'll keep out of the East
ern." Not while we have been
giving military aid to the gov
ernment which we recognize in
distant Laos while the Russians
are doing for the Laotian rebels
what we have done for the
Cuban.
Sees No Justification
We cannot Justify ourselves
in terms Of hemisphere soil
darity, since we have not even
ventured to call on the Organi-
Zation Of American States for
support Of Intervention. Public
opinion in Latin America, il
not the opinion Of certain