Evening star., 1961-12-06
U.S.. Moves to Safeguard
Kennedys on Latin Trip
By GEORGE SHERMAN
Star Staff Writer

star Staff Writer
A top-level security recon-
naissar1ce team leaves here to-
morrow to make final arrange
ments in Venezuela and CO.
lombia for President and Mrs.
Kennedy's flying visit this
month.
The team is headed by Press
Secretary Pierre Salinger and
Richard Goodwin, Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State.
1t includes a detail OF Secret
Service agents.
Caracas. Venezuela, is the
focal point for the strictest
security precautions. The l6-
mile route between the airport
and the center of the city
along which the President will
ride in a bubble-topped limou-
sine-is worrying presidential
advisers. This was the place
Vice President Nixon was
stoned and nearly mobbed at
the end of his stormy trip
through South America in May,
1858.
Senators Stoned
Stones hurled at automobiles
of six touring United States
Senators last Monday night
indicate that the danger still
exists. A small group of stu
dents threw the rocks when
the convoy. en- route from the
airport, paused before a high
school.
The President and his wife
will arrive in Caracas on Sat-
urday morning, December 16,
after an overnight stop in
Puerto Rico. The next day they
move on to Bogota. Colombia.
and return to Washington,
Monday. December 18.
Caracas airport lies on the
coast 5000 feet below the Valley
of Caracas. The two are con-
nected by a modern skyway
which runs through some of the
worst SlumS on the outskirts of
the capital.
Hotbed of Leftists
The extreme leftist forces
opposed to the government of
Venezuelan President Romulo
Betancourt are centered in
these slums. President Ken
nedy's route into the city CEN
ter will take him past the head
quarters of the Communist |
Party.
The government has now
closed these headquarters as a
result of continuous outbursts
Of violence since Venezuela
severed diplomatic relations
with Fidel Castro's Cuba sew
eral weeks ago.
Venezuelan officials argue
that this violence is fomented
by a small minority, has no
popular appeal. and poses no
threat to the government. They
say the situation has been
greatly stabilized under Presi-
dent Betancourt's left-of-cen-
ter rule since the Nixon visit.
United States officials go
along with this assessment, al
though they admit that there
unquestionably is some risk in
volved in sending the President
and his wife into Caracas.
Will Dedicate Projects
The announced purpose of /
the visit to both Colombia and |
Venezuela is to DRAMATIC and
spotlight the cooperative eff
forts being made by the United
States and the republics of .
South America to accelerate the
economic and social develop
ment of the Western Hemi-
sphere" n
During his stay the President .
will dedicate projects begun 4
with United States funds under
the r-American Alliance for
Progress he is sponsoring.
United States officials freely
admit that the combin I'd forces
OF communism and Castrolsm
will do their best to interfere
with the visit and discredit the
alliance. But they argue that
if this threat were allowed to
keep President Kennedy cut of
Venezuela or Colombia, it would
also keep him out of virtually
all South America in the i'm
mediate future. And that would
be a near-fatal blow to the
democratic order which the
United States is trying to fos-
ter, they say.
For this reason, they and the
President are willing to take
the risk of leftist demonstra-
tions and riots.