COMMUNIST TROUBLEMAKERS LEAVE FOR NEW ASSIGNMENTS |
When Johnson sent the first few hundred Marines to intervene in the Dominican Republic, he said that it was to “protect American lives and property." a .
‘When it became clear that American lives were not in'danger and that no threats had been levelled against the holdings of the two American sugar companies in the Dominican Republic, Johnson found a new excuse. On May 2 he said that na democratic revolution -.ecommitted to democracy and social justice" had "moved into the hands of a band of Communist conspirators."
This was his official justification for tearing up the international covenants solemly signed by the United States and sending 50,000 troops to invade and occupy the island.
The-eheapter about a "Communist take-over" has now been closed by a.quite-eminent authority, President Johnson's ewn Ambassador-at- Large, W. Averell Harriman, a.meamber.of Americe's sixty ruling fami-
In a television program May 16, Harriman said that the U.S. has “solid information" that the Communists who were "once prominent” . in the revolution have now left the island "to create trouble elsewhere." In addition, those who have remained on the island have "withdrawn from prominence and are less in evidence now.
Harpiman may well be right, a cynic might say, sinee according to the statements originally made by the U.S. State Department there were only 58 Communists among the tens of thousands of people in the revolutionary forces, Reporters soon discovered that some of the 58 were either dead or had left the island before the revolution broke out, but granting that there-were 58, it seems plausible that they could. have now flown to other lands to carry out new assignments.
Will the 30,000 U.S. troops that were sent to the Dominican Republic to do battle with the 58 Communists now be withdrawn in view of the enemy's hasty retreat?
No, they will stay there without any excuse whatsoever, It is well known that once Johnson has committed the United States, it is impossible to change, no matter how much in the wrong he’ might be. The U.S. is too powerful for that.
On the other hand, the State Department might well consider
what those 58 Communists might be up to in other Latin-American countries where they went "to create trouble."
Since it takes 517 Marines to cope with one Communist, will there be enough Marines to handle all the trouble spots that can now be expected to flare up?
IS IT GOOD