Seventieth Year EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OP THE UNIVERSITY Of MICHIGAN UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD TN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS en Opinions Are Fres *ruth iinPrevail STUDENT PUBLICATIONS BLDG. " ANN ARBOR, MICH. * Phone NO 2-3241 ditorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. T his must be noted in all reprints. Unrest The Natives Seem To Be Restless lmerica AY, DECEMBER 13, 1959 NIGHT EDITOR: KATHLEEN MOORE 'Poor Relatives' Revolt LATIN AMERICA is mad. Much to the dismay of a perplexed State epartment, our fellow Americans belov the order have taken a dim view of United States oreign policy. Fidel Castro's Cuba continues to bombard he United States with accusations of "Yankee nperialism" and "friend to dictators." Unrest rntlnues in Panama as irate students and state aders alike protest the methods her nothern eighbors are using to operate the Canal Zone. Our reply has been a baffled look of astonish- ent (exemplified by President Eisenhower at recent press conference) and hesitant steps i setting up a special six-man National Ad- .sory Committee on Inter-American Affairs, he United States has acted .. ,but, as usual, o little and too late to solve any basic prob- ;ms. Our attitude toward Latin America is best immed up by a statement Sen. George A. nathers made, ironically enough, just before ice-President Nixon's enlightening tour of st year. "The United States' ti'eatnent of. atin America can be compared to a rich uncle lling a poor relative how and when to act," e Senator quipped. When these "poor rela. ves" began throwing stones at Nixon, the slow- .oving State Department mumbled something bout "emmotional Latins" and the whole affair as shuttled into the background of Washing- n's foreign policy priorities. Cha.nge. "'THIS HAS ceased to be a legislative body," said Representative Louis Crampton (R-Lapeer), speaking about the stormy Thursday tax session at the State House of Representatives. So what else is new? P. P. LATIN AMERICA is tired of this "poor rela- tive" attitude of the United States .. . lov- ing care when needed and not even a glance when of no strategic value. The current East- West conflict has captured the attention of the American public . . . and at the same time United States' economic policies and favoritism. There was a day when Washington felt dif- ferently about her southern neighbors. World War II brought demands for strategic raw ma- terials. Latin American economies boomed and a feeling of "togetherness" blossomed on the continent. The end of the war brought an end to these demands and a shift of focus from winning friends in Latin America to influ- encing the underdeveloped states swaying be- tween American and Russian loyalties. The result has been a feeling of neglect on the part of the 20 sovereign republics below the border. Traditionally a supplier of raw materials, Latin American economies have risen and fallen with the fluctuating demands of the world market. The United States-has been content to milk away these valuable materials and for- get about reinvesting profits for national in- dustrialization. INTERNAL GROWTH, not passionate Fidel Castros or perennial revolutions, is what is most desired. Latin Americans want to shed themselves of being dependent "poor relatives" to the United States by diversifying their eco- nomies and strengthening their industrial base. They want technologists and machinery .. not just money. Latin America is desperately looking for a means of individual economic independence. The United States so far, has failed to give them the leadership they want. Until Washington does, the "norteamericano" will continue to be just a "gringo" in the more outspoken coun- tries to the south. --BARTON HUTHWAITE Features Editor Panama Gives Facts (EDITOR'S NOTE: .The following letter, addressed to President Hatch- er and sent to The Daily as well, is signed by 15 prominent Panaman- San alumni of the U n i v e r s i t y. Among them are the Minister of Agriculture, Commerce and Indus- tries and several other government officials.) To President Harlan Hatcher, the professors and students of The University of Michigan: T HE UNDERSIGNED, graduates of The University of Michigan, who have participated with you in our higher studies, the refined culture and the authentic feelings of the American people with their profound sense of respect for hu- man dignity, the rights of others and the love for a true democracy and freedom of opinion, and re- membering our college days, we hereby wish to present to you the "Panamanian Cause," and request of you your valuable adherence thereto. In making this report we are convinced that yours is the most advanced country in the field of human relations; but we are also convinced, unfortunately, that your State Department does not tell you all of the truth, and that on many matters it acts with dis- regard to the principles of human dignity for which the North Amer- ican youth gave up their lives in two world wars. * IN EFFECT, a group of Pana- manian patriots, composed in its majority by students, professors and teachers, tried to march with our flag through the Canal Zone- a piece of land which, according °to the 1903 Treaty and amend- ments, was leased to the United States of America only for the purpose of constructing, maintain- ing, sanitating and defending a Canal. Onasaid occasion, and by order of the Governor of the Canal Zne, General William G. Potter, the students and populace accompany- ing them were received with fire hoses, tear gas, bullets and bayon- ets, leaving a casualty list of 62 * * * FOR THE SAKE of offering an idea of how our international policy, which is guided by feelings of fraternity and justice, contrasts with that of Canal Zone authori- tines, which is always guided by an indifference toward our human sentiments and civic spirit, we will offer two examples: 1) On the 10th of November, Judge John E. Deming, of the Balboa Magistrate's Court, Canal Zone, imposed a fine of $100 and 30 days on the 16-year-old stu- dent, Ezequiel Gonzale Nunez, for the crime of trying to display the national flag in the Canal Zone. The Judge called this "dis- orderly conduct," which has no foundation legally since the dis- order was created when our flag was desecrated. The attitude of Judge Dem'ing is in contrast with that-of the Na- tional Guard of Panama when the latter caught, in fraganti, Richard Todd and Robert Fortune, 15- year-old American boys, residing at Albrook, at the time they were burning a national flag. These children were merely given a warning and returned to their parents. 2) The 4th of July, day of your independence, is celebrated in the entire territory of the Republic and the flag of the United States is flown at many places, with all the respect due to your symbols. The 3-4 of November, day of our independence, the Panamanian flag is desecrated by the Canal Zone authorities with absolute dis- regard to our patriotism. * * * OUlT CAUSE, for which we re quest your valuable adherence, is the following: FAITHFUL COMPLIANCE AND RESPECT FOR TREATIES AND CONVENTIONS EXISTING BE- TWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE REPUB- LIC OF PANAMA AND WHICH REGULATE THE RELATIONS BETWEEN THESE TWO COUN- TRIES. The United States Government, on holding to a unilateral inter- pretation of the clauses of the treaties, by right of force, is vio- lating an elemental principle of International Law. By governing the Canal Zone with only a commercial criterion, allowing commercial transactions which violate the convention of 1955, to the detriment of the in- terests of the Republic of Panama, the United States is constituting itself in an obstacle for our eco- nomic development, in open viola- tion to principles contained in in- ternational treaties which tend to --Daily--James Richman Good Fences Don't Make Good Neighbors onfires F icker in Panama TWICE last month Panaman- ian demonstrators, bearing their national flag, which is forbidden to fly inside the Can- al Zone, have surged towards the zone's frontier as "a sym- bolic act of reaffirmation of sovereignty." In the first, and more serious, riots on Panama's independence day, November 3, some 80 people were inijured in the free-for-all against Ameri- can troops and their own Na- tional Guard; later in the day the American embassy had its windows broken and its flag torn down and burnt. In the second iincident, on November 29th, the soldiers were better prepared and pro- tected themselves with sandbags and tear gas without opening fire, and the rioters contented themselves with burning two effigies of Uncle Sam just out- side the zone's entrance. Diplo- mats on both the American and Panamanian sides have tried to handle these incidents as deli- cately as they can, but the bor- der is now heavily guarded and American residents hesitate to go outside the zone. * * * IN RECENT YEARS, the United States government has made a genuine effort to im- prove relations with the small republic that lies across one of the world's most importan-t trade routes. Four years ago the rent paid for the Canal Zone was increased from $430,- 000 to $1.9 million a year. At the same time the invidious distinction between the wages paid to American citizens and to Panamanians (the "gold" and "silver" standard) was of- ficially abolished. The Ameri- .'an ambassador and the gener- al who administers the zone have been meticulously careful about protocol and the way they wield their immense influ- ence in the affairs of the re- public. * * * BUT D ISCONTENT still grows. Almost all of the high- er salaried positions in the zone are still held by Americans; and there is an unofficial but ef- fective color bar that is highly irritating to the overwhelming majority of Negro, Indian, or mestizo blood. A decline in tourism and the reductions in American naval appropriations have caused considerable unemployment in Panama City, where one-quar- ter of the nation's million in- habitants are concentrated. Above all, Panamanians would like a larger share of the Can- al's $90 million revenue from' shipping tolls. These grievances are shrewd- ly exploited by Panama's prin- cipa opposition party, the. Third Nationalist party (TPN) led by the former president Senor Arnulfo Arias. Panama has had ten presidents in the past ten years and since 1936 no elected president has man- aged to last out his term. * * * SENOR ERNESTO de la Guardia, the present holder of the office, is a hard-working and cautious friend of the TTnted States. His administra- tion, through handicapped by a deficit of about $8 million a year, has encouraged foreign investment and begun a pro- gramme of well-drilling and road-building in the hinterland. He has kept the balboa, the hardest currency in Latin America, at par with the American dollar. Already this year ne has survived transport strikes, student riots, an at- tempted assassination, and two abortive inivasions. He will now probably last out his term un- til next May, and his National Patriotic Coalition (CPN) has nominated another moderate, Senor Ricardo Arias, the am- bassador to the United States, to succeed him. THE OPPOSITION, which is divided between eight splinter parties, is not likely to confine itself to peaceful electioneering. The TPN has started a move- ment to restore the civil rights of Senor Arnulfo Arias, which. were taken away after he was deposed by a revolution in 1951, so that he may once again be a candidate. Another opposition leader, Senor. Roberto Arias, Dame Margot Fonteyn's husband, is in exile in London after the fail- ure of his invasion in May. The youngest and most anti-Ameri- an candidate is the TPN con- gressman, Senor Anquilino Boyd, who calls for the nation- alisation of the Canal. Unless these opposition groups are able to concentrate upon Unless these opposition groups are able to concentrate on one candidate, the government is likely to win again, and to con- tinue its friendly policy towards the United States. The pros- pects of a Panamanian Nasser are exceedingly remote. But political and economic unrest within Panama, disturbed con- ditions elsewhere in the Carib- bean, and the need to satisfy suspicious public o p in i o n throughout Latin America are likely to give the United States many mor eanxious moments about its strategic waterway. -THE ECONOMIST Questions About Cuba (EDITO'S NOTE: The following questions and answers on revolu- tionary Cuba were prepared by a Cuban student studying in this country, and submitted to The Daily to make points the writer feels have not been considered ade- quately in the United States press.) QUESTION: Is Fidel Castro a Commnist? Castro has frequently been ac- cused of Communist tendencies by the American press; but before we accept such opinions let us ex- amine the policies of Dr. Castro, for herein is the real test that must reveal whether or not he is a Communist. Khrushchev and Stalin are the most representative Communists. Both instituted harsh dictator- ships over their territories and have bestowed the police with un- limited and arbitrary powers. Cas- tro, quite to the contrary, de- stroyed the dictatorship in Cuba and has curbed the power of the formerly almighty police to that of the police in countries like the United States. Under Stalin the land of the peasants was confiscated and made the property of the state. The present government of Cuba, largely inspired and directed by Castro, is freeing the peasants from their former status of servi- tude and endowing them with the proprietorship of their own land. QUESTION: What does the new government hope to achieve? ANSWER: The present govern ment of Cuba. is the only Cuban government which has actively striven to make the nation eco- nomically self sufficient and its citizens economically independent. It is realizing this first objective by inviting foreign investment in varied industries and by providing public funds for national develop- ment. The best example of action tak- en to make the people economical- ly independent is the.Land Re- form Program. This will free four and a half of Cuba's six and a half million citizens not only econom- ically but also politically. Tax reforms have forced the wealthier corporations to shoul- der a greater portion of the costs of government, leaving the small- er businesses a relatively greater share of their income for growth and expansion. QUESTION: What is the purpose of the controversial land reform in Cuba? ANSWER: Until the Land Re- form Program was initiated 80 per cent of the arable land in Cuba was the property of a small minority of rich and powerful landowners. For all practical pur- pose Cuba, before the revolution, was a feudal domain. Cuba's ag- ricultural population was com- pletely dominated by these few thousand landowners and was, for the most part, reduced to the subhuman existence that accom- panies extreme poverty and po- litical subjugation, These condi- tions were comparable to those of the serfs of the Middle Ages. One of the cruelest excesses of the landowners was the practice of designating huge tracts of land to be unplanted in order to bol- ster the price of sugar, leaving the peasants without work, with- out any income,dooed to slow starvation. The purpose of the Land Re- form is to give the peasant the land on which his family has lived for centuries, to give him an op- portunity to earn a decent living. Actual policies of land reform are simple. The .landlord is per- mitted to retain in his possession a maximum acreage depending upon the type of cultivation to which the land lends itself. Any- thing above this maximum acre- age is divided among the farmers over which they assume full own- ership. QUESTION: Why has Castro been making accusations against the United States? ANSWER: All arguments have a history of misunderstanding be- hind them. The present Cuban government has undoubtedly made some mistakes, but much of the criticism and "cold shoulder" treatment it has received are. a result of misunderstanding of the Cuban position. Just as certain Cuban policies have been harshly criticized and misunderstood by segments of the American press, certain American policies are difficult for the Cu- ban government to understand. At a time when Cuba could. be helped immeasurably by reestab- lishing safe tourist conditions, the exiled Batista and his close col- league, Dictator Trujillo of the Dominican "Republic," have been supporting terrorist raids to dis- rupt the tourist trade and hurt the Cuban economy. While the. United States has curtailed all armaments bound for Cuba and f. r1 LX LERNER: Reception in India x NEW DELHI:Nothing like it has ever hap- pened to President Eisenhower and I doubt rhether anything like it has ever happened to dew Delhi. The people crowded around him verywhere he went. He came in from Kabul a half-hour late, scorted by nine Indian air force planes. Along rith President Prasad and Prime : Minister [ehru he mounted a narrow raised platforim n the field, and while Prasad plunged on brough his speech of welcome the Prime Min- ster seemed to squirm and fidget and all but Ld a little jig. President Eisenhower's brief remarks lacked acility and felicity (which he usually lacks), ut he made up for it by warmth and earnest- ess. By the time he left the field the sun had et. FTER a sluggish, rainy start at Rome, the Presidenta's welcoming crowds at Ankara, :arachi and Kabul have been a politician's as fell as a reporter's dream. But the New Delhi eception made the others introductory. A Zillion people turned out to see him, coming y car, bus, scooter, truck, bullock cart and amel. Everything that could move on wheels r legs was conscripted for transport-every- ling except garbage trucks. At Connaught Circle the massed crowd had een waiting for three hours. The shopkeepers ad spread over the street a carpet of marigold etals which the people scooped up in handfuls, 'ady for the encounter. TALKED with a number of people who had watched the reception accorded Bulganin and hrushchev four years ago and there was little uestion that President Eisenhower was met ot only by a bigger crowd but by a more spon- neous warmth. The Calcutta reception of the his coming wth an unparalleled friendliness toward him and America-a friendliness which may unconsciously be an answer to the official policy of noncommitment in the world struggle. There is a deep anxiety among the Indian people about Chinese aggressiveness and what it portends for the nation. When President Eisenhower began one of his sentences "The United States stands with India." there was a burst of applause only to have the sentence end with the unerring platitude "... in our common quest for peace."' NO ONE expects the President to utter more than platitudes on this trip. As the crowds turn out to get a glimpse of him one comes to see that his appeal to them rests not on any- thing he says or fails to say but on the simple fact that he has come a long way, and is an elderly man spending himself in the process of doing honor to their government and country. We are in danger of forgetting that the new countries of Asia have not only underdeveloped economies but that they also want their ex- istence recognized. This is clearly a big plus symbol on the balance sheet of his trip. If I have failed to do it justice it is not because I undervalue it but because I think Asia is ripe for 'more than his elementary bolstering c'f a national ego hunger. It is ripe for an effort of collective greatness within the frame of emerg- ing democracies and with the vigorous help of the world's most committed democracy. IN ONE OF MY own encounters with the traffic glacier I had a chance for several hours to study the faces of the people as they streamed past on their way back from seeing President Eisenhower. They were simple men and women but even the simplest people have somewhere in them a hunger for greatness. There were whole families, the father nushing 4 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Delinquency Blamed on Capitalism I To the Editor: RECENT PRESS reports carried articles in which President Harlan Hatcher was reported to have "urged an attack upon the evils creating juvenile delinquen- cy." He called for broadened re- search into the causes and condi- tions of delinquency. According to the report, President Hatcher then listed exposure to media which feature violent aggression and anti-social behavior as the evils which are creating juvenile delin- quency. The most thorough investiga- tion of anti-social behavior in conditions which promote juvenile delinquency will remain. If Presi- dent Hatcher follows research to the root of anti-social hebaviour, he will discover that capitalism must be abolished and socialism established if the conditions for good behaviour are to be created. -Ralph W. Muncy Commitment . . To the Editor: I woke up this morning with a melody: He is the King of Glory-in my mind only and not perfectly committed to my voice or want to hear the Allelujah chorus every year? ** * MR. JOB, we are ever respon- sible for criticisms of technique, but we are responsible too for the effect of that technique and some- times for the purpose of it. Your review dealing with but one part of the Messiah performance does not understand the three - fold presence : purpose, execution, meaningful response. This was a mistake. The criti- cism of the Messiah on the one ba- sis that you chose simply failed to communicate the real experience that was there. It failed to conm- ''.t