from Dave Windsor
The Daily Telegraph reporter Jeremy Wolfenden has been sending a series of articles from Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic, to his paper. These articles reveal the complete hypocrisy of the U.S. claim that their forces went to that country to preserve human life and to protect U.S. and other civilians, A few extracts from his article which appeared in the May 3rd issue of the Daily Telegraph typify the information he has been sending back: (sub-headings «re ours)
Difficult to pretend U.S. forces are protecting anybody
"eit has been the American forces who have been bearing a heavy burden in the fighting in the streets, The 82nd Airborne Division, coming up from the San Isidro air base, have not linked up with the Marines, who came in by sea, Officially, the function of these forces is to protect American citizens and other foreigners, who certainly have been in some danger for the last week, But it becomes more and more difficult to pretend that American forces are not taking a direct part in putting down the rebellion,
"For instance, an airborne patrol from a bridgehead to the east of the city drove right round the north of the rebel positions to join up with the Marines, It is difficult to see what this manoeuvre had to do with protecting anybody, since there is no suggestion that this route will be used for evacwting anyone. The position of the Marines is more defensible, in both senses of the word They are holding a line facing the rebels to the east of the American Embassy, But even they send patrols beyond this limit to try to suppress snipers.
"Most suspicious of all, there is a tremendous American military buildup at the San Isidro air base, 20 miles from the capital. In two hours there today I saw no less than 10 heavy troop transports roll in and deliver men and material..ee" Women and children machine gunned
"Since the arrival of the Americans, the loyalist Air Force has more or less ceased its attacks by Vampire jets and rockets on the streets held by the rebelseseeseeThese have caused real bitterness, especially when the aircraft machine gunned streets full of women and children. The worst of the attacks was that at the Duarte bridge, over the Ozoma river. About 250 people are estimated to have been killed in that attack alone. Rebel civilians were shouting "Bring to the bridge the wives and children of the pilots" - and the people were doing sOee.."
The report goes on to describe how the working-class quarters are defended by barricades "rather like those of Paris in 1870." These facts, plus the vote which the Dominican Republic Party, the political wing of the rebels, received before it was forcibly overthrown by U.S.-backed gmerals, fill the picture in. It is clear that here we have a popular, broadly-based, movement for reform which is being suppressed by a combination of U.S. forces and reactionary militarists. The British Labour Government should not support this latest act of American aggression; instead it would do better to line up with those protesting. Silence would be both complicity and encouragement,