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all Protestents were scommunists; and were so nemed and so treated.
The basie for the attitude of theee netives to non-Guatens lans
ie & remalt of « mixed confusion of these several factors, Moet
of my work was with the native population fer rewoved from centers
of comaunietic activity where the people were ameneble end cooperat~
ive. In other places I was mistaken for & communist end the people
would write goumunista on the duet of the cer. Mud end rocks vere
thrown, the paint wea soratched, two windows were broken, the
gasoline capwwas talen on five eocasions, the mirror was twiated
out of shape @@ well as the windshield wipers and license pletes.
These acts were not of the usual thieft and destruction of property
. by spiteful acta of revenge or hate of one unfortunately mis-
telme for & communist. These people were immediately enlightened .
ag to my wlasion and that IT wae en American and was thée’:friend,
I think thet 1 probably contributed more to the friendly relation-
ship between our country and Guetemaie than aj1 the American
agencies combined. Hy record-fed 66 natives a meal, geve 215
a drink of water or wilky gave medical aid to several dozen
people and told countless hundreds about our greet country end
the people to the north. Speaking of medical aid ~~in Northem
Feten, there ia one non-registered doctor attending 70,000
Guetemalens, In Guctemela dity, however, there is a modern
hospital whieh oan treet any emergenoy short of neurosurgery.
In fact, ae far as tropical medicine and the native brand of
peresitology is concerned, these doctors are mor experienved.
then are many North American doctors. You should attain « list |
of the medical men and their retinge in Gustemala. Oity from the
American Embessy in ec¢ae of ezerrency. As far as your health
is concerned you can expect. periodic attacke of dysentery.
The first attack is always severe and inc#pasitating--subssquent
attacke are less damaging but annoying. Until your system is
contenineted you will never develop immunity which some after
the third wonth! The greatest. soures of contaminetion is the
weter supply. Be dareful and do not drink weter that is not
boiled. I used a. sterile (distgilled) minerel water called
Balvovedos water at 35 ¢ per five gallons, whieh is a fier price
to pay for good: hebibh.and in addition it fe convenient to sequire,
Do not drink milf or ice oreen(exeept American brends of avaporat- __
ed or powered mil@) as most of the producing sows are tuberaular,
Naturally green vegetables grown on: or in the ground ere taboo.
The esfest way to avoid dysentery is to eat out of cane. Thia .
ia not slways‘ possible as the prige of canned foods is from tuo.
to four times the price in the States, Fruit grown on trees,
however, is good end is reasonably priced. Oranges ere two for
one gent and bananas ere five per pennye
I should not ettempt to advise on the conditions of the
roade because of the changes that have oceurred since my travels
in 1954, In feot the United Stetee Government had yiver Guatemala .
$64,000,000 to get her roada in repair and I imegine that consider-
able work has been realized... The communists impressed’ the eountry.
by building e« few good atendard paved highwaya at the anpense
of maintenanse of secondary roads. Although the ror’ ted and
grede of theese secondary rosde are genera ly geod, the eurfsee is
terrible. Their conoern is to have o road thet will stand up
under rainy weather and naturally the surface is rocky. These.
people just do not understand the techniquea of engineering a
good roed surface. As a result travel ie slow (5-10 miles per
hour), exhausting and abusive to tires, Meany roade shown on