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University Daily Kansan
Tuesday, May 4, 1965
America's Dominican Stand Draws Sharp KU Comment
U. S. military presence in strife-torn Dominican Republic has not only been the latest cause of world concern calling many nations to alarm, it has also aroused local attention.
In a series of interviews last night, local professors and students called the problem a serious one and agreed the U.S. should do its part by playing an objective role in cleaning up the situation and getting out as soon as possible.
TWO OF THE PEOPLE interviewed are personal friends of Juan Bosch, the famed short story writer and former political leader for whose cause the latest revolt was staged.
Benjamin Morris, Quinter second-year law student, served for eight months as a special assistant and advisor to Bosch in a program for social and economic development in 1963.
Morris, who personally favors Bosch's democratic constitutional government, feels that if the U.S. had merely spoken out in favor of the democratic constitutional government, it would have been sufficient to stop the political turmoil.
NOW THE U.S. IS speaking out by sending in her troops, he continued, but the principal of using 15,000 soldiers to protect 1,500 American citizens along with citizens of other countries is not being well accepted by other Latin American countries.
It is, on the other hand, helping Castro's communist propaganda, he said.
Morris said there is much communist influence in the Dominican Republic, especially in this revolt, but the U.S. cause can only be justified if there is an actual communist plot to overtake the country. This is what is not clear to anybody yet, he added.
To Latin American countries, he continued, this revives the thoughts
of the "big stick" policy of the Roosevelt days and reminds them of U.S. intervention in Nicaragua and Haiti.
THEY FEEL THAT THE intervention of the U.S., with its 15,000 soldiers, tanks and a declared and enforced nine-square-mile "international zone" may only give rise to another Trujillo, he said.
"I think that we should get the Organization of American States (OAS) in there and set up a closely supervised democratic election." Morris said. "Then I think that we should recognize the government that evolves from that election and establish diplomatic and commercial relations with it."
Morris said he felt sure that in a democratic election the communists would not win, but, in any case, the democratic election must be as soon as possible.
JOHN P. AUGELLI, chairman of the Latin American Areas and professor of geography, has also met Bosch personally.
"To the best of my knowledge, Bosch is not a Communist," he said. "But that does not mean that the revolt is not underlain with Castro Communist elements."
In any case, he continued, the U.S. must qualify its position and give conclusive evidence of Communist takeover because Latin Americans are prone to U.S. intervention as much as to Russian intervention.
UNTIL THAT PROOF is evident, we must just assume that it is because of Communist plots and threats that our government is committing itself so deeply, he said.
Esteban Lopez, visiting lecturer from Puerto Rico, said he was much in favor of the U.S.'s stand in the Dominican Republic, but that the quicker the U.S. can finish its business there and get out the better it will be for them.
He favors, above all, that the
people of the troubled island be given the opportunity to decide their own future.
Others chosen in the elections last week were Mike Youngblood, Prairie Village f res h m a n , vice-president; Bud Yazel, Smithville, Mo., junior, social chairman; Jim ConCannon, Garden City freshman, treasurer.
"I HAVENT BEEN HOME in over a year, but I feel safe in saying that anything that the U.S. State Department or government undertakes is backed by the majority of the people of Puerto Rico," he said.
There are some people, however, he continued, who feel that with better U.S. management today's Cuba could have been avoided and, for that reason, may not have as much faith in U.S. policies as the majority does.
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