We encourage our readers to send letters of commentary on past Reports to initiate a dialogue on the issues we cover-or fail to cover. Most of the mail we get is of the "keep up the good work" variety. While it's heartening and much ap- preciated, we do invite you to offer criticism of our viewpoints, addi- tions to our analyses, comments on how you use our Reports and the like. These pages belong to you. Honest But Tardy As always, your March-April is- sue on El Salvador is notable for its f UI k 1i +k kf I L ysis of the situation in and, perhaps most im its honesty. We will n getting our issues a litt are all as good as this An "Information Fix I find NACLA invalu American history in n high school. My stude copies as texts and v and reports evidenc and support for the La struggle. Not bad for major concerns hav prom or shopping Again, glad for NACL/ my "information fix." H Readability On Trial I first found an issu when I was working workers' local in Your and later in Pittsburgh, PA. The "Steelyard Blues" issue [Jan-Feb 1979] was tremendous and I have been a subscriber ever since. But a little criticism never hurts. I found the "Target Nicaragua" issue [Jan-Feb 1982] almost impenetra- ble. The sentences were long, com- plex, filled with clause upon clause. NACLA has always been readable, and I am so thankful when I find well-written, concise, well-docu- mented journalism. Benjamin Marcus Cordova, AK UV IU, Wa,- Need For The Report that country Your plea to "Send us a mes- portantly, for sage" on the subscription envelope ot at all mind prompted me to include a note. It le late if they used to be that I really enjoyed read- one. ing the Report. But now that I'm ac- John Carroll tively involved in Latin America soli- Duluth, MN darity work, I not only enjoy the Re- "port, I need it. It's a vital resource I use constantly, and since I'm sure able teaching that U.S. foreign policy toward Latin ny suburban America will necessitate such work nts used my -and since I now have a job and vrote essays can afford it-I'm putting in for three ing concern years of the NACLA Report, the tin American athe tin American strongest vote of confidence for kids whose your work I could make. Je been the Chris Campanile at the mall! Charlottesville, VA . I [need it [or eather Cofttin Freeport, NY e of NACLA with a steel- ngstown, OH M-19 Hit But Not Decimated I have been reading NACLA for a long time, and its information is al- most 100% accurate. In the March- April issue, [the] article, "Colombia -One More Death Squad" [con- tained] some unimportant and some important inaccuracies about the political reality in Colombia. First of all, when journalist Duzan was taken to the General Headquar- ters of the M-1 9 Southern Front, she did report on the death squad, but more important was the position the M-19 took with regard to the elec- tions held in March and May of this year [M-19 commander Bateman promised to "sabotage" them].... The election was not stopped, but the Left's abstention was higher than ever. More than 50 actions of sabotage were carried out by the M-19 in the main cities of Colombia.... ... The guerrillas had not been decimated [in the rural areas as the article stated] but rather hit. Their network had been broken several times, but the capacity of reproduc- tion in cities has left even the repres- sive military apparatus of the gov- ernment astonished. Today their guerrilla movil, as they call it, oper- ates in more than 70 places that in- clude the major cities and towns of Colombia. Moreover, there was not a shift from urban areas to rural areas. It was part of the political mil- itary strategy that came during the discussion of the Sixth National Conference held in August of 1976. It is obvious that a clandestine or- ganization is more exposed to be hit in the waves of repression in cities.... [U.S.] military aid to Colombia is the second highest in Latin America after El Salvador. [Now] more than $30 million, the projection for 1983 with the new role given to Colombia by U.S. imperialism in the Carib- NACLARepod 44update update update update bean and Central America will be $125 million.* This amount has been widely published in Colombia and abroad. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the evidence to sup- port this at present. However, the [March 1982] issue of the maga- zine, Vainas de Macondo, states: "The U.S. Department of State spokesman explained that Con- gress had been asked to authorize the expenditure of $21 million for the improvement of airfield facilities in the Caribbean." He [Dean Fisher] was referring to Colombia and Hon- duras.** The map [with the article] showed only two areas (Choco and Caqueta) but very far from that, the M-19 is fighting in 13 provinces of Colombia. I would like to mention that in Co- lombia there are other guerrilla or- ganizations that are operating in cities and rural areas: the National Liberation Army (ELN) with which Father Camilo Torres fought, the People's Liberation Army (EPL), with Maoist tendencies, the Work- ers' Self Defense (ADO), which works very closely with the M-19, FUPAG and ORP. All I know about the last two organizations is that they are non-aligned. The picture [with the article] was taken by journalist Renato Menen- dez in 1967 when he interviewed the ELN in Santander del Sur. The irony of that picture is that all the fighters showed have been killed at different places and at different times. What is unacceptable is [the caption:] "CP-linked FARC has been most successful in recruiting peasants." The facts are that the FARC is the oldest guerrilla organization, but not the largest at present. The M-19 is the largest and most active guerrilla group in Col- ombia without debate.... *U.S. military appropriations for Co- lombia were $12.5 million and the 1983 request is for $12.9 million. Colombia received no other kind of foreign aid from the U.S. government during these years. * *According to the New York Times on March 4, the aid request was disclosed by the Defense Department, not the State Department. While the Pentagon declined to name the countries involved, State Department spokesman Dean Fischer offered, "We are talking specifi- cally in this instance about Colombia and Honduras." A spokesman at the Defense Department told NACLA at presstime that the allocation was pared to $13 million by Congress, all of which is being spent in Honduras.-Ed.
