OLD ISSUE FUMES IN LATIN AMERICA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP08C01297R000700060025-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 10, 2012
• Sequence Number: 25
• Publication Date: July 20, 1970
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/10/10: CIA-RDP080012-9-7R000700060025-4
? NEW YORK TIMES
20 July 1970
..OLD ISSUE FUMES
IN LATIN AMERICA
Caracus and Bogota Seek to
Cool Immigration Dispute
By H. J. MAIDENBERG
srAc.isi totThei New York Time* '
l'BOGOTA, Colombia, July 19
?The governments of Colom-
bia and Venezuela are strug-
gling to prevent a long- sim-
mering dispute over illegal im-
migration from breaking? into
serious violence.
The situation has reached a
point where President Rafael
Caldera of Venezula and Presi-
dent Carlos 'Loeras Restrepo
of' Colombia have taken to the
airwaves to denounce irres-
ponsible news reports about
alleged atrocities perpetrated
on their respective peoples
along their borders and to em-
phasize the common heritage
and traditional friendship o
their peoples.
? I,lut the emotions caused by
the dispute over the 500,000
COlornbians estimated to be in
Venezuela illegally,are such
tlfat even educated Vnezuelans
tend to automatically blame
the Colombian immigrants for
all manner of crimes.
Fair-minded Venezirelans at-
tribute the deteriorating situa-
tion to the fact that many of
The New York Times
July 20, 1970
the immigrants tire now mov-
ing. from the farmland along
the border to towns and cities;
where they are beginning to
compete with Venezuelans for
j ohs
Officials in Venezuela con-
cerle; tnat these Colombians are
east targets for tarm owners
'an(( other employers .who ex-
ploit them. The illegal immi-
grants, lacking papers, are ac-
cwitomed to being badly treated
by-the authorities as well.
Ikecently. many thousands of
indocumentados, as the illegal
immigrants are termed, have
been deported. Many of the
, deportees were born or have
b>in Venezuela for
ee
n (i\ 'mg
many years, and their accounts
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/10/10: CIA-RDP08001297R000700060025-4
of had treatment have received
? wide circulation in Colombia.
, Basically, the problem grows
" out of the vast differences in
living standards in the two
countries. Venezuela, which is
rich in oil, has a population of
mire than 10 million and the
highest standard of living in
Latin America. A factory work-
er here receives about $200 a
month, or roughly four times
more than a Colombian who is
lucky enough to have a similar
job. Colcimbia's population is
more than twice that of Vene-
zuela and is growing at a
faster rate.
President Caldera suggested
last week that Venezuelans be
encouraged to settle along the
border as a means of halting
the" influx of Colombians. One
qf -.his ?? Cabinet ministers said
privately that the situation
was so critical that he had
suggested giving the illegal im-
migrants the option of becom-
ing Venezuelan citizens, with
those declining being subject
to : deportation in a "humane
manner:"
View From Bogota.
The view among Colombian
officials is that rapid industrial-
ization has caused Venezuelans
to ?frown upon farm work and
that Venezuelan land owners
have encouraged Colombians to
cross the border to replace the
Venezuelans moving to urban
centers. Once in .Venezuela
without documents, the Coluni-
bians assert, these workers are
reduced almost to serfdom.
"And now that the second
generation is moving to the
cities," one Colombian offi-
cial said bitterly the other day,
"our people have become the
object of persecution. Of course,
when one is forced to live on
the fringe of society without
an rights, the tendancy toward
crime increases." ?
The only difference between
the illegal Colombians and the
Venezuelans?who are almost
indistinguishable ethnically ?
is identity cards and working
papers. Only Colombian pro-
fessional .workers and the
wealthy can afford to "buy"
them, it was noted.
Military Leaders Blamed
As with many people who
cut their ties and migrate, the
Colombians prove to be aggres-
sive and clannish in contrast
to the easygoing Venezuelans.
This increases the animosity
against the immigrants.
Some observers in both lands
attribute the critical situation
to the Venezuelan military and
its, supporters. With the dis-
appearance of Venezuelan ter-
rorist groups in the last year,
many military men here are
citing the Colombians as justi-
fication for new arms. pur-?
chases and a greater role in
their country's affairs.
? The same observers hint that
Colombia has encouraged her
growing farm population to
move across the border to pre-
vent a potentially ? dangerous
unemptoyment problem, from
explco ins&
NEW YORK TIMES
17 July 1970
ARGENTINE RULED
SAFE FROM ARMY
Dual Citizen's Induction Is
Canceled by Appeals Court
Special to The New Toot Times
WASHINGTON, July 16?An
appeals court reversed today a
lower court judgment that or-
dered the induction of a 21-
year-old Los Angeles man with
dual United States and Argen-
tine citizenship.
The effect of the ruling, by
the United States Court of Ap-
peals for the District of Colum-
bia, is to exempt the appellant,
Hector Leandro Vazquez, from
military service in the United
States. He had received a "de-
pendency deferment" from Ar-
gentine military service.
The case involves a series of
legal complexities. Among them
are Mr. Vazquez'sc dual citizen-
ship and a 117-year-old treaty
between the United States and
,the Argentine Republic con-
cerning the conscription status
of mutual resident aliens.
Exempted from Service
The treaty with Argentina
holds that Argentine citizens
living in the United States shall
be exempted from all compul-
sory military service.
The court's decision may
have a widespread impact since
there are similar treaties with
eight other countries. They are
China, Costa Rica, Ireland,
Italy, Paraguay, Spain, Thailand
and Yugoslavia.
Most of the treaties are pre-
date World War II, and the
Government has noted that
"the Department of State does
not intend to include such pro-
visions in future treaties."
Normally, aliens living in the
United States are subject to
conscription, as are those who
hold full citizenship. Hundreds
are drafted each year.
Originally, Mr. Vazquez was
exempted from the draft here.
His exemption was cancelled,
however, after it was learned
that his parents ?had become
citizens in 1962, when the ap-
pellant was 12 years old. Under
the law, this made the child a
citizen.
When he became 18, Mr.
Vazquez registered for military
service with the armed forces
of Argentina, although he was
later granted a deferment. In
addition, Mr. Vazquez was a
registered alien, while the State
Department held that he was,
in effect, a dual citizen.
But the Government argued
that such an individual was
37
WASHINGTON POST
20 July 1970
Martial Law
Is Decreed
In Colombia
BOGOTA, July 19 (UPI)?:
President Carlos Lleras-Res-
trepo declared martial law
throughout Colombia tonight,
following inflamatory state-
ments by former dictator Gus-
tavo Rojas -Pinilla and his
daughter.
The national broadcasting
system of Colombia announced
that Lleras-Restrepo had insti-
tuted a state of emergency.
The decree prohibits gather-
ings by more than four per-
sons, closes bars, imposes a
curfew and turns over viola-
tors to a military court.
The measure came after
members of Rojas-Pinilla's Na-
tional Popular Alliance Party
heard a message in congress
from the former dictator say-
ing there would be no peace
in Colombia unless he is de-
clared the winner of the coun-
try's general election last
April 19.
not an Argentine citizen for
purposes of the treaty exemp-
tion from military service. A
trial court agreed. -
The unanimous decision of
the three-man court, written by
Judge Carl McGowan, noted
that "our holding on this record
is a narrow one" reference to
the fact that the treaty pro-
vision is predominant over the
United States naturalization
law for purposes of vulner-
ability to conscription in this
particular case.
It was not clear whether the
ruling would also apply to all
resident aliens or dual citizens
from the nine countries with
which the United States has
treaties on military conscrip-
tion.
The other two judges who
concurred in the decision were
Judge Harold Leventhal and
Judge Roger Robb. Mr. Vaz-
quez was represented by David
Carliner, and the Government
was represented by four As-
sistant United States Attorneys
?Edwin K. Hall, Thomas A.
Flannery, John A. Terry and
Gil Zimmerman.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/10/10: CIA-RDP08001297R000700060025-4
WASHINGTON 1-031
20 July 1970
Candidate Alessandll ,
By Lewis H. Diuguid
WashIngton Post Foreign Service
SANTIAGO, July 19 ? For-
mer President Jorge Alessan-
dri, at 74 an austere father fig-
ure on the right of Chile's
left-tilted politics, described
last week what he sees as his
destiny to save the nation
from demagogues.
Alessandri Is campaigning,
but only reluctantly, for votes
in the presidential election
Sept. 4. He rather believes
that the people are campaign-
ing for him. Many are, and
they may turn out to be
enough to elect him.
The son of a famous presi-
dent, Alessandri stands op-
posed to all the characteristics
usually associated with Chi-
lean politics: He talks little, is
unaffiliated, and is disdainful
of ideology. He encourages
comparisons to France's
Charles de Gaulle, and Ales-
sandri's view of his role is sim-
ilar.
In a rare interview, Alessan-
dri summed up the changes he
plans for the free-swinging de-
mocracy: "A child who knows
his father is strict has fewer
bad habits."
He would reverse what he
sees as an irresponsible shift
leftward in this lonely civil
state among South America's
military regimes. Ile would be
80 at the end of another six
NEW YORK TIMES
20 July 1970
hile 's
Father Figure
year term, and over half the
10 million people here are ;
under 30. He senses a call for!
return to paternal discipline. I
"The government party is
stimulating these (leftist)
ideas with a tolerance that
creates fantasies among the
people concerning the true,
possibilities of the country."I
he said. 1
"The Christian Democrats:
and the Marxist parties are in
a competition in demogogy."-
Competing with Alessandri
for the presidency are Radom-
iro Tomic, candidate of the
ruling Christian Democrats,
and Salvador Allende, of the
Marxist-dominated Popular
Unity Front Both are on the
left in Chile's political lineup.
Although Alessandri is an
independent, as he was during
his presidency from 1958 to
1964, the conservative Na-
tional Party is devoted to his
cause.
While he concedes a role for
parties, he feels it should be
limited, along with the role of
the congress. "The tasks of the
parliament are to legislate and
to oversee, but not to inter-
vene in public administra-
tion."
The Chilean system pro-
vides great power for the pres-
ident, but the congress inter-
venes wherever it can. Ales?
-
sandri said one of his first
acts would be to legislate thel
1right to dismiss any legislator
who overstepped the lawmak-
ing function.
In the likely event that the
present congress failed to co-
operate with him?the con-
servatives have the smallest
bloc representation?Alessan-
dri said that on being elected
he would Use a new law allow-
ing a plebiscite. He would ask
the people to vote out the
present congress, and if they
did not he would resign-
While polls and speculators
give Alessandri a good chance
of winning the largest plural-
ity, few expect him to win a
majority. If no one wins a ma-
jority the present congress
will choose between the two
front-runners.
The politicians that clog the
halls of Santiago are at a loss
to explain Alessandres popu-
larity. Despite his age, he has
toured the country through
most of its interminable
length. "I had a formidable
success in the north, which
they say is leftist," he com-
mented.
Asked to explain what ap-
pears to be a basic leftward
movement here, he said:
"I cannot say if the country
has changed or not because it
lives in such great disorder ...
the government
such organizations, as popular
participation and agrarian re-
form for political proselytiz-
ing."
On the other hand, he said,
many of the changes made
under what current President
Eduardo Frei has called the
"revolution in liberty" were
begun in the previous Alessan-
d ? administration.
"The spectrum in Chile is
completely different (f r o m
that) in the United States," he
said. "I would be on the ex-
treme left in ? the United
States. I am in favor of social
legislation and of private en-
terprise under the control of'
the state." His cOmpetitors see I
no role for private enterprise.'
Business interests and land:
owners and the influential
Mercurio newspaper chain are
supporting Alessandri. Even
among these groups one en-
counters dismay with his per-
formance in the early '60s,
when inflation was even more
rampant than at present.
The present inflation, he
said, is caused by "the tremen-
dous state spending and wage
increases." He said. he would
cut wage' increases and simul-
taneously end production-cut-
ting strikes, a task that no
Chilean president has carried
out yet. His prescription: pa-
ternal strictness, as quoted
above.
;Bolivian Regime, Pressed by Army, Weakens Its Leftist
By MALCOLM W. BROWNE
sped.' to The New York Time,
LA PAZ, Bolivia, July 18?
Under intense pressure from
'conservative army and busi-
'ness elements, Bolivia's mili-
tary Government has moved
Significantly away from the
militantly,leftist stance it
adopted afer seizing-power 10
months ago.
Leftist officials remaining
in the Government hope that
policies they advocate will be
pursued, but they concede that
their official position has been
weakened and that they may
be ejected from the Govern-
ment.
On July 6, the leftists suf-
fered a heavy blow when
President Alfredo Ovando Can-
dia removed Gen. Juan Jos?
Torres froth his post as com-
mander of the armed forces.
General Torres, while 'hostile
to Marxist ideas, is highly re-
garded by most 'of the Bolivian
left. He worked to establish
ties between the armed forces
and Bolivia's political parties
in promoting the Government's
programs. He was also known
as the principal buffer between
the conservative armed forces
leaders and the political left.
Foreign Investers Frightened
There were fears until last
week that a coup d'etat was
imminent. The army comander,
Gen. Rogelio Miranda, is known
as a strong conservative with
sufficient military backing to
bring pressure on President
Ovando. He has denied any in-
terest in leading a coup, but he
is an avowed enemy of leftists
in Government. ;
But General Ovando, the
dominant force in politics ? and
Oil Company. Proclaiming a
policy of leftist nationalism, shuffle Cabinets on Aug. 6,
President Ovando said his Gov- when independence is celebrat-
ernment would follow many of ed. It is expected that President
Ovando may follow the tradi-
tion, partly as a pretext Thr re-
moving Mr. Bailey from office.
Peru's growing militancy to- Foreign investors and local
ward private business and in- businessmen are evidently
creasing friendship with the wary of bringinganew. money
Communist bloc have been a into the country. Many say
they are watching to see what
happens Aug. 6.
Leftist officials remain in the
criticized strongly for having ministries of Labor, Foreign Af-
included two extreme leftist fairs, Health and Housing, and
politicians in his original Cab- there appears to be no immed-
inet One, ,Marcelo Quiroga iate move to oust them.
Santa Cruz, was the. principal Despite pressures on him,
force in the nationalization of President Ovando appears to
Gulf while Minister of Energy remain securely in power, and
the army since 1964, evidently and Hydrocarbons. He left the leftists are by no means unit
pacified his . commanders by Government in 'May and has formly dissatisfied. He reiter-
dismissing General Torres. The since warned that a right-wing ated support for leftist na:-
President assumed direct corn- coup is in preparation. tionalism several ' days ago,
mand of the armed forces. The other, Alberto Bailey, has and his domestic and foreign
Earlier,' the Ovando Govern- has exterted his strongly leftist policies have, not changed
markedly.
For the first time in Bolivian
history, tin was shipped last
week to the Soviet Union. The
tame'
the policies established earlier
by the Peruvian military Gov-
ernment.
major concern in Washington
for the last two years.
General. Ovando has been
merit had badly frightened for- influence as Minister of Infor-
eign investors by nationalizing mation and Tourism. By tra-
the local assets or the Guifidition, Presidents frequently
38
?
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/10/10: CIA-RDP08001297R000700060025-4