CUBA

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• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP65B00383R000200230054-8
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• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 4, 2004
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• Content Type: OPEN

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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD E A'tE February 11
ape that we cannot control them," he Two Presidents have been working on Italy and Turkey and Thor bases from
begged the "Senators Horton called the this problem for years, and the problem England, is now being consummated.
reffusal,to state plainiy that water quality ng still with us.
May I say to these two Senators that
was not bei guaranteed an 'evasion" and
said itwa "evidence of lack of good faith Knowing that Members of Congress if the one wants to publicize his recom-
eyci eore, he treaty is ratified '`? are speaking on Cuba with these lofty mendations, he should take the responsi-
IX,cgwev''er, there is--no doubt that in 1945 thoughts of the Nation's welfare in mind bility of doing so if he thinks it is in the
x4p4 people fn Mexico as well as the tTnited I am disturbed-by the amount of infor- national interest. To the other I would
States, thought the vtreaty was a -good deal mation on Cuba-whichcertain Members suggest that he establish contact with
Zr oeverybo v Afiout l0 miles of the riv- of Congress appear to have but which the Defense Department to find, out just
x 1,450-m a length flows through Mexican is not available to the responsible offi- how long before Cuba the removal of
territory, but the entire flow of the" river dais of the Cabinet-the Secretary of these bases from Europe was being con
dam' in the the arVisited heaU aril iLll the
produced
nati State and the Secretary of Defense. We sidered and to find out why this was
natural In the U'nrted 'States.
R-eclarnation worlrs `1n this counMry" have have congressional reports of missiles. done. May I assure him there is abso-
leer, which once fluctuated be- We have the last congressional word on lutely no foundation to his charge of an
wQ n arfe and a3iood into a managed the attitudes of Latin American nations understanding which implies a secret
/s E ~i ,k~T J Y l ? .. o
rose tQyi!arciT. ;olio es on G`uba And all deal, and may I say to him further that
uder ffie treaty 1GfexIco `was guaranteed the while, the executive branch has dif- his Republican colleagues in the lead-
o-ut 6"V Sep amounit of water it pre- fereilt information or no information on ership in both Houses have been called
vlou ly had been able o use bene$cially. the same matters. to the White House on many occasions
firm water rlcn tune -Valley I would be the last one to suggest that and have been kept fully informed of all
1is~sflet ena b1 SinOtt cwele~ unnder der any Member of Congress might know developments in the Cuban situation.
im
atT ii onpeak of e0~00 acresres were less about these critical and delicate I note, too, Mr. President, that over
cps i s2rouf l be remem'bere that matters pertaining to Cuba than the the weekend, the distinguished Governor
ornf was opposed to the treat"y. The President, the Secretary of State and the of New York also felt impelled to enter
e r A, t islatture a~hropri-. ate-$50,007f Secretary of Defense. After all, these the public discussion of Cuba. I wel-
Inu- a oY~b aja!nst TU-e Golden executive branch officers have many re- coined his participation, Mr. President,
en then that the r'o ith I the
_g n
y sponsbilities, and Cuba is only one of but I must confess that I looked in vain
13oyiwes wou soonric u even the them. And in these early weeks of the for a contribution worthy of him. After
mllit Colora' o anc va iI d cams `in The
session, some Members of Congress have all, the Governor of New York is one of
1tve 60117 somedayhe amatter of survival. o~ps tograp ed in u a, dimensions of these mis move cautiously toward hard judgments on
e In iiba, President Kennedy and his sites could be calculated in relation to some Intelligence. Yet politicians as well as the
top associates now estimate with a public air item in the photos whose size is known-say public prefer to deal in neat, hard "facts."
of Gert inty. Yet they would be less than _ the gage of a railway track.
e _ _ - The result is a partisan debate, not over
st11hl),ed, and the Government's lgence The United States knew well before last what the U.S. Government ought to do about
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2008
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -SENATE February 11
it admits to knowing about, but over the
question of whether the penetration Isn't a
good deal deeper than the U.S. Government
a4tmits. Maybe It Is; perhaps, also. U.S.
intelligence gathering needs jacking up.
But the public controversy over the accuracy
of specific intelligence data also risks die-
traction from the bigger Cuban problem.
And already It has provoked the adminis-
tration, the experts fear, Into dangerously
detailed rebuttal, Imperiling Intelligence
sources and resting the Government's pres-
tige and credibility far too heavily on Intel-
ligence data which by its nature is seldom
conclusive, sometimes erroneous, almost
always Imperfect--as well as astonishingly
accurate, detailed, and prescient at times.
Mr. ORUENING. Mr. President, be-
fore the morning hour is concluded, I ask
unanimous consent that I may address
the Senate for 15 minutes on three sub-
jects.
Mr. HUItPPHREY. Mr. President, 7
would like to exercise my right under
the morning hour.
M. COOPER,. Mr. President, will the
Senator yield for a moment so that I may
make a comment on the speech which
the Senator from Montana has made?
Mr. HUMPHi't-EY. I yield.
Mr. COOPEi. Mr. President, I would
first like to say I am glad to have heard
the statement made by the distinguished
majority leader. He Is not only a great
Senator, but I can say in the finest sense,
a great American. All of us, of both
parties, respect him. We have confidence
in what he says and does.
During the debate about Cuba, which
has been going on for a long time, I have
not spoken often. I have had no special
sources of information. But chiefly, I
have recogniz9d, as have all of us, that
the Cuban issue is a dangerous and deli-
cate situation-one which I have never
believed should become a partisan issue,
because It affects the security of our
country.
There has never been any 'question In
my mind but that the President of the
United States, In dealing with this dif-
Scult problem, has addressed himself to
it with the greatest ,diligence and with
the greatest concern for the Security and
best interests of our country.
Nevertheless, -I speak today on the
basis of my own study, because of my
continued concern about the Soviet base
in Cuba. It is the second statement I
have made on this subject, and I want to
speak with restraint.
Last year, when there were many calls
for invasion and blockade before the dis-
covery of the Soviet long-range missiles,
I pointed out in a speech in the Senate
that the Imposition of a blockade could
lead to a confrontation with Soviet Rus-
sia, which could lead to war; that it
could lead to nuclear war; and that those
who urged Invasion, or a blockade, and
presence of Soviet forces and arms in
Cuba is a matter of concern to this coun-
try, a concern which cannot be easily
allayed, and their presence could well
lead to a new crisis.
i think it correct-as the President and
Secretary McNamara have said publicly,
and as I understand Mr. McCone said in
committee-that the administration, be-
cause of its various and many sources
of intelligence, has the greatest capabil-
ity to secure and evaluate information
concerning Soviet military forces and
weapons. Nevertheless, because it has
been demonstrated that these appraisals
have not always been accurate in the
past, and because onsite inspection has
been refused by Cuba. It is not possible to
verify fully the judgment that additional
weapons, and even weapons of offensive
capacity, are not lodged in Cuba.
For myself, I wish to say that I ac-
ept the judgment ofthe administration
at this time, because of Its capacity to
secure and evaluate the many sources
of intelligence regarding Soviet strength
and weapons. Nevertheless, if future
developments should indicate a contin-
ued increase in Soviet forces or weapons
of any character, it Is inevitable that
concern in this country will continue
to mount.
If this occurs, I doubt very much that
the administration could allay this con-
cern by repetitions of the briefings by
Secretary McNamara and other adminis-
trative officials, valuable as they were.
In this respect I might say that I have
had access to the briefing given the Sen-
ate Foreign Relations Committee, and it
gave me the impression that Soviet
strength in Cuba had increased since last
;fan-though not in long-range capabil-
'Ities.
I agree that this Is a dangerous and
delicate situation which demands that
the greatest responsibility be exercised
by the Members of Congress of both par-
ties-for the President has the ultimate
responsibility. In whatever course he
takes, tie must have the support of Con-
gress and the people.
However. I point out that as a human
factor, if developments should indicate
that Soviet forces or weapons of any
kind continue to be introduced into
Cuba, it will be very difficult to expect
Members of Congress to refrain from
making such information available to
the public. It might be better if they
would make their information known to
the administration, and to the intelli-
gence agencies concerned. However. I
repeat that if Members of Congress be-
lieve their sources are valid. it will be
difficult for them not to make such In-
formation available to the public or to
expect that they will not make It
extent to carry out all the implications of I will not comment on the statements
such a choice. of every Member who has talked on this
We are thankful that last year when subject. However, I must say that I
the President made his decision-and it have listened to. what the senior Sena-
was
4vit ldrawal,,as, I believe, of the Soviet began this debate last fall, say anything
long-range missiles. I salue him for his other than with a constructive purpose.
courageous and correct decision. I have never heard him urge upon the
Nevertheless, I think we must now take administration any rash action.
Into- account the factthat the continuing I am glad that the President is now
urging Mr. Khrushchev to fulfill his
promise to remove Russian troops from
Cuba. Removal of the Soviet troops, in
my view, is the crucial issue to which
our policies should be directed. It is
hard to believe that if Soviet troops are
withdrawn, they would leave in the
hands of Castro weapons and missiles
capable of attacking the United States,
or any other country In this hemisphere.
Withdrawal of Soviet troops would be
the best evidence, the best proof, that
there are no missiles in Cuba capable of
seriously threatening our country, or
any other country in this hemisphere.
Conversely, if Soviet troops remain-
remembering the false assurances of Mr.
Khrushchev and Mr. Gromyko last
fall-the haunting uncertainty about
the presence of missiles at this time, or
their future introduction, will persist.
We support the President's policy of ob-
taining removal of the Soviet troops. I
believe it to be the crucial issue.
There has been much talk about the
Monroe Doctrine. In my judgment it
has already, been compromised. How-
ever, I think the United States has the
opportunity at this time to adopt a pol-
icy which will be effective-that,is, the
firm policy that it will not accept or tol-
erate a Russian base in Cuba or any-
where else in this hemisphere.
The President has valid grounds to
Insist upon the withdrawal of the Rus-
sian troops from Cuba, as well as mis-
siles, on the basis of Russian promises
made at the time of the crisis last year.
I have no doubt that the President will
pursue this policy by every diplomatic
means. We hope he will be successful.
I believe it is possible that he will be
successful.
But, in the event that diplomatic
measures do not suffice, the questior(will
still be before us, with all Its uncertain-
ties.
If Russia does not accede to the Pres-
ident's reasonable and proper request
for the withdrawal of troops, after such-
time as he believes reasonable, the Pres-
ident. supported by the Congress, should
take the same firm measures that he
took last fall, and impose a blockade.
Of course, the imposition of a block-
ade would bring again the risk of war.
I do not believe the Soviet Union would
risk a confrontation and nuclear war
on this issue. Rather, I believe such ac-
tion would establish the proposition that
we will not accept or tolerate a Rus-
sian base in Cuba. If successful, it would
be a policy which we can maintain for
the entire hemisphere.
Mr. JAVITS. Mr. President, will the
Senator yield?
Mr. COOPER. I yield.
Mr. JAVITS. I thank the Senator for
yielding to me. I should like to say to
him that I believe he is doing two things,
and I should like to associate myself, if
he will permit me to do so, with his
statement.
First, he is putting Into perspective
these debates and discussions about the
adequacy of the information, and the ?
extent to which the American people
were taken into confidence by the ad-
ministration on what information the
administration has or should have, and
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t at}5fen it to the issue What ought not call for a moratorium or a period of clarify the situation relating to our policy
A,~ t silence siniba All that I was in erect on Cuba. It is regrettable that follow-
~"KerYone agrees t is a serious master, asking or was constructive criticism, andy ing his full and complete statement, with
or he ~i the re dent an i s able would get to the sources in our nov ldispute and argument over the so-called
Cad ne . ernment which are charged with he task facts of Russian troops and Soviet arms
ecori Iy the senator from Kent_uc1 y of evaluating that information in Cuba.
is making clear to the President that As the -senator has "pointed out, I too Mr. President, it is , the duty of the
he feels the coantry would back him feel"thit the President has a grave re- President of the United States and Mein-
even do the xe n#xo luc pn o a guar sponsibility My mind goes back to last bers of Congress to give direct, frank,
aftine-l be1leve tt} the,wordd t e ,October 22t when the minority leader and and candid answers to the American
President used-and teat he Senator 1 were in.the C~illute House, anc when' people. I, forobelieve that the Presi-
Ya wog' uattn the presence of soviet what thie President proposed to cto? at dent is doing just that. I believe that
oi`anl unitsari use that word that time was laid: before us. the Secretary of Defense has done so
because I Piave It was a grim moment in the history and will continue to do so. I believe
Qrarized arivise
had Sp a e Brien wltli ie Armed of this country. We could have been that both the Secretary of State and the
teak engaged in anuclear war. I daresay
ft Director of Central Intelligence are being
ne till
` ls o
-
1
the leadership who candi an frank
is the um that every member of
.
$ l personnel
if thE
f~er who are spec a sts or`#eclimc ans was there at that time both Republic- As_the-majority leader has said to the
dispersed t o any a c e s , an an entire- ans and Democrats, felt that that was Senate today, we can help in the system
'
thing to speak of 1 i htjy far more than a bare possibility. When
ly different
or'ganizecj military units, which, the I returned home the people knew it.
Senator pointed out in the eyes of Most important of all, Mr. Khrushchev
the erlean people. would possess e knew it At that critical moment, the
d~~ty of some offensive military President made a decision on the basis
action.""T ~ of facts which had been evaluated over
fore isA susclstile, within the compass sibility always, not ours, except' A clear statement of our purpose and
id t
11
pet as the measure fitting the cause
a r p iication of the` proposal
~Z .I}~Iex sl cq ,I,,~~** what the
en~woulike to asst/-
VIA- wi the Senatorsbecause
ee etv a same way. That is
what ..sajd 9vex TV. but I am sure-I
- -did not-sa it as well
>tr C9Pi. 1Vlr. Psidept, I thank
fl"ia ~ana~nr '?f~o (+nn orn i i+
" domination upon Cuba. we nave as our
_ k x f ,shaft t ,merely for the purpose. se the
the Se has xliired achieving a little publicity Theycountry. and armaments Irom Cuba. xow tnat is
4r P l ask that max be comes first-always t?o far aswe are to be done can best be determined by the
pertYiitted fo_proceed for an additional 2 concerned Republicans and Demos
ection, the Senator fs reCp nizect for an I wish to compliment the distinguished
~idton Sealo Jrcm , 9 ~CsNSk'IELDa,,
l r ~ ress supported the majority Bader, and the distinthe 1'resjdo ~,S ,declaration t x e wpu d guished Senator from Kentucky [Mr,
takg sucl7~ps as he felt necesjary to CooiEa] union their statements tod
pr(s ct the sectitY of this country He relating to the Cubansituation. This
is pursum cfipyomatic means to sg uge Is-the kind off, 4iscitss to ,ate, de] to
tl e w dr ~ v e g is I be which lends dignit
to tlliieSenate
.
y
ijeve po c . which would rotect this The Senator from Kentucky Is- con
of information and intelligence by
making available to the executive officers
of the Government whatever information
we as Senators or .Representatives may
have. Then, if these officials fail to
follow up on such alleged facts, they
As the director of the CIA has
testified, all information relatm't the
security of the United States is given the
most meticulous scrutiny. All leads will
be checked out. Nothing will be swept
under the rug. This is a very sensitive
situation. The United States has com-
mitments all over the world. There are
trouble spots in many areas of the world
thatcanno#be ignored or forgotten." The
possibility of nuclear war is ever present.
anwlileii would _
t' 0- ltry, a clear sidered to, be 41x1e,o tl7ae . t,abl~ and Therefore our approach to these _rob-
9 mw , tl}is ~g iy in the lems must be carefully designed, taking
p611cy yis t `iat we do not accept or tolerate informed Members p
the existexc, o $usasia bhp in.Ctba, field , of, foreign policy. The majority all these factors into consideration, and
or aElyWhere
e se in the Western Ilenii- leerier off
must be handled in a most meticulous
the $ex ate J.- looked upon as
r
o
.
Sphere a scholar iii tjlis area, - ? hen.t ese_.tw2 i and prudent manner.
lIr latAi_#,. LD'rQtdent wilI ,able public servants speak as they did Second. We must have the objective
he Sena ?yield? today, it ought to be reassuring to the of restoring free government in Cuba
The P 4'FI
14ti., American people. through progressive programs of political
tr rQ ecy yield to the Senator
from ion lam'.-
Z yield
ite dstttlguished
Eena> f Qi, el}t c.-yL as always,. is
ost c i y l approach to the
d ties . ec.IiO'ounh9a>iQn,
hot only with respect _to domestc policy,
bizt also and most especially, in the field
of rein policy
i he SenrQfi z~tfk~' was on
the flQ at tl-e-- .ginning of my remarks,
lie may_have heardne~ythat I ciid
en a y.
me
I hope that if Members of ' Congress policy toward Cuba is needed, even
get any information from any source, I though I feel that that purpose and policy
they will see to it that it is brought to are generally well understood. First, we
the attention of the proper authorities, in the United States and in this Gov-ernmen because Mr. McCone told the 'ommittee Cuba ft rom have the as a policy the freedom of
on Pore gni a aT tions that every rumor, Cuba f present dictatorship of
every bit of evidence, which is brought to Fidel Castro and from occupation by
the attention of his Agency, is . sifted Soviet troops. We should make it clear
through thoroughly. to the world that Cuba is as much
Ing with my fellow citizens, I found them
worried, concerned, and confused over
the Cuban situation, because of the many
conflicting reports which come to their
attention through the news media. Of
course, these reports are the result of
statements by Members of Congress and
the executive branch. It was my hope
that the .statement of the Secretary of
Defense on the radio and television and
before the representatives of the press
duringthepast week. woulddo much_to
need the counsel, advice, and coopera-
tion of our Latin-American friends and
neighbors. President Kennedy journeys
to San Jose, Costa Rica,.for his-meeting
in late March with the presidents of the
Central American Republics. I am hope-
ful that high on the agenda of this im-
portant meeting will be a statement of
common policy on the part of the United
States with our Central American neigh-
bors and other Latin American neigh-
bors along the lines I have indicated to-
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -SENATE February 11
innocence. It has forms that capture
us unaware In gentle assaults, placing
something beautiful in our hearts for-
ever. Such was the greatness of Robert
Frost.
Now the sure voice that sang from the
strong hills of Vermont has been stilled,
but only for a moment, only out of re-
spect for the eternalness of death, for a
true poet's voice never dwindles away
into echoes, but rings clearly for all ages.
His fellow poets around the world loved
him ss one of the master singers, the
poet of strength and simplicity. And to
millions of Americans he was America's
greatest poet, a craggy-faced New Eng-
lander, who sang of his rugged country
In a way they had never heard before.
He published his first book of poems,
"A Boy's Will," while living with his wife
on a farm in England. He was 40 years
old then, and soon returned to America,
to publish volume after volume of poetry.
Thousands remember being enthralled by
his wry Yankee humor at his innumer-
able platform readings around the coun-
try. Honor after honor began to come
his way as his fame spread. He won the
Pulitzer Prize four times. And in Janu-
ary of 1961 he traveled from his farm
in Vermont to read one of his poems at
President Kennedy's inauguration, an
event which gave public acknowledge-
ment to his place as the first poet of the
land.
Let us mark with restraint the passing
of this man. Let us build him no monu-
ments. Can we add to those he has
built himself? Every schoolchild has
read them and felt them and had his
life enriched by them. Let us only re-
cord here one of his most beloved poems,
"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Eve-
ning," a poem which stands peculiarly
by itself as a fitting eulogy of Robert
Frost.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous con-
sent that the text of this poem be printed
at this point In the RECORD.
There being no objection, the poem was
o,ydered to be printed In the RECORD, as
follows;
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house 1s in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think It queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Betwcea the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
And miles to go before I sleep.
The American people will not be con-
tent until our objectives and purposes
are realized by a program of action.
There are many details that can be dis-
cussed at a later date.
It is imperative that rash charges
which cannot be substantiated by facts
do not find their way Into this Chamber
or Into the media of public information.
It is the solemn duty of every public
official In this country to speak with
caution and to use prudefit judgment and
extreme care when he discusses these
highly sensitive and dangerous situ-
ations.
Mr, GRUENING. Mr. President, will
the Senator from Minnesota yield for a
question?
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. HART
in the chair). Does the Senator from
Minnesota yield to the Senator from
Alaska?
Mr. HUMPHREY. I yield.
Mr. GRUENlNG. Does not the able
Senator from Minnesota believe that the
holding of the conference in Costa Rica
Is particularly appropriate, because of
the conspicuously democratic govern-
ment of that country?
Mr. HUMPHREY. I certainly do.
There is no area in which there is great-
er concern over the Communist regime
of Fidel Castro and its' effect upon
democratic institutions and Republics
throughout Latin America. The confer-
ence at San Jose can be a highly signif-
icant- one. It is in the right environ-
ment, with the right people, and under
the right auspices; and I hope that out
of that conference will come not only
another condemnation of Castroism, but
also a program of democratic action.
Many things can be done and should be
done. The economic noose can be tight-
ened around Cuba, The freedom fight-
ers within Cuba can be aided. Guerrilla
fighters can be trained. Subversion can
be combated. Many other things can be
done.
This Government, in cooperation with
other Latin American governments, has
Instituted and, has had underway for
some time a program to meet Commu-
nist st bversign in Latin America-by
training counteragents, by strengthen-
Ing the police forces, by the preparation
of counterpropaganda programs, and
by a host of other things. It Is necessary
that there be considerable expansion of
the many efforts which are being made
by our Government and by other gov-
ernments to check the movement of
Communist subversion and ultimately
to destroy the Communist penetration
1of this hemisphere. The American peo-
ple will be satisfied with nothing less.
TRIBUTE TO ROBERT FROST
Mr. HUMPHREY. Mr. President, only
recently the Nation suffered a tragic loss
in the death of one of Its great citizens
and great poets, Robert Frost. Today,
we should pause to honor the memory
of this beloved American poet.
The mantle of greatness has never
been limited to the athlete, the orator,
the soldier, the adventurer, the leader.
It has Its more quiet and unobtrusive
forms, its peaceful sunsets, and its child's
HOW FARES THE ALLIANCE FOR
PROGRESS?
Mr. GRUENINL3. Mr. President, re-
cently our able colleague, the senior
Senator from Oregon [Mr. MORSE], the
chairman of the Subcommittee on
American Republics Affairs, of the'Sen-
ate Foreign Relations Committee, de-
livered before the Women's National
Democratic Club an admirable summary
of the situation existing in the southern
portion of the Western Hemisphere. His
address was entitled "Basic Facts for an
Understanding of Latin America."
I ask unanimous consent that his
speech be printed in the RECORD at this
point in my remarks.
There being no objection, the speech
was ordered to be printed in the RECORD,
as follows:
BASIC FACTS FOE AN UNDERSTANDING OF LATIN
AMERICA
(Remarks of Senator WAYNE MORSE before
the Women's National Democratic Club,
Washington, D.C., January 23, 1963)
The first fact which is essential to an
understanding of Latin America is that
Latin America does not exist except as a
shorthand expression to describe a large geo-
graphic area lying generally to the south and
east of the Rio Grande River and the Florida
Straits. Included In this are 19 independent
republics, 1 Soviet satellite, 2 sovereign
members of the British Commonwealth, and
a congeries of British. French, Dutch; and
American territories In varying degrees of
self-government.
I shall limit my remarks tonight to the
19 Independent republics and to the 1 So-
viet satellite, bec?use these are the coun-
tries, stretching from Mexico to Argentina
on the continental land mass and including
the island countries of Cuba, Haiti, and
the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean,
which most people in the United States
mean when they speak of "Latin America."
But this all-inclusive term obscures the in-
dividual characteristics which make each of
the 20 countries unique. These unique
qualities are further obscured by the fact
that all 20 have a common religion, and
18 have a common language.
The truth Is that nowhere else in the
world, except on adjacent sides of the Iron
Curtain, does one and such startling dif-
ferences. Consider, for example, Argentina
and Bolivia, which have a common boundary.
Argentina is more than 90-percent white,
almost 90-percent literate, with a good in-
dustries base, afid-until its recent deterlora-
tion-a good infrastructure. Bolivia is, more
than 90-percent Indian, less than one-third
literate, with no significant Industry and
with the barest beginnings of Infrastructure.
Furthermore, almost two-thirds of the Bo-
livian people do not speak Spanish, but only
their ancient Indian language. The per
capita gross national product in Argentina
to something more than $400; in Bolivia,
It is substantially less than $100.
Now. I have admittedly taken,one of the
most extreme cases. Yet, except for the fact
that Argentina and Bolivia have a common
boundary, this is no more extreme than the
differences between, say. Venezuela and
Haiti; or between Uruguay and Paraguay.
And important differences can be found be-
tween any other pair of Latin American
countries.
It is a cardinal error ever to generalize
about Latin America except in the most
banal terms. I make this point as strongly
as possible to put you on your guard against
my generalizations which will follow. These
are, to a large extent unavoidable, because
although I modestly claim some renown for
the length of some of my speeches, even I
cannot do justice to 20 countries individ-
ually in a single speech. I will try to do
justice to them collectively, and I will try
to indicate the generalizations which are
subject to the most exceptions. But I warn
you again that little of what I say will be
applicable to all 20 countries, and none of
it will be applicable with equal force.
One of the keys to this diversity is found
In Latin America's geography. Most of the
,huge land area of Latin America provides
an inhospitable physical environment. It
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