The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.” GISBORNE, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 1948. UNEASY ATMOSPHERE IN LATIN AMERICA

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22612, 15 April 1948, Page 4

The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.” GISBORNE, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 1948. UNEASY ATMOSPHERE IN LATIN AMERICA

I'X Latin America a revolution in one or other of the Republics can apparently break out at any time. It may come from the Right or the Left—depending on the political composition of the Government party in office. Usually these upheavals are quite domestic in their scope. They are also brief, not too sanguinary and are settled in a manner sufficiently amicable to guarantee peace on the home front—for a year or two anyway, it is reported today, for instance, that in Costa Rica, which has staged two quick revolts, with less than the customary time off for a breather, both sides in the second affair have agreed to obey a ‘‘cease-fire” order and that a settlement is imminent. This is just as it should be. When a revolution lasts too long, a great many people on both sides are apt to get hurt. The affair in Colombia seems to have been somewhat more sinister in character than the usual run of rebellions in Latin America. Starting with the assassination of the Liberal leader, Dr. Gaitan, it developed into a campaign of violence and wrecking which proved most embarrassing to the Pan-American conference at Bogota. The Communists, stressing the good qualities of Dr. Gaitan, indignantly deny that they were responsible for his assassination. hut subsequent, events appear to have proved beyond all doubt that, whether or not the Liberal leader fell victim to a Communist assailant, the ensuing phase of the rebellion developed along lines usually associated with any trouble stirred up by international communism.

The American Secretary of State, Mr. Marshall, who is in a position to see for himself what is going on in Bogota, llatly accused international communism of inspiring the insurrection. The situation must not lie judged on a local basis; the occurrence went far beyond Colombia, be declared. 11c traced Ihe same pattern as the events which precipitated the strikes in France and Italy, and through which efforts are being made to prejudice the elections in Italy. Although it is now reported that the Colombian Government lias not actually broken off diplomatic -relations with Russia, the official regime has definitely blamed the Reds for the uprising. Certainly the actions of the Colombian Communists have been typical of what is going on in many countries throughout the world today. There is never any scruple about attempting the overthrow' of constitutionally elected governments. The lesson to be learned by democracies everywhere is that, although adherents of the Soviet system may not want a major war, they will never hesitate to foment a whole series of so-called minor wars, or civil wars, in the course of which they will themselves aspire to supreme political power. It has been proved that once they hold the reins of government they are exceptionally hard to shift. Certainly it cannot be done in the course of a conventional general election, the machinery for which no longer exists.