_ Embassy chief ‘advises’ on methods to ‘derail’ growth of ‘radical forces’

Letter revedls US interference in Trinidad -lobago

Special to the Tribune

PORT OF SPAIN — Hard evi-
dence of crass interference into the
internal affairs of Trinidad-
Tobago by the United States Em-

here was provided in a letter
issued by the Trinidad-Tobago
Peace Council March 31 and circu-
lated abroad.

In the letter, the TTPC points
Out that times are critical with an
election coming up and a govern-
Ment that has passed into law a
Constitution which no one has yet
Seen.

The TTPC letter also contained
4 startling piece of evidence — a
Copy of a letter sent one year earlier
to Prime Minister Eric Williams by

Robert G. Rich, Deputy Chief
Mission, United States Embassy.
We reprint it in full: -

* kK Ok
2nd March, 1975
Dear Prime Minister,
The rise of radical political and

g trade union forces in Trinidad has

€Nn a constant source of concern
to Embassy personnel, American

Usiness interests,-and doubtless -

to you too. The success of these
forces would be detrimental to
U.S. as well as Trinidad interests.

uch a success would have the
effect of

a. Replacing the PNM as the
Tuling party of Trinidad and

Obago.

b. Seriously affecting. U.S.A.

Usiness — perhaps even to the
level of nationalization.

¢. One spinoff of this would be
the rapid decline of U.S.A. in-

-Yestments thus effectively
€stroying the Trinidad
€conomy.

d. Undermining the traditional .

friendly relation between the
Overnment and peoples of the
-S.A. and Trinidad and Tobago.
f ©. “‘d’’ above will have the ef-
fect of cutting off immigration to:
the U.S.A thus creating greater
Unemployment problems in
Trinidad and Tobago.

We have had similar experi-
ences in the U.S.A and I thought
that you may wish to examine the
extent to which they are ap-
plicable to, or implementable in
Trinidad and Tobago.

You will recall that in the 50’s
and 60’s Black Power radicals,
‘‘Minutemen,’’ the Ku Klux
Klan (KKK) and other assorted
disaffected groups were making
deliberate efforts to under-
mine the Government of the
United States in an effort to sow
seeds of discord and generally to
tarnish the image of the Govern-
ment of the United States of
America in the eyes of the inter-
national community.

In the United States of America
we took a good hard and scientific
look at the situation and dis-
covered that these disaffected
elements were being uninten-
tionally assisted in their efforts by
the press — particularly the tele-
vision stations which often
feature ‘‘live and on the spot re-
ports’ of looting, violence and

other open violations of law and
order. Accordingly we took
measures to influence the com-
munications media to discontinue

the attention that they have been -

paying.to these radical and revo-
lutionary groups. The policy
came to be known as “‘benign

neglect.’ (An official U.S.A. re- -

port dealing comprehensively
with the steps that we found ap-
propriate in our situation has been
sent to you under separate cover.
I would appreciate it if this could
be kept strictly confidential.)
The Embassy of the U.S.A. has
undertaken an independent sur-
vey of the 1970 Black Power
Demonstrations in Trinidad (a
copy of which is enclosed) and as
you will see in the report, we have
found that the exposure provided
by the communications media
was an important aspect in the
developments of these protests.
My staff has been reflecting on
the growing strength and in-
fluence of the revolutionary and
socialist forces in Trinidad and

Tobago, particularly the United
Labour Front.

_ We have again come to the
conclusion that the communica-
tions media — particularly The
Express — has played an impor-
tant part in its growth, strength
and influence. As a result, there is
an ever-present threat that your

party and Government will be:

overthrown by the ULF and the
traditional friendly ‘relations be-
tween the Government and the
people of Trinidad and Tobago
and the Government and people
of the United States of America
would be subverted. .

Our information, received from
a most reliable source, indicates
that the ULF plans to follow up its
February 18th success with an il-
legal public march and demon-
stration that is intended to lead to
the overthrow of your Govern-
ment. We have faced similar
problems in the United States of
America and we have personnel
available on the ground as well as
at short notice who would assist

your Government and security
forces in dealing with this imme-
diate threat to law and order.

You will appreciate therefore
that it is in our mutual interest to
make every effort to derail the
growth and influence of the ULF
and other radical, revolutionary
and socialist forces in Trinidad:
and Tobago.

I would suggest the following
immediate measures.

1. The Government controlled
radio and television stations pro-
hibit the broadcast of the pictures
and voices of the leaders of the
ULF.

2. That official pressure be
brought on the press to severely

limit the exposure presently given

to the ULF.

As regards (2) above I would
suggest

a. that immediate steps be
taken to replace the present editor
of the Express;

b. that immediate steps be
taken to secure ownership of the
Trinidad Guardian by local in-
terests who would be more senti-
tive to the Trinidad political situa-
tion. tees

You would appreciate that
these are urgent matters. I would
welcome an early opportunity to
discuss these issues with you in
greater deatil.

Robert G. Rich

Deputy Chief Mission,
Embassy of the

United States of America.

exe *

The Trinidad-Tobago Peace
Council letter closes by pointing
out that the ‘‘public march’’ re-
ferred to in the U.S. Embassy letter
was subsequently broken up with
great brutality and bloodshed.

It also refers to other instances of
U.S. interference such as the gov-
ernment’s refusal to permit Cuban
aircraft to land in Trinidad on
their way to Angola last winter.

.~

‘The socialist state

By ALFRED DEWHURST

Last week’s column was devoted to
€ role of the state under capitalism.
IS Week’s column, drawing upon the
Xperience accumulated by the
Socialist countries, is devoted to the
Tole of the state under socialism. _
* OK Ok
The working class after assuming
Political power creates a new type of
State which accords with the needs of a
sciety building socialism. This new
“Ate rests on the political power of the
Working class supported by its democ-
Tatic allies. This power is a special form
Sf class alliance between the working
S and the numerous non-working
lass strata of working people, i.e.,
_ -Mall owners, farmers, self-employed,
tellectuals and so on, or the majority
Of these.
“his alliance is in reality the dictator-
of the proletariat. It is in Lenin’s
rds, ‘‘an alliance against capital, an
4 20ce aiming at the complete over-
W of capital, at the complete sup-
Pression of the resistance of the
, Utgeoisie and of any attempt on its
a at restoration, an alliance aiming at
ci, final establishment and consolida-
~°0 of socialism.”

Marxism-Leninism in Today’s World

** *

There exists a firm objective basis for
this alliance. All the working people are
profoundly concemed in liberation
from exploitation, in material security,
in the promotion of peace and friend-
ship among the nations. Only socialism
ensures such a prospect.

The mission of the working class and
the socialist state is to lead the working
masses to socialism with the aid of
democratic methods such as persua-
sion, encouragement, force of example
and organization. The masses cannot
be coerced into socialism, not-
withstanding capitalist. propaganda to
the contrary. The non-working class
stratas of the population must become
convinced by their own experience of
the necessity of the socialist

transformation.

This does not exclude measures of —

coercion against those that violate the
laws of the socialist state. But, here,
when coercion is necessary it is not

applied against any one class. It is
applied against individual offenders.
* *

The suppression of reactionary
capitalist resistance to the new socialist
order, the punishment and re-education
of anti-social elements, and the organi-
zation of defense require the establish-
ment of an appropriate administrative
apparatus, courts, army, police and or-
gans of state security.

However, there exists a vast differ-
ence between the organs of state coer-
cion under capitalism and those under

socialism. The army, police and courts

under socialism are of the people, in-
cluding the commanding and leading
posts. Their ideology is the ideology of
the working people — socialist. For in-
stance, judges and court assessors are
elected, may be recalled and are’ ac-
countable to the people. The courts en-
joy complete independence from
government.
* * *

The socialist state firmly repudiates

the capitalist state principle of bureauc-
ratic centralism, which is generally
hated by the working people. However,
it does not deny the need for contraliza-
tion because it is necessary for
socialized production. Without cen-
tralization there would be anarchy
which runs counter to the real needs of
socialist production relations.

The difference between the bureauc-
ratic centralism of the capitalist state
and the centralization of the socialist
state is that the latter is democratic.
Democratic centralism of the socialist
state means: administration of affairs
relating to the whole state by one center
and subordination of local bodies to this
center, coupled with election of ail or-
gans of power and their accountability
to the people, the participation of the
wide masses of working people into the
work of administration, and the grant-
ing of independence to local bodies.

The socialist state, expressing the
power of the working people, is based
on the principle of democratic cen-
tralism. All state bodies abide by that
principle — all rely on the working
people, maintain contact with them,
and are under their control.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 7, 1976—Page 7