Anti-fascist unity growing as
oth year of Chile coup marked —

Bureau Member, Soviet Cttee.
Solidarity with Chilean
Democrats

The military-fascist putsch in |

Santiago was staged five years
ago, as though derisively, on the
eve of Independence Day tradi-
tionally celebrated by the Chilean
people on Sept. 18. One hundred
and sixty years ago the Chilean
people put an end to the nearly
three-century-old Spanish colo-
nial oppression. Chilean patriots
paid dearly for the political inde-
pendence of their land.

During the entire period of col-
onial rule, the narrow strip of land
between the Pacific Ocean and
the snow-capped cordilleras cal-
led a “‘land of crazy geography”
was shaken by people’s uprisings,
rebellions and wars. It is precisely
this mass people’s liberation
struggle which ensured the vic-
tory of the Chilean people.

Events of that remote past exp-
lain the specific features of Chile’s
subsequent history:and hold out
optimistic prospects.

The acme of Chile’s social
development was the victory of
the bloc of Popular Unity parties
at the end of 1970. That bloc was
based on the combat alliance of
communists and socialists — a
unique phenomenon in the social
life of Latin America and the
whole world. In the 1970s Chile
became a revolutionary vanguard
of South America, Achilles’s heel
of imperialism’s continental
strategy.

i Deep-going Reforms

- The experience of the glorious
three-year period of the activity of
the Popular Unity government is
of intransient historic impor-
tance. Not a single other govern-
ment in the history of Chile has
carried out such deep-going so-
cial, economic and political re-
forms in the interests of the broad
popular masses within such a
short time.

The reactionary opposition and
the military would never have run
the risk of- staging a coup, had
they not been supported by ex-
ternal imperialist forces. Im-
perialism’s whole arsenal —
monopoly capital, the military,
sabotage and intelligence agen-
cies, diplomacy and methods of
*“*psychological warfare’’ were
used to topple the constitutional
government led by Salvador Al-
lénde. The great Pablo Neruda
aptly called the Chile of -that
period a “quiet Vietnam’.

The military-fascist junta
liquidated all the democratic in-
stitutions and repealed all the
laws adopted in Chile for 155
years of its independent
development. During the first
year of the junta’s rule, more than
30,000 people were killed, tens of
thousands were thrown into the
inferno of Pinochet's jails and
concentration camps.

The bitter experience of Chi-
lean history of the last few years
dispelled one of the most vicious
anti-communist myths. For many
decades imperialism and internal
reaction harped on the theme that
if left-wing political parties,
primarily communists, came to
power, democracy would end.

However, the Popular Unity
government ensured the broadest
democratic freedoms, including,
unfortunately, also for the right-
wing opposition which incited the
military into mutiny.

Faced with a deep and irrever-

sible crisis of tyrannical power -

and growing international isola-
tion of the regime, the junta is try-
ing to create the semblance of
the ‘“‘liberalization’’ of fascism
and to advertize its notorious
‘amnesty’. But what .kind of
amnesty is it, when the fate of
2,500 ‘‘missing persons”’ is un-
known; when ‘‘admitted’’ politi-
cal prisoners continue to be jailed,
when arrests and tortures con-
tinue?

The version of the beneficial
influence of the U.S. government
on the process of the sham
liberalization of the fascist regime
is no less false.

For instance, the New York
Times recently claimed that the
military government of Chile is
beginning to show more respect
for human rights after four years
of widespread repressions due
mainly to pressure from the Car-
ter administration. But the same
paper blushingly admits that the
powerful secret police continues
to stand above the law and to act
as a private political army of
deterrence, loyal only to
Pinochet.

U.S. Aid to Pinochet

Since the fascist takeover, U.S.
economic. assistance to the junta
has been worth more than
$2000-million. Last year alone,
U.S. military aid to the junta
reached about $60-million.

World public opinion demands
a full and consistent trade,
economic, financial and diploma-
tic boycott of the fascist junta. In
this connection the shameful pol-
icy of the Chinese leaders, who
side with the fascist regime in all
spheres, attracts general atten-
tion. Suffice it to say, that since
the fascist coup, trade between
China and Chile has increased by
more than eight times and San-
tiago and Peking have established
military cooperation. A -forth-
coming visit of the Chilean
Foreign Minister to Peking has
been announced.

The Soviet people, the peoples
of the socialist countries, and all
progressive mankind strongly
condemned: the fascist military
coup and the policy of terror, vio-
lence and gross violation of basic
human rights and freedoms,

which followed. The Soviet —

Union severed all relations with
the usurpers of power who ele-
vated mass killings and terror to
the rank of state policy.

Anti-Fascist Unity
The 32nd Session of the UN.

General Assembly censured the .

fascist regime in Chile by the
votes of nearly a hundred states.
The unity of all anti-fascist and
non-fascist forces is now growing
stronger in Chile. The tension of
the mass struggle was vividly
manifested during the hunger
strike held in mid-1977 by the rela-
tives of the political prisoners
who had _ ‘‘disappeared’’, in the
course of major strikes at the large
copper mines and of other actions
taken by the working people.
Today; as never before, the
Chilean people recall the passion-
ate appeal of Salvador Allende
made from the La Moneda
palace, enveloped in flames, sev-
eral hours before his heroic death:
‘‘neither force, nor crime can stop
social process. History belongs to
us and it is made by the people’’.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPTEMBER 22, 1978—Page 8

. The Armenian

The longest-standing and
bloodiest dictatorship in all Latin
America, the Somoza dynasty in
Nicaragua, is now tottering. Its
present leader, Anastasio Somo-
za, who once said with the pride
of a professional torturer: ‘‘Give
me any man, make him take off
his shoes, and I shall make him
talk with only one box of
matches’’, is a spiritual predeces-
sor and brother of another
butcher, Pinochet: It is beyond

for both of them.

7 ae

Since the coup in 1973 world wide public opinion has been dire je
doubt that the same end isin store against the junta. Photo shows a demonstration in New York ins P

tember 1977.

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Armenia, 60 years of progress

Before the 1917 revolution Armenia had to import sewing needles. Today it boasts developed metall

By DOREEN PLOWMAN

chemical, electronics, machinery and computer industries.

For our delegation, the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic was an outstanding example of what socialism‘ v
achieve. For in this mountainous, rocky land with an illiteracy rate of 97% in 1917, there now exists an indus”
and agriculture which exports 180 products to more than 70 countries.

The country’s production. of
hydro electric power has in-
creased from 5 kilowatts in 1913

“to 10.5 billion kilowatts in 1977.

They now surpass Iran, Turkey,
France and Italy in the production
of energy on a per capita basis.

Investments in development in
the last 35 years were 13 billion
roubles, while investments in
development in this 5 year plan
(1975-1980) will be 5 billion alone.
In comparison to 1940, their food
and light industry output has in-
creased 19 times. Carpets, shoes
and cognac are very popular and
Armenian wines, mineral waters
and juices are famous. .

Some 40,000 tourists from out-
side the Soviet Union visited Ar-
menia in 1977.

The population of Armenia is
three million. One million live in
the capital Yerevan which, in
1920, had a population of only
30,000.

The construction crane should
be the symbol of the Soviet
Union. In Moscow, Kiev and
Armenia, it was to be seen
everywhere. In the last 10 years,
housing conditions have been im-
proved for 1.5 million Armenians.
Since 1913 the number of hospital
beds has increased 47 times.

As for the field of education,
children in Armenia, as in all of
the Soviet Union, start school at
the age of seven. All primary
schools take in grades 1 to 10. In
Yerevan, we visited one of the
1,600 such schools. _

We were fortunate to be pre-
sent when one school held its
graduation ceremony and to wit-
ness the traditional ‘‘Last Bell’’
ceremony which is carried out in

Ses LANE ae ae

Soviet Socialist Republic is one

all schools in the Soviet Union.
This is a.ceremony where, after
the last school bell is rung, the
graduating grade 10 students
march in, each holding by the
hand one of next season’s grade 1
students. We found this a moving
and delightful~experience. This
was followed by a program of
songs and skits, performed before
all the students, teachers and
guests by some of the graduating
students.

Armenia has 13 institutes of
higher education and 63 technical
and vocational schools. They
have their own Academy of Sci-
ences with more than 100 re-
search institutes in the republic.
In the last 30 years the number of
specialists in various fields has in-
creased 10 times. Every third per-
son in Armenia is studying at
some kind of a course.

We also visited the regional
centre of Artashatz, 25 kilometres
from Yerevan, which has a popu-

lation of 20,000, while the entire ~
region has a population of 80,000."

There are 32 collective farms and
10 state farms in this region and it
is one of the most advanced areas
in the republic. These farms pro-
duce grapes, meat, wool, dairy
products, vegetables and fruit.
The main industries in this region
are canning and wine production.

Members of collective farms
are given small pieces of land on
which they grow products which
they later can sell at public mar-
kets. Land can be inherited to be
worked but not owned. They may
own their own homes, garages
and cars.

While in Armenia, we met with
the First Deputy Minister (an

Yerevan is a modern city despite its age of 2,760 years.

“dedicated to the Armenians W

- Peace Congress. in May, 19783"

‘ Armenia,” she writes, “and si

of the smallest of the 15 republics in the

elected position) of the Council?
Ministers of Armenia — a W®
man. She told us they are work!
to make it possible for womel®
be relieved more and more if
domestic chores. They are &
deavoring’to build more creci¥ —
and kindergartens because at ph
sent there are places in such ¢
centres for 30% of the childretl
Armenia, in comparison with 4” —
in the whole of the Soviet Unio
While travelling we saw mat
new cities with beautiful n°
apartment buildings. In
areas we visited we were ©
there had only been non-
land with only rocks and stone*
Now there was lush green gras”
trees, shrubs and flowers. Img
tion is very widely used. One sue

(the Young Communist League)
Here.there is now a very imp
sive and beautiful memorial calle
the ‘‘Monument of Genocide

were massacred during the ma
invasions of Armenia. |

Everywhere we travelled ¥
felt the pride of the Armenid!
people in their accomplishme®™
and we shared their pride. |

Doreen Plowmanis Chairmen!
the Manitoba Peace Council and?
vice president of the Canadié!

travelled with a women’s deleg®
tion to the USSR. “Since our oe
gation was very much impres*"
by the advances made in sociallé

oh
Canadians know so little about tht
country, | thought it would be si
interest to pass along what we
learned.

ee

USSR. Its capil

~