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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 1982)
El Salvador^= left is mounting an intimidation campaign against the elections: Faribundo Marti Liberation Front (FMLN) posters in eastern El Salvador reportedly say. “Those who vote, we will kill," and Christian Democratic can didates have received letters telling them they’ve signed their "own death sentence ” Cocklin says the more acute problem would be it Duarte's junta was not holding elections. But, since he plans to hold them, “you have to start from there " The elections “will be a wa tershed,” says Taylor, who once taught at West Point “I don’t doubt the elections will have problems," he says, adding that he questions the wisdom of the United States pressuring Duarte to do what he doesn’t want to do — to par ticipate in a negotiated settlement (Duarte may fear a right-wing backlash or a military coup ) "What is the morality of «« fllfMnr ** JlffluQT oCloaranoa v Now in Progress »♦* Save on 100’s of extraordinary VALUES u Sun. I 2:00-5:00 57 V. Broadway Eugene Downtown „ oV that kind of position? What is its political viability?” "A mass slaughter wouldn’t put the revolutionaries in a very good light, would it?” adds Taylor. Green says it's ‘ a choice between a government that has elections and one that wouldn’t.” Klare couldn’t disagree more: "Anybody who thinks this is go ing to be a free election should be hospitalized in a mental hospital ” ‘Vietnam Two’ All of this talk — ’’defend against Communism,” ‘ pro gress in human rights,” “free elections” — sounds disturb ingly familiar to some people Sounds like Vietnam “I have to refrain from using expletives ” says Klare ’ There's a real chance we could get involved in another Vietnam.” U S involvement in 10% OFF Kenyan coffee Through February steamed bagels We are m the El Salvador is "akin to early U S involvement in Vietnam,” he says, adding that it s very likely there will be more infusion of advisors and — although months or years away — troops sent to El Salvador. John Lawrence, founder of the University Veterans As sociation and a former medic in the Vietnam war, says U S. policy in El Salvador has a similar "gradualism that took place in Vietnam ” El Salvador is “kinda like Reagan's Cuba — the old Monroe Doctrine com ing back" But he is quick to add "I can’t see a real heavy involvement" in the future In 1978, Lawrence says, the Joint Chiefs of Staff declared they were only com mitted to the Persian Gulf and West Germany And military equipment is now primarily geared for desert battles, he adds The future could see 1,500-2,000 U S military advi sors in El Salvador and the bombing of guerrilla bases, Lawrence says, but if troops are sent there, it would be a large number of troops sent for a short and intense conflict AUTO INSURANCE Low Monthly Rates Jerry Brown Ins. 1385 Oak 485-4010 SONY’S BEST WAY TO CABBY A TUNE. 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There are differences, how ever: El Salvador is a "much narrower geographic area" (Vietnam had a larger "rear area" for inviolate guerrilla bases): more significant stakes are involved because El Sal vador is "so much closer to the United States"; and the Amer ican people have a higher consciousness of the perils of foreign involvement Although Americans are "shy" about intervening in a foreign land, El Salvador is "very difficult to call," Shoup adds A great deal depends on how much the populace demands that Reagan support a negotiated settlement — which would "save a lot of bloodshed,” he says Cocklin says the critics are premature "I think it's a mistake at this stage of the game for people to say we re getting off into another Vietnam." "It could be a new Vietnam," says Taylor, "if this administration pursued it like Vietnam But I don't think there's any likelihood of that “ The secretary of state has had years to reflect on Southeast Asia, he says "So many lessons have been learned: I don't think there is any possibility of this being Vietnam Two." ‘Nobody is safe’ Another Vietnam or not — El Salvador is the crux tor Sal vadorans Miguel Perez, a University graduate student in educational psychology, is a Salvadoran A Catholic from a merchant's family in one of El Salvador s large cities It's been three years since he was in his homeland, but. by the thick stack of reading material he races through during an in terview, by his long gazes out the window to dwell on answers, by his reluctance to talk about relatives-friends-background, it is obvious For the past month the Amer ican media has called it a prob lem of East-West relations "The problem is not East-West rela tions," says Perez There are two major prob lems: "extreme inequality between components" of the economy and the “accute il legitimacy of the political order ” It is not a question of Communist influence “The reasons are economic and poli tical and are very specific to El Salvador.” Since 1931 there have been no free elections. "For all that period we have had military governments ” "For a long period of time there has been a small oligarchy that has dominated all the poli tical and economic panorama ” "Basically the army and the Tightest groups are almost the same.” It is not true that the government is in the middle Garcia the minister of defense, has the real power Duarte doesn t have real power he can't campaign anyplace be sides on television "The main problem is the ex treme inequality. This is why a solution must be economic and political; a military solution there wouldn't go to the root of the problem " The FMLN-FDR is composed of many students, educators, church people and profession als "The majority of the movement is not Marxist ” "There cannot be free elec tions because not all people are involved in the political process; if they decided to do so, they wouid immediately be killed " Duarte "has almost no power there" and will be removed through this election "This is a Tightest government — it will get more Tightest” after the elec tions "Most of the killings made by the army are civilians " There has been more than 30,000 killings since October 79 ‘ Most of the killings of the Sal vadoran people have not been in combat " Training troops in the United States is "a pretty overt inter vention in El Salvador I don't really think this will solve the situation there ” More military involvement by the United States will bring a more prolonged conflict The FMLN is willing to nego tiate, but "the army there, and U S government here, don't accept that." "I don't expect a lot of people will go to the elections ” Great Britian is the only country who will send observers to the elections; others don't see the election as viable "At times we could think everyone is supporting the junta; that s not true ” “The gospel is really directed to the poor people there — the majority It's against the gospel to avoid preaching these realities." "We all really want to have peace, but we won't have peace unless the basic structure that caused the problem is changed " U S administrations "never have recognized anything about the history of El Salvador, how inequalities have developed there ” As long as they don't recognize this, things will con tinue like they are "I think they may know, but they don't want to recognize that — I think they may fear they will appear they are wrong once again " A negotiated settlement is needed: it would include the restructuring of the government and the army, as well as "some form of land reform." In El Salvador "nobody can say he or she is safe " Perez says he doesn't know yet whether he'll go back to his country If it's not safe for Perez, how safe is it for Unde Sam? Back to the domino theory. The dominoes are stacked (Or are they?) And our old friend has some momentous deci sions ahead: Should he retire from dominoes competition? Or employ a risky “Vietnam Two" strategy to win the match in El Salvador and points north? Uncle Sam is like a lot of us — and we all hate to lose
