(Democracy UmidleirgoDinig Acid Testt imi Veimeziuielo Uiofts
By JAMES R. WHELAN
United Press International
Caracas, Venezuela - (UPD -Late
on the night of Dec. 7,
1958, screaming and rioting
mobs teemed into Caracas.
They smashed windows, burn,
ed nouses, looted stores and,
for three days, clashed with
police.
The reason? Romulo Betan
court had just been elected
president of Venezuela.
From that time to this,
Communist "riot specialists"
and disgruntled troublemak
ers from losing parties - far
right or far left - have given
Romulo Bettancourt little
rest.
Today, all eyes are on Ven
ezuela, the buffer nation be
tween South America and the
explosive Caribbean.
If democracy succeeds here
- and continues to achieve
peaceful reform - it will serve
as an example for the rest of
the hemisphere.
Venezuela is now undergo
ing its ternest test - the bat
tle against phantom bombers
and clandestine rebels.
Former President Alberto
Llears Camargo of neighbor
ing Colombia summed up the
situation this way: "The pity
of Venezuela is that President
Betancourt must spend 18
hours a day just fending off
those who would overthrow
him, and that leaves him only
six hours a day to govern
the country."
That was two years ago
and President Betancourt has,
in fact, done a lot of govern
ing in between. But the ex
tremists - now almost exclu
sively of the far left - have
sharpened their claws.
Enemies Strike
At 9:20 a.m. on June 24,
1960, Betancourt s enemies
struck their most daring blow:
A bomb activated by micro
wave shattered a parked car
just as the presidential car
passed. The chief of the mili
tary household in the presi
dential place died in the blast,
as did a bystander. Betan
court lived, but his hands
and face will remain scarred
PP&L Economists
Attend Seminar
Pacific Power and Liihi
company's staff of Polly Pa
cific home economists have
completed a three-day sem
inar at Portland, reviewing the
company's home service ad
visory activities and hearing
details of the company's new
"Total Electric" promotional
program.
Home after concluding the
training session is Mrs. Geane
Kinsner, Medford, the Polly
Pacific representative for
PP&L's Copco division.
Conducting the sessions
were Frank Reis, PP&L s gen
eral sales manager, and J. W.
Mowrey, residential sales
manager.
The Portland seminar em
phasized the company's new
program for Medallion Home
indoor and outdoor lighting
the increased terms of the
wiring finance plan and the
company's greater emphasis
for electric space heating pro
motions.
for the rest of his life and
his hearing was permanently
impaired.
Investigation traced the
plot to Betancourt's then arch
enemy, Dominican Dictator
Rafael Leonidfis Trujillo.
Foreign ministers ot me
American republics met in
emergency session two months
later, and the economic and
diplomatic boycott they voted
was the beginning of the end
for Trujillo, victim of an as
sassination one year later.
By the end of 1961, it was
clear that the far left as a
political force capable of con
trolling the "masses" was fin
ished. Nowhere was that more
evident than during the De
cember, 1961, visit to Vene-,
zuela of President Kennedy, i
Welcome Kennedy
Instead of the rocks and '
riots that met Vice President ,
Richard Nixon 30 months be
fore, Kennedy was greeted by j
huge welcoming throngs. !
Early in 1962, the far left
resorted to terrorism and sub
version, though continuing to
operate freely on the polit
ical front. Their decline co
incided almost exactly with
the decline of Cuba's Fidel
Castro.
Sohortly before 3:30 p.m. on
the afternoon of Jan. 23,
1962 - the fourth anniversary
of the overthrow of Dictator
Marcos Perez Jiminez - a plas
tic bomb exploded in the sev
enth - floor bathroom of the
$2 million U.S. Embassy
building, only 50 feet from
the ambassador's office.
No one was hurt, but this
was the violent debut of an
organization known as "The
Armed Forces of National Lib
eration" (FALN), a Castro
patterned combination guer
rilla and terrorist force which
has since come to be known
as the "armed wing of the
Communists and MIR (a Marx
ist-line extreme left party).
In the next three days, am
bushes and hit - and - run at
tacks claimed 40 lives. They
went on to specialize in ar
son raids, chiefly on U.S. fac
tories. I
Youths Terrorize
The pattern: Youths armed
with machine guns and usu
ally including one or two
women surprise a nightwatch
man or small security force,
tie them up while they paint
slogans on the walls, then
spread gelatinous gasoline and
flee.
In October of last year, co
incidental with the Cuban cri
sis, the far left stepped up
its terrorist campaign. The
government retaliated by
rounding up an estimated 800
prisoners and airlifting them
to a prison colony in the jun
gles of eastern Venezuela.
In 1963, the FALN - who
claim to number 1,500 in all
of Venezuela, though the gov
ernment claims their number
is closer to 400 - concentrated
their fire on American prop
erty and spectacular stunts.
These included the hijacking
of a 6,00(r - ton tanker on
the eve of President Betan
court's trip to the U.S. in Feb
ruary and the theft a month
before of five French paint
ings worth $660,000. Both the
paintings and the ship were
recovered.
Danage Grows
Attacks on U.S. property
alone have caused damage
since the first of this year es
timated at almost $4 million.
None of the members of the
50.000 strong U.S. communi
ty in Venezuela - one of the
largest in the world - has
THE
DANMOORE
HOTEL
1217 SW Mormon St.
PORTLAND, OREGON
All transient gueiti. All those who
come, return. Rates not high, not
low. Free garage, new location Vs
block from hotel. Open until 10
P.m. TV's and radios. Reputation
tor cleanliness.
CHILDREN UNDER
SEVEN NO CHARGE
WOULD YOU PAY
$50 FOR A
HAIRCUT? LS',
3 i
i
Hollywood actors and Texas
millionaires do making Jay
Sebnng one the best-paid
cutups in his profession.
Don't miss the amusing pictureand-1ext
story of Hollywood's most famous barber
and his even more famous clients in the
AUGUST 4TH
Issue of
Family
W&Glcljr
with your copy ofe
Medford Mail Tribune
been physically hurt. But late
ly the attacks have had a
personal tack.
June 5, 10 youths armed
with machine guns and some
of them dressed in stolen Ven
ezuelan army officers' uni
forms tricked the guards at
the Spanish Colonial house
used by the U.S. Army mili
tary mission here.
Inside, they forced the four
Venezuelan guards, four U.S.
enlisted men and two U.S. of
ficers to strip to their under
wear and submit to a 40-min-ute
lecture on "Yankee Im
perialism." Before leaving, the assail
ants bayoneted a portrait ot
George Washington, trampled
a U.S. flag and hoisted a
FALN flag in its place. They
set fire to the building, leav
ing with the warning "The
next time we won't be kid
ding." Ten days later, four well
dressed youths armed with
machine guns invaded the
home of U.S. Embassy politi
cal counselor Edward T.
Long. Long was out, but the
invaders tied up Mrs. Long
and a maid before they ran
sacked the house.
As the Fourth of July ap
proached, authorities in Va
lencia - a booming industrial
area 70 miles southwest of Ca
racas - disclosed a bomb at
tempt against a U.S. indus
trialist. They also revealed
that families of American ex
ecutives of "blue chip" U.S.
firms had received threaten
ing telephone calls.
Shake Confidence
The objectives of the
Communists are apparent:
Shake investor confidence in
economic hardships, and sab
otage the presidential elec
tions of this fall.
The December elections will
mark the first time in Vene
zuelan history that one free
ly elected government turned
over power to a freely-elected
successor.
Venezuela is vital to the
West for political, strategic
the country, thereby creating and economic reasons. Presi
dent Kennedy recognized this
in the warm welcome he gave
Betancourt last February in
Washington.
"You are," Kennedy told
Betancourt, "a symbol of
what we want for our own
country and our sister Re
publics (of Latin America). It
is no accident that you and
your country have been mark
ed as the principal target in
Medford
Tribune
SECTION E
MEDFORD. OREGON. THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 1963 PAGES 1 to 8
their (Communist) efforts to
eliminate you, and all that
you stand for, and the prog
ress you represent . . ."
I VERSON'S
MEDFORD PAINT
WALLPAPER STORE
1st- in Quality
1st in Service
S1H Greet) Stamps
th I Holly Ph. 772-M21
You Can Count on Us... Quality Costs No More at Sears
Look for the Values in Every Department
It's Our
mi.
4 t t I tl
iilliiilil
3
- ii -
Open Tonight
Thursday 'Til 9 pm
Open Every
Monday and
Friday Nite
'Til 9 pm
Take The WILT
Out of Summer
3 DAYS ONLY
Wash 'n Wear Short Sleeve
Dress Shirts
o.tttl,
9
WW
Save $1.11 on each shirt ! Choose white
cotton pique or cotton broadcloth in white,
solid colors with Lynn collar. Choose white
cotton oxford with Lawton collar. Sizes 14-
l . bave ! 3ss
Give You More Mileage
These cotton double knits ere designed to give extra
feshion-go to your casual wardrobe. They're firmly
knit with a handsome pique-like texture . . . keep
their shape beautifully, never wrinkle. Machine wash
able . . . shrinkage controlled. In two high-octane col
ors . . . teal blue or mustard. Sizes 10-18.
w 1
S.
Drastic
Price Reductions on
Boys' Sweaters
VALUES TO 8.99
4p
Sears Low
Sale Price
Coat or slip-over styles
Orion acrylic, all wool and wool
blend yarns
Junior boys and
the assortment
prep sizes in
NO MONEY
DOWN
en Sears Revolving
Charge Account
An exciting array of warm, handsome
sweaters. Bulky knits, novelties . . . many
colors and styles. Many are washable and
quick-drying. All priced at a fraction of
what you'd expect to pay. Not all sizes
in all styles. Sizes S. M. I.
' Du Pon Reg. T.M.
FIRST TO SEARS...then to schoolliS
ASK ABOUT OUR LAY AWAY PLAN
Men's and Women's Cool Summer
SANDALS
3 Days Only
Reg. 3.99
99
Reg. 2.99
199
Air cooled comfort in popular strap
sandals, leather uppers, crepe soles
and heels.
I Sandal has the spirited youthful look that
will enhance your summer play clothes.
Cushioned insole, vinyl covered. Durable
composition sole. Flat heel.
,Vn
tr f4
1
CHARGE
IT
en Sears
Revolving Charge
O
CARDIGAN neatly edged in striped rib
knit trim. Wear it as a blouse or as an extra
layer.
5.99
SUM SKIRT carefully styled with waist-hugging
darts for a sleek fit. Seat lined.
4.99
V-NECK PULLOVER rides smoothly from
shoulder-line to hip-line. Ribbed knit stripes
at neckline, bottom.
3.99
CAPRI PANTS, lo3 and lean, fully lined in
cotton so they'll keep their smooth, sleek fit.
5.49
o
Shop at Sears and Save
Satisfaction Guaranteed or l&irloncy Back
S01 Medford Shopping Center
PHONE 773-6661
FREE PARKING
STORE HOURS
SAT,
9:30 A.M. te 5:30 P.M.
L TUEX.CWED., THURS
MON. FRI.
9:30 A.M. to 9 P.M.