You Must Be from the State Department

Scan page 1

lic Bishops of Guatemala, a conservative body, earlier this year, estimated that as many as a million people had been displaced by the violence, out of a total population of 7.5 million. 200,000 people have fled the country as refugees.' Reagan proposes to restore US military aid to this terror regime. And, to be sure, it is difficult to see why Guatemala should be left out while the US pours arms and advisers into El Salvador and Honduras.

Honduras is the military lynchpin of US strategy in Central America. On its government an US official, quoted in Newsweek magazine of November 29, commented:

*Being called a tool of the CIA is not a good way to stay in power in Latin America, especially when the charges are true?

Honduran troops, rightwing Nicaraguan exiles, and US advisers have recently been conducting joint operations on the border with Nicaragua, aiming to destabilise the revolutionary Sandanista government there.

US television* reporters visiting the border area in Honduras have found camps of well-armed, wellequipped Nicaraguan counter - revolutionaries who referred to the big chief' - US ambassador John D Negroponte - for orders on how to deal with the reporters.

And in El Salvador the US continues to back the civil war conducted by a regime dominated by Roberto D'Aubuisson, a man described by a former US ambassador there as pathological killer"

Earlier on his tour, in Brazil, Reagan pressed the military regime there to join the war effort in Central America.

But against the millions in military aid there are millions of people in revolt. In El Salvador the FMLN guerillas have recently launched their biggest offensive yet. Whatever the complaints of the people of Nicaragua against the Sandinistas' resolve to keep the revolution in capitalist 514 local DHSS offices. receive correct payments on It was in support of de- time - or ever. mands for more, staff to Thousands of working handle the volume of work class families are appealing created by mass unemploy- against what is paid out to ment. them. In the West Midlands, The strike was most succ- 4,000 visits in connection essful in areas of mass unem- with claims have been abanployment. In the area round doned, and over 1500 claimGlasgow, over 90% of mem- ants are waiting to have their bers struck. The average appeals heard. turnout for the-whole of DHSS workers in Oxford Scotland, according to and Birmingham are on Stuart Maclennan, CPSA sec- strike for extra staff. Comtion executive member for promises put forward first Scotland, was between 85 Militant-dominated and 90 percent. CPSA section executive, and This turnout reflected then by the national executhe pressure on DHSS staff tive, have been totally of the vast numbers of claim- rejected. ants and unemployed trying Friday's strike was a first to survive under this Tory step ir spreading the dispute. regime. Now the CPSA and SCPS Between 1979 and 1982, leaderships face the chalthe number of staff has gone lenge of developing the down by 1500, and the num- struggle into an all-ou ber of those receiving supple- national strike. mentary allowances has gone up from 1.2 million to 2.2 MORE: PAGE 15

Scan page 2

Socialist Organiser no.112 December 9 1982 Page 2