Will Reagan move on Nicaragua?

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'Solidarity Underground: Free trade unionism Poland today' is a new pamphlet by Magda Zalewska, Henryk Gawinski, and John Taylor, published by the Polish Solidarity Campaign. 50p plus postage from PSC, 186 Avenue Road, IN THE euphoric aftermath of the whirlwind US invasion of Grenada, prominent Pentagon and State Department hawks are urging Reagan to go a major step further and "take out the Sandinistas" by military intervention in Nicaragua.

They point to the imminent deadline for the delivery to Nicaragua of a squadron of Soviet MIG fighters - badly needed to defend the country against US-financed air-strikes on key economic targets by counter-revolutionary mercenary forces from bases in Honduras and Costa Rica.

The "contras" have bombed airports, an oil refinery and other targets - and combined these air raids with sabotage raids on the ground planned and supervised by CIA operatives.

Disruption

The disruption of fuel and power supplies has wreaked havoc on the tottering Nicarguan economy - already hard hit by a US economic blockade.

But the purchase of MIGs that would enable the Sandinistas to defend their country against these attacks would be regarded by the Washington warmongers as "crossing a threshold"; it would provoke, according to State Department officials, "strong countermeasures"

The Sandinistas take these threats — which could refer to anything up to and including an all-out US invasion - extremely seriously.

According to US intelligence reports they are stockpiling arms in the hills in case an invasion makes it necessary to revert to another prolonged guerrilla wär to liberate Nicaragua once again from US proxy rule.

Plans

The American leaders barely attempt to conceal the extent to which they have planned and -as with Grenada - practiced the moves necessary to capture Managua and major airports.

Former Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Enders has told a Senate hearing that plans are established for military action against both Nicaragua and Cuba. By Harry lar support.

Any US invasion of Nicaragua would need the deployment of vast forces in a prolonged guerrilla struggle against the majority of the 2.5 million population - under conditions where the recent gains by FMLN guerrillas in El Salvador underline the problems of containing such a popular revolt.

Intervention into Nicaragua would also have the probable effect of regionalising the conflict - embroiling shaky Honduras and even Guatemala as well as El Salvador and Nicaragua itself. Reagan would be forced to face reelection year 1984 with a mounting death toll and a Vietnam-style open ended conflict of his own making on his doorstep.

If Reagan is restrained from implementing Pentagon game plans for invasion of Nicaragua it is more likely to be a result of such an assessment than from the influence of any serious political opposition from Democrats or union leaders in the USA.

Leaders of the predominantly pro-Democratic American AFL-CIO union confederation recently went on record not in defence of the Nicaraguan revolution against the threats from US imperialism, but simply London W3. condemning the Sandinists alleged abuse of 'human rig In advance of Reagan's sion of Grenada, these reactionary US "labour leac issued a statement on removal of Grenadian le Maurice Bishop.

•The AFL-CIO calls upar democratic goverments private institions of the civi world to take every pos action to castigate and cone the lawless military regime.

As for Reagan's fellow N imperialists, their views e for as little in the State De ment and the White Hous the overwhelming 108-9 vo the United Nations to conc the invasion of Grenada bigger vote than the conde tion of the Soviet invasio Afghanistan).

When it comes to Latin A ica and the Caribbean, Presidents have always felt to act without reference to imperialist "allies" when their actions threater whole of the world, as Kennedy's 1962 Cuban mis Only the building of ma: world-wide working class a tion in opposition to the i ialist offensive and a mass war movement in the USA restrain and defeat the W ington warmongers.

US hands off Nicaragua!

Troops out of Grenada!