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BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON GUATEMALA 1. In Guatemala, the party creed ta put into vigorous daily practice tt least one hundred top Guatemalan Communists, many of whom have trained in the Soviet Union, and have recognised stature as Communists. Tlrey form an integral part of the International Communist conspiracy. Behind these men are betweenndoyal Communist Party |i{ members who are available for the propaganda, agitation, and organization workommunist machine requires.
The vigor and efficiency of this Communist hard core far exceeds that of any other political for. i- now active ln Guatemala. Tbe Communists have great Influence with Guatemala's President, Jacobo ARBENZ Guaman, who by hla own testimony, relies on the Communists to put into effect what he labels his program of "social reform. " Three pro-Government political parties, leftist in tinge, are Indoctrinated with Communist views and more or less willingly follow tho Communist lead.
The influence of the Guatemalan Communists naturally does not stop at home. Guatemalan Communlat leaders were trained by International Communism, and they maintain close, disciplined liaison with the center of International Communism in Moscow.
Jose Manuel FORTUNY. the Secretary General of the Guatemalan Communisthich interestingly enough only calls itself the Partido Guatemalteco de Trabajo or Guatemalan laboriaited Moscow as
recently aa laat October and atayed for several weeka. Victor Manuel GUTIERREZ, the top figure on the Guatemalan labor acene,isciple and cloae aeiociate of Vincents LOMBARDO Toledana, tho top Communlit labor leader ln all South America. Guatemalan delegations can be found at virtually all the Communiat sponsored peace congreascs, labor congreasea, and other propagandiatic ralllea held behind the Iron Curtain.
role of the Guatemalan Communist in tha Kremlinnot limited to disclpleshlp alone. In their turn, the Guatemalanhave trained certainly doaens and probably hundreds of highlevel Communists from otber Central American and South Generally speaking,ommuniatentralget* into difficulties at home, he can findublic post of major responsibility in Guatemala. InGuatemalan Government and Communiat Party appear onto have financed or subsidised Communist propagandain countries that neighbor on theirs. Laat, but far fromrumors will not die down that Guatemalans areeading partorganisation, training, and equipmentelatively formidableLegion which could one day be uaed to perform the military tasks
of international Communism anywhere in the Western Hemisphere.
in all, then, Guatemala loomsormidableand cancer in the Americas.
It lt essentialear In mind, however, that no matter what the Communiata may claim, thla minority doe* not really apring from the Ouatemalan people bat constats chiefly of people who canood Marxist line about tbe "plight of the peasant" or the "plight of tba laborer" bat have themselves had relatively little experience ln tilling the soil or working ln the factory. Finally, the Guatemalan Communists are notative language,oviet one, and from what we know of the national pride and dignity of the Latin American people, it is hard to believe that they willsubmit to domination and exploitationlavic power five thousand miles away.
Guatemala in the long pastlorious civilisationrilliant culture. The magnificent monuments of pre-Spanish and Spanish times give thetriking Impression of what crsatlve resources may lie within the capacity of the Guatemalan people. These resources are surely so great that the shoddy materialistic philosophy of Communism can never satisfy the Guatemalan people. What Is more, the Guatemalan people are Intensely religious, and there Is every probability that their Christian convictions will lead them to disown Marxism-Atheism the more they see its true implications.
9* As is elsewhere the case with Communist-dominated countries. It vAS be wise for Americans to keep ln mind the clear distinction between the com-muniting government of Guatemala and the Guatemalan people themselves. Americans can have nothing ln common with Communists, but they have every reason, during these days of trial for the Guatemalan people, to reaffirm, to
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