Education on EI Salvador

To the Editors of The Harvard Crimson:

On Monday, November 20, The Crimson ran two editorials about the Harvard Radcliffe Committee on Central America (COCA). John Thompson complained that COCA's abrasive tactics did a "disservice to a politically-torn country" by alienating and scaring students.

Alienation and fear are a miniscule price to pay for increased dialogue and enlightenment about U.S. policy in Central America. Our original plan had been to follow up on interest generated by the draft cards with a teach-in Friday afternoon. Educational forums such as teach-ins are consistent with COCA's objective of educating the Harvard community.

COCA's other main objective is to work with the people of Central America for social and political change. Thus, when we learned on Thursday of the slayings of six Jesuit priests by the U.S.-backed Salvadoran military, we postponed the teach-in. Although the draft cards were already sent, COCA felt it was more important to join in the nationwide effort to pressure Congress into calling for an immediate end to U.S. military aid to EI Salvador.

By late Friday night, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) had reversed his position supporting aid to the Salvadoran government. By midday Saturday, Boston Mayor Ray Flynn had joined in the call for an end to military aid and assisted outraged citizens in organizing a Sunday protest that drew 3000 people. Activists also raised more than $10,000 in emergency medical aid over the weekend.

By joining in the efforts to bring emergency medical relief to the people of EI Salvador and to pressure Congress, we accomplished more than we would have had we restricted our activity to the Harvard campus during this pivotal weekend.

Andrew Bates criticized COCA for what he sees as our blind eye to human rights abuse in Nicaragua. To in any way compare polling policy in Sandinista-led Nicaragua to the genocide enacted by ARENA-led EI Salvador shows unspeakable disrespect for human rights by making all offenses equal. Bates' piece also cheapens the lives of all Central Americans by submitting to the terms of a cold-war discourse (and along the way forgetting that while Soviet aid to Nicaragua began during Carter's presidency, so did U.S. aid to contras.)

Bates suggests that COCA's intent in sending the draft cards was to "generate hysteria" over a "highly improbable U.S. war in the region." For the record, The New York Times reported yesterday that U.S. pilots were flying night-time bombing missions over San Salvador. In addition, the 55 United States military advisors in EI Salvador are presently engaging in combat, and U.S. warships have moved to EI Salvador's coast.

COCA's true (and successful) intentions were to stimulate discussion over escalating U.S. involvement in EI Salvador. We invite the Harvard community to join us for further discussion today in our teach-in at 11 a.m. on the steps of Memorial Church. Harvard-Radcliffe Committee on Central America