‘Cuba: Run-Down Revolution’

Tad Szulc’s article (Opinion, Jan. 11), “Cuba: a Run-Down Revolution,” accurately describes President Reagan’s Central American policy as based on the belief that Nicaragua is a Marxist-Leninist state that aims to export revolution and communism, thus affecting the security of the United States; the President is concerned that Nicaragua will become a second Cuba. Szulc then goes on to say that this policy is based on ignorance of what has happened in Cuba, regarding which he purports to be an expert.

Unfortunately, the balance of his article does not bridge the gap between (accurate) premise and (ridiculous) conclusion. He talks only about the dismal failure of the Cuban “revolution” economically, politically and socially. While all of that is true (and is no surprise given identical economic and social fiascoes of every socialist government ever), it says nothing about whether Cuba has indeed tried to export its political system and foment revolution elsewhere in the world, notwithstanding its depressing domestic situation.

It is no surprise that Castro’s regime is a dismal failure by any objective standard. Its only success has been its ability to maintain itself in power through force and repression. Cuba has, however, began extremely active in aiding (even instigating) revolutionary forces elsewhere in Latin America and around the world--witness the present of thousands of Cuba troops in Angola, in an attempt to prop up the Marxist regime there.

Witness the millions of dollars of direct Soviet aid pouring into Havana. Witness the hundreds of millions of dollars of Soviet aid pouring into Managua.

Szulc simply ignores these outward-looking policies of the Castro regime, but nevertheless asserts that we should not be worried about Nicaragua following a similar path. Until he addresses Cuba’s revolutionary activism around the world, he has failed to address the actual premise of the Administration’s Latin American policies.

MARK W. SMITH

San Diego