U.S. ‘Ministry of Truth’ and History of Nicaragua

Readers of George Orwell’s satire, “1984,” will remember that Winston Smith worked in the Ministry of Truth where the only records of past events were continually altered to make history conform to the current party policy.

Today nearly the same effect can be obtained much more easily, provided that (a) the public has little interest in the record and (b) the party is able to swamp the media with propaganda supporting its current policy.

We saw a small example of this during the present congressional investigating committee hearings. Rep. Jim Courter (R-N.J.) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) both expressed hopes of “restoring democracy” in Nicaragua. Their remarks went unchallenged although Nicaragua had known only a 40-year dictatorship of the Somoza family following a 20-year occupation by foreign troops before the Sandinistas came to power eight years ago.

In fact Nicaragua has scarcely been a democracy, or even a truly independent nation after it became a separate country 150 years ago. Its presidents have been puppets approved by Washington. Attempts to select independents led to revolts by Benjamin Zeledon and by Augusto Cesar Sandino earlier this century.

The story really begins in 1850 with the California gold rush. About 23 million Americans then lived mostly east of the Mississippi, but were rapidly spilling into the West, much of which had just been gained after the war with Mexico.

The overland route to California was far too slow and dangerous for the gold seekers, who found Nicaragua offered the easiest route, especially after the New York shipping magnate, Cornelius Vanderbilt, established facilities to and across Nicaragua and then to San Francisco.

Since the San Juan River and Lake Nicaragua left only about 15 miles of land barrier to cut through, Nicaragua was the ideal place for an interoceanic canal. (The Panama route, chosen later for political reasons, is also nearly 500 miles longer between American ports.)

The British, who were also active in the Caribbean area then, were able to get the Americans to sign the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty providing that the two countries would share equal control of any canal affecting Nicaragua or Costa Rica. Those two countries, although vitally affected, were left out of the negotiations.

From that time on, the record shows that the United States has treated Nicaragua more like a colony than an independent nation, and that has led to the situation today.

There is much more to the story, but the details are available in any good library since Orwell’s Big Brother has not yet, fortunately, been able to set up a Ministry of Truth.

If there is any censorship it’s the self-censorship of those who will not take the time to check the record.

WENDELL W. NORRIS

Del Mar