Nicaragua and the Contras

Given the fact that it is U.S. government policy that is largely responsible for the present misery in Nicaragua, I hope that the two United States diplomats recently expelled from there had a few twinges of conscience as they listened to complaints about the hardships faced by Nicaraguan workers (“Nicaragua Orders Expulsion of 2 U.S. Envoys,” Part I, May 26).

Starting with the Reagan Administration, our government, through its surrogates, the Contras, has engaged in a war strategy known as low-intensity conflict, which with malice aforethought targets civilians and civilian institutions. The aim of the plan is to destroy the economic and social infrastructure of the selected nation, in this case Nicaragua, in order to strike at its political base.

So when U.S. officials meet with impoverished Nicaraguans to commiserate with them, they are crying crocodile tears and engaging in the lowest form of hypocrisy.

NORMA LITMAN

Whittier