‘A Matter of Balance’

The essays by Kissinger and Wayne Smith (“Seeing Red: U.S. Policy in Latin America,” Opinion, July 26) touch briefly on our biggest failing in foreign policy--management by crisis, coming in too late with too little. For decades, we looked the other way while Fulgencio Batista in Cuba and Somoza suppressed the democratic process, taking action only after the communists replaced them. Ignoring proposals from Latin democratic governments, like the Contadoras, we shove arms into the hands of Somoza’s ex-police chiefs and call them “freedom fighters.” They kill a few peasants, burn a few barns and set us up for our next crisis, the destabilization of Honduras, where contra base camps must operate in the absence of strong support by Nicaraguan people. No wonder Latin democrats distrust us. (Russian strategists must love us--we make their subversive strategy easier to carry out.)

Are we missing the big point in the Iran-contra hearings? Sure, Lt. Col. Oliver North is a fine field grade officer, capable of leading a charge up San Juan Hill. But Ollie has a problem. Neither his President or his Congress (in either party) has developed an effective long-range policy to encourage the development of democracy in Latin America. Until we develop one, all we’ll get is red herrings at home and disgust abroad.

ROBERT M. DANNENBAUM

Whittier