25 JUNE 1954, Page 10

The Guatemalan War.

By GEORGE BRINSMEAD newspapers, in all of which they had acquired key positions. Thus President Arbenz—like his immediate predecessor, the schoolmaster Arevalo, who was the first president of the republic after Ubico—came to rely on Communist support and, in exchange, had to make concessions to the Communists. As a result of these developments the United States refused to supply arms and aircraft to Guatemala; Secretary of State Dulles energetically marshalled the majority of the delegates at the Inter-American Conference at Caracas in March to denounce Communist infiltration in Latin America; and when, a few weeks ago, it was learnt that Guatemala (having no other source of supply) was importing armaments from the Soviet Zone of Europe, Washington publicly announced that large quantities of military equipment were being flown immediately to Guatemala's two bitterest Central American rivals : Honduras and Nicaragua. It will not be forgotten that last week=s inva- sion of Guatemala by Colonel Armes was launched from Honduran territory.