U.S. Influence in Haiti

Don’t shed any tears over the “overthrow” of Haiti’s illegal president (“It’s Sad,” editorial, June 27). Leslie Manigat was and remains an opportunist.

In the early morning hours of Feb. 7, 1986, when the U.S. Air Force was loading dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier and several associates aboard a cargo plane, there was much hope that the dictatorship would indeed collapse. Unfortunately for the Haitian people,the Reagan Administration, ledby Secretary of State George Shultz and Elliott Abrams, assistant secretary of state for Latin American affairs, decided its narrow interests would best be served by a continuation of the dictatorship.

So in the weeks leading up to Duvalier’s departure and at numerous critical periods since Feb. 7, 1986, the United States government has thrown its support behind the generals. Hundreds of Haitians have paid for this support with their lives over the past two years. Many more will die at the hands of an army trained and armed by the United States.

With Manigat’s ouster, we see reaffirmed support for the Duvalierist generals who are, in the United States government’s eyes, the only ones capable of “governing” the Haitian people--a people who spontaneously and without weapons were almost successful in ending decades of ruthless oppression.

So don’t waste any tears over Manigat, he is not worth it. Not too much has changed recently in Haiti. Instead let us focus our attention on U.S. activities in Haiti, past and present.

The U.S. presence has been overwhelming for many years. The army and the Ton Ton Macoutes know all too well that the United States government supports their continued domination of the Haitian people.

Until this support is completely withdrawn, there is no hope that anything will change, civilian facade or not.

NIELS FRENZEN

Los Angeles