Opposition, Three Styles

The Cuban melodrama thickened last week. Still below the Cuban horizon was the new U. S. Ambassador, cool, erect, young Sumner Welles. In Havana Dictator Gerardo Machado was already stuffing his ears against Mr. Welles's expected suggestions that he reform, resign or allow new Presidential elections. Most Cubans waited for some U. S. action to quench Terror in Cuba. Over Oriente Province at the wild eastern end of Cuba, pea-soup fog rolled in from the sea.

Hidden by the fog several score brown men crept up on the Rural Guard post at San Luis while the guardsmen were grooming their horses. In a quick rush they disarmed the soldiers, killed two, horsed and armed themselves. Soon from nearby Palma Soriano galloped government troops, chased the rebels into the hills. At Victoria de las Tunas other rebels raided the municipal courthouse and seized a collection of old revolvers and machetes the police had taken as evidence. News of Oriente Province's little rebellion crackled through Cuba. Many an oppositionist locked his door and cleaned his guns. In Camaguey Province a well-mounted company of rebels came out of hiding and rode again, burning & pillaging. In Santa Clara Province other impromptu bands took a few shots at Rural Guardsmen at Yaguajay. A spasm ran through Cuba, as through a man in a straitjacket.

Dictator Machado could see, of course, what an unfortunate impression all this would make on Ambassador Welles. He posted troops and planes off to the restive eastern provinces, called back all army & navy officers on leave. Then he assumed a hurt expression. Had he not encouraged the formation of an official Opposition last week?

Its name was the National Renovation Party. Its purpose: to create "an instrument for open and energetic opposition wherein all Cubans convinced of the errors and the grave faults committed by the present administration, that of President Gerardo Machado, may be grouped." Its organizer was General Ernesto Asbert.

Sincere organizers of such a party would have cast up glazed eyes from ditches within 24 hours. Not so Organizer Asbert. Twenty years ago the Havana chief of police irritated him by trying to close his gambling casino. The chief of police was riding with his family when Asbert spied him on Havana's Prado and opened fire. To save his family the chief of police leaped into the clear where Asbert slaughtered him. Asbert was never jailed but his reputation was thereafter too rank to let him run for office. He became a Machado superthug. In 1931 Machado first decided a trained opposition would be nice. He told General Asbert to start one, try to entice a few real oppositionists. This flytrap fooled no one. Last week Asbert's second try briefly gulled U. S. newspapers, gulled Cubans not at all.

Last week in Manhattan the Junta of Cuban exiles disowned Asbert's Opposition. They disowned, too, last week's rebel spasm as "simply spontaneous uprisings of a desperate people." In Miami the con- centration camps of trained Cuban revolutionaries were still full last week. Doubtless they would be the last to move in a general uprising, to avoid giving warning to Machado spies.

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