As the Reagan administration continues to lavish economic and military aid on the Salvadorean junta, the domestic costs of U.S. support are beginning to be felt at home. Fear of another Vietnam has led thousands to oppose U.S. in- tervention in Central America. The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) has mushroomed to 50 chapters na- tionwide with many more in forma- tion. Teach-ins, film showings, and demonstrations focusing on the crisis in Central America are becoming regular events from coast to coast. Congresspeople have been inundated with mail op- posing U.S. intervention in El Salvador. NACLA is proud to have con- tributed to this growing opposition movement. Long before the crisis in El Salvador became an every- day focus in the U.S. press, MarlApr 1981 NACLA had published two issues providing historical background to the current conflict and analyses of U.S. policy and developments within the Salvadorean left. These issues have been valuable resources for individuals and solidarity groups, as record sales indicate. Our March-April and July- August 1980 issues, “El Salva- dor-Why Revolution?” and “El Salvador-A Revolution Brews,” are now in their third printing! Our entire May-June 1981 issue will again focus on Central America, with an update on El Salvador and emphasis on the regional scope of the conflict. NACLA On The Air Up until now, NACLA’s access to the mass media had been large- ly limited to appearances on the local, listener-sponsored radio sta- tion, WBAI. But with the upsurge of interest in El Salvador, NACLA staffers have been invited to ap- pear on radio and television sta- tions throughout the coun- try-from National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” to WTTG- TV “Metromedia Washington” and Ted Turner’s Cable Network News. A radio show on Phila- delphia’s WUHY-FM pitted Robert Armstrong of NACLA against former CIA staff member William P. Kintner in a heated debate. Kint- ner is presently the president of the Foreign Policy Research In- stitute, a right-wing think tank, and an editor of Orbis magazine. … And On The Lecture Circuit During this same period, re- quests to have NACLA staff members Janet Shenk and Robert Armstrong speak to student, com- munity, church and human rights organizations have kept our office phones ringing. In February, Robert Armstrong addressed the Permanent Peoples Tribunal’s session on El Salvador in Mexico City. Founded in 1979, the Tribunal is a successor to the Russell Tribunals on Vietnam and Latin America. In March, at the in- vitation of the Tucson Committee on Human Rights, Bob travelled to Tuscon, Arizona, where he spoke to an overflow crowd at the University of Arizona and met with church and human rights activists to discuss ways of organizing solidarity work in their com- munities. Reagan and Haig say “draw the line” in El Salvador. We agree-draw the line against U.S. intervention and support for repressive governments. Make it “a test of our resolve” to support movements for revolutionary change in Central America. NACLA will keep doing its part. Won’t you join in these efforts. Contact the Committee in Solidari- ty With the People of El Salvador, P.O. Box 12056, Washington, D.C. 20005. Their phone number is (202) 887-5019. They’ll be happy to put you in touch with a chapter near you. 43
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