Some Comments on Puerto Rico's Situation Today
Reivich, Lois
(Lois recently spent several days in Puerto ico and was an unofficial ACLA delegate to the April 16th rally there). Sunday, Anril 16 marked the hundreth anniversary of Jose de Diego, a...
...Puerto Rico is an investor's paradise because it offers 1) a ten year tax exemption for new ccmranies, 2) a wrge rate which is one-third that on the mainland, and, 3) a relatively unorganized labor force...
...Thus, thile it is the U.S...
...armed forces invaded the island and then set up a colonial government to rule in 1900...
...The youth constitute the greatest number of Puerto ".icans and it is they wJho feel the greatest dissatisfaction...
...Senor Juan 1,ari Bras called upon the croird, which stood listening in the hot sun, to boycott the plebiscite this July 23, to oppose military conscription in the U.S...
...Actually, there has been very extensive infiltration of North American capital in every aspect of growth -- industry, commerce, and services...
...It was the largest demonstration of support for independence since April 1965 when some 70.000 people turned out at the funeral of Dr...
...Annual profits of the initial investment on the average run about 28...
...Pearly a third of the population (700,.000) receives surplus food from the U.S...
...the plebescite law as approved grants the right to vote to thousands of North Americans and other nonPuerto Rican residents in wIh:t should be a decision for Puerto ?icans...
...The call for this nlebescite which tns rushed through the local legislature in record tine under heavy pressure from Washington last December 23, 1966, is being opposed by the majority of the independence and statehood forces...
...Sunday, Anril 16 marked the hundreth anniversary of Jose de Diego, a Puerto Rican leader rwho iws in the forefront of the struggle for independence under the American protectorate (1898-1918...
...2) the process is controlled by the electoral machinery of the government so that a free choice without political and economic pressures on the electorate will be impossible...
...military action against any Latin Aerican country, Puerto Rico wJas used as a base of operations against the Dominican Republic in 1965...
...All of the area .round Vieoues is restricted and aircraft are instructed to keep within a certain distance of the island...
...Several years before the beginning of the Second World War, Puerto Rico became the seat of the ilitary Department of the Antilles and of the Tenth U.S...
...In the ast month the independence forces have tried to warn their fellow citizens that Puerto Rican mi neral wealth in the form of rich copper veins is about to be iven aay to tro of the world's largest mining cornanies -American Metals Climax, Inc...
...Ihat the independence forces seek is the right to self-deterrination which entails the transfer to Puerto `ico of the sovereignty it now lacks, Without any reservations from the authority of the United States Congresse The iiilitoxav One of the results of the Jones Act was the beginning of the drafting of Puerto .ican youth in the armed services...
...and only 20% Puerto Rican...
...It is the youth who are asked to die in Vietnam and who bear the brunt of the unemployment and other deprivations created in the developingg" economy...
...The Puerto Ricans ere ermitted to rite a local constitution subject to revision and amendment by the U.S...
...griculture has become so limited that most of the young people have migrated to the main island...
...The comulsory military service, in mcistence since 1917, is beginning to be strongly resented by ilide sections of the Puerto Rican people...
...companies and to escalate their efforts for independence in the coming months...
...Naval District...
...The law requiring Puerto Rican youth to serve is a test of the shalw foundation which defines the US.-Puerto Rican political relationships The Economy Puerto Rico is considered by protagonists of current U.S* foreign policy as the glowing example of an underdeveloped country executing a successful self-help program called "Operation Bootstrap," with integral US...
...Pedro Albizu Campos, te nationalist leader...
...The largest proportion of those marching were under thirty...
...19, 1967) that U.S...
...Forest Service in Puerto Rico...
...during the great depression...
...On Sept...
...Today, while the Puerto Ricans comprrise one per cent of the population of the United States, over 35% of the youth drafted by the Johnson administration are Puerto Rican...
...Xs they are not represented, neither are they taxed...
...It is still true that all laws passed by the U.S, Congress are in full forde in uerto Rico...
...tefter the first world 'r,r the Jones Act was enacted granting iTorth American citizenship to Puerto Ricans...
...This does not include drafted uerto icans who reside in the US, proper...
...operates no less than nine Liportant military bases...
...The MPI Mobilization The small group of observers frcn the United States who participated in the April 16 rally in Puerto Rico were impressed by the numbers of people who turned out on April 16...
...than they ould pay in other markets nd it sells goods exclusively to the U.So...
...It is with them that the hone for reshaping Puerto Ricots destiny lies...
...During the orean War, the only unit con nosed of Puerto Ricans was entirely iped out...
...It belies the government hone that this movement will not row...
...Cn April 19, 1,67, after to discussions, the question was tabled indefinitely, thus acquiescing to a US...
...army, to be vigilant against the exploitation of copper resources by U.S...
...There is very little that the "Associated State" is "Free" to do...
...Bestowed wuith a local legislature, the real pot:er was funneled through a presidentially appointed Governor and his executive council...
...Today, the US...
...It was the occasion for a march and rally called by the L.ovement for Puerto R.ican Indenendence which drew some 10-15,000 people from all parts of the island...
...There were two sugar mills on Vieques, hich have since been moved to Santo Domingo...
...Through the so-called "freed trade ith the United States, Puerto Rico pays ore for at least half the articles imported from the U.S...
...capital invested as 27% of the total investment, and erto Rican share irws 73, this has now been reversed...
...Unemloyment and public charity define the lives of a substantial proportion of the population...
...Behind the impressive figures of a new average annual family income of $2100, Herman iller ( Imparcial, larch 17-23, 1966) revealed that only one third of the families have incomes above the average...
...Department of Agriculture and some 446,466 eople receive assistance from the Public elfare Division...
...motion that the question of Puerto Rico not be discussed by the Special Committee of 24...
...The U.S...
...Plerto Rico began to be the "Gibraltar of the Caribbean...
...it did not, however, alter the administration of Puerto P.ican affairs by the executive council...
...under any circunstances...
...date back to 1898 when U.S...
...co-operation...
...Under this arrangement, Puerto icans still do not participate in any federal election...
...Whereas in 1929 U.S...
...Claridad, a Puerto Rican newspaper, recently reported (Feb...
...Some of the reasons for the canpaign for non-participation in the plebescite are: 1) it is anti-denocratic and includes a colonial formula -the present status-- for ratification...
...Congress in 1950, the '"Free Associated State" was created...
...The US Armed forces have become the largest landlord, controlling roads, hospitals, norts and airport facilities, weather stations, rwater.ays and other services...
...Every year thousands of marines and army paratroopers practice landing operations nd maneuvers...
...In January 1966, the Puerto Pican unemployment rate was up to 30% (according to H.C...
...Strategically located to serve as a base of operations for U.S...
...governnent's intent to make it seem as if the rlebescite is the solution to the political problem of Puerto Rico, such a vote is meaningless...
...Confirmation of this allegation was given by Lawrence Hill, of the U.S...
...He revealed that half of the reserve would be utilized for their maneuvers...
...It would be erroneous to suggest that these numbers represent more than a minority of the 2.6 million Puerto Ricans living on the island, but the demonstrations do indicate the otential strength of a nationalist sentiment...
...23, 1966 (the 98th Anniversary of the first proclamation of the Reublic of Puerto Eico), more than 700 Puerto Ricans signed a declaration affirming their refusal to serve in the armed forces of the U.S...
...and Kennecott Copper Corporation...
...military establishment maces use of human and natural resources for its owm ends The U.S...
...The United States government still exercises at will the right to expropriate land and the judiciel system is tied by U.S...
...hich night be sold for higher rices on the orld markets Even with the 1,100 manufacturing lants established under "Oneration Bootstrap," the poulation still cannot support itself...
...Cpngress...
...The case of Puerto Rico was brought before the Special Committee of 24 on Inplem entation of Declaration of Granting Independence in the United Nations to determine whether Puerto ?ico is or is not a self-governing territory...
...The growing monopolization is also accornnanied by inflation, affecting the rice of lnd housing, rent, clothing, transportation and food...
...armed forces for example, nake munilteral decisions about the use of Puerto Pican territory and now control 14% of the arable land in Puerto Rico...
...that the bottom fifth of the (continued on next page)NACLiA ersletter, April '67 -5 families survive on 2% of the national income ($400 a year), inile the top one fifth enjoy sixty per cent of the distributed income...
...As a model for development, it is of rime irinortance to examine closely . The Commonwealth government propaganda shows that the economy is the fastest growing in Latin Amer a, that the annual ross national product has reached 2.65 billion (topped onlylBrazil and Argentina) and that the per capita income has been raised from (;121 in 1940 to $900 in 19s5...
...district courts...
...Under Lav 600, IIACLA N'ewsletter, April '67 - 3 passed b the U.S...
...Green Berets have occupied (continued on next page)NACLA ewsletter, April '67 - 4 part of the rain forest preserve of Luouillo, Where they are being trained in counterinsurgency techniques against Latin American liberation movements as others have been trained for combat in Vietnam...
...The United States has expropriated 22,000 of the 33,000 acres of the island of Vieques, an integral part of i'uerto Rico, once Puerto Rico's largest cattle rising center and producer of a good part of the meat for the main Island...
...This July 23, a plebescite will be held in which the Puerto Rican electorate ,will be asked to chose among the alternatives of the resent ccrconwealth status", independence and statehood...
...Far from having achieved economic autonomy, the declared government policy has resulted in F1 concentration of Puerto Rico's wealth and control outside of the island...
...The Plebescite Puerto ?,ican ties to the U.S...
...One must add that close to one million Puerto Ricans have left Puerto Rico for the s lums of the American cities in the past two decades in search of employment opportunities...
...3) onlyr six months tire was allotted to inform the electorate of the alternatives...
...Today about 80%'of capital invested is U.S...
...Barton, Jr., Director of the Economic Council of Puerto Rico's House of epresentatives), 5% above unemployment level in the U.S...
Vol. 1 • April 1967 • No. 3
