The Latin American military establishment can be used as an effective force in the development of rural Latin America, an American military expert told a Harvard audience last night.

Speaking to the Latin American Association, George Cunha, Captain U.S.N. (Ret.) warned that "without the strengthening of the little man in South America, the Communist challenge will be extremely difficult to beat. The military in the various nations can be used for just that purpose."

Cunha, who served as a Counter-Insurgency Officer on the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff specializing in Latin America, went on to outline a plan of military training. "Some 35 American enlisted men and officers can be used to instruct over 500 foreign military personnel in civilian construction methods. Small groups of trained personnel can then tackle problems of irrigation, housing, and trasportation in rural districts."

Local Population Vital

The key to the program is the participation of the local population. Without the manpower supplied by the rural residents, the projects would be economically unfeasible. Cunha stressed the psychological value of participation as well. "The small man gains a sense of progress and ambition by lending his effort. Often road and irrigation projects will lead to the construction of a school or liaic."

Cunha discussed at length a program of this sort which the Department of Defense has sposored in Ecuador. The principal obstacle there has been not the recalcitrance of the military, but the apathy of the civilian population. To overcome this resistance, a series of films and booklets demonstrating the advantages of civilian-military cooperation are being distributed.