Does Fuentes see Mexico's massive oil supply--which now totals a yearly income of $15 billion from exploration--as a possible tool to further the ideals of the Mexican Revolution, to create a more egalitarian and developed society? The writer sighs. It's clearly a question that's been asked before. The only way, he asserts, would be to limit exploration and exploitation.

"So far the government has kept a low ceiling on both. It has to--if a false step were taken in exporting too much oil or if there were the sense that decisions were being made outside Mexico, there would be strikes, student demonstrations, and many other disagreeable things."

He continues, "Mexico can digest just so many petrodollars. And in an inflationary world, what can you do with them? Buy hotel chains in the U.S., spas in Florida?

You could reinvest them back into the Mexican economy, I suggest. Right, he affirms.

"But you have to export oil in the quantity that you can absorb in order to produce changes within the country--to create new jobs and solve the gigantic problems of overpopulation, agricultural disaster, worker's immigration to the U.S. and unemployment."

Fuents believes that his country's vast oil supplies increase its bargaining powers, and can eventually reduce dependency on the United States, with which Mexico now conducts about two-thirds of its trade. Although Mexico exports 60 percent of its oil to the United States. Fuentes states, the figure has fallen from 80 percent. In addition, Mexico is increasingly diversifying its oil exports to other countries, expecially Israel, France, and Spain.

Another way to break dependency on the United States, Fuentes believes, is to further develop relations with other Third World nations by diversifying trade and developing greater political ties. Such efforts began with the last president, Luis Echeverria, and have been intensified under current President Lopez Portillo. Most recent attempts have been statements defending Cuba and agreements with Venezuela to provide 30-percent oil credit to Central American and Caribbean oil-importing nations.

The tape was quickly running out--there was time for one more question. Because Fuentes felt such a passionate concern for about the welfare of his country and Central America, I asked, didn't he feel a responsibility to be there?

The answer was simple. "I feel I'm there just by writing and by impression. I can see Mexico better from afar, from Baker Library in Dartmouth College, while if I were in Mexico having to wrestle with all the terrible problems of everyday life, it'd be too difficult to write. And I must write."

The tape ran out, Fuentes quickly sat forward and turned off the tape machine. "Mexico's coming up in the world," he smiled.