Fidel Castro, The rebel leader who has been operating for nearly two years in eastern Cuba, has been tolerantly regarded in this country because most of us did not care for President Batista. Batista’s arrogance as well as his fear have grown with time, and both have expressed themselves in illegal arrests, abuse of prisoners and a good deal of wanton shootings.

At first Fidel Castro, raising his banner against all this from a dreary hideout in the Sierra Maestra, seemed a sort of Robin Hood. But he appears now to be trying to alienate American sympathy. Last spring he kidnaped a number of American civilians, some American sailors from Guantanamo base and several Canadians. These were later released. But last week he picked up several more hostages, including two Americans, and appears to regard our protests as “an act of aggression.” In some other ways he is growing more unreasonable, as when he threatened to shoot and candidates he could catch who were running in the Batista elections set for next Monday.

This country has been patient, even to the point of cutting off arms shipments to Batista’s territory. We would like to see a democratic government in Cuba and a final end to the suppressions, censorships and outrages of the Batista regime. We know that revolutions, like other sorts of wars, are not Boy Scout exercises. But if he wishes to hold our friendship Fidel Castro must earn it by giving up terrorism, threats and misrepresentations.