THE AVIMA AFFAIR

A slightly better than run-of-the-politico novel of the kind one assumed they stopped publishing in the mid-'60's, full of ugly American CIA miscomprehensions of the nature of nationalism, this time in an oh-so-idyllic Caribbean island somewhat wary about accepting our, uh, naval base. The usual miscellaneous cast: hero Gates Crandall, Harvard, who'll tell it like it is even if it means he won't get appointed head of the U.S. Information Agency; Ralph Burton, the honest field officer --hopeful wave of the future; befuddled patronage ambassador of a no-longer-sinecure post; State career guy exiled for going after little black boys; a motley assortment of spies, pimps and British ex-colonels. What's different, and interesting, and frightening, is the implicit assumption of the continuance of the kind of amorphous fascism you can read about in the newspapers (e.g., Watergate), which might replace Communism on the list of big dangers the red-white-&-blue must combat in the '70's, at least in government intrigue books. (Cross that out! Here comes the censors! Aaaaaargh. . . .!)