involved; but the exercise went smoothly and effi­ciently.
Sometimes submarines joined the surface ships in hunting their own kind with simulated rocket, depth-charge and torpedo attacks,
In other training evolutions some of the UNITAS ships played the role of a merchant convoy while others protected them—by avoiding submarines if pos­sible, or by keeping them at bay or attacking if thev appeared.
Ocean control was another facet of ASW practice. The task force patrolled an ocean area so that friendly ships could pass but hostile vessels could not.
Convoy defense and ocean control often included antiaircraft warfare. UNITAS ships practice confronta­tions with airplanes, and had to "down" the attackers without help from friendly aircraft.
For some of the countries,  participation in UNITAS  is the high point of their annual training schedules. U. S. know-how and their own practice combine to provide the best in-depth training in ASW and ocean control available.
And sometimes the training is put to use in unex­pected ways. In 1962, when President Kennedy im­posed a quarantine on communist Cuba against the importation of offensive weapons, some nations par­ticipating in UNITAS offered ships to help the U. S. blockaders in a demonstration of inter-American soli­darity,
However, no treaties or alliances affect the opera­tions. Each year's program is decided at a conference among the participating navies according to their own convenience. All friendly nations are free to partici­pate or not, as it suits them.
The South American countries participating in UNITAS X last year were Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Navies taking part had four stated objectives:
*To test the effectiveness of the elements, individu­ally and together, in ASW and ocean control tactics;
*To exercise the multinational force to gain experi­ence in joint operations;
*To plan for possible future situations that would require combined efforts, such as threats by forces from outside the Western Hemisphere;
*To generate goodwill and friendship between the participants.
That last objective is evidently present among the men of the navies involved. They gain respect for each other as they work together at sea—and then learn to like each other on liberty in the task force's ports of call.
The U. S. Navv show band exemplified inter-navy cooperation as it performed in official ceremonies and parades. But the greater part of the mission of the band was in its contact with the civilian people,
The band toured countries while the ships were at sea, performing in inland towns, many of which had never had contact with North Americans before. In town squares and bullrings, the troupe presented pro­grams of local popular songs, show tunes, singing, dancing and comedy skits.
The music ambassadors made it a point of pride to play their host country's national anthem at each per­formance. {Usually the audience—often led by high government officials—sang along.)
And the NAVYMEN from the ships did their part for good relations. First they made friends by their good behavior ashore. Open house on board U. S. and other ships gave local people a look at the navies, The children, naturally, loved the ships—and their parents were im­pressed,
The North Americans formed sports teams to com­pete with citizens of their host countries. Predictably,
JANUARY 1970
9