By R. Hart Phillips

Special to The New York Times.

HAVANA, April 12--The attempt by rebel leader Fidel Castro last Wednesday to bring his "total war" against President Fulgencio Batista from the green jungle of the Sierra Maestra to the streets of this capital city of Havana has been a failure so far.

Batista's armed forces moved with rapidity, precision and death-dealing effectiveness and more than fifty youth have lost their lives as a result of the attack launched April 9.

At the same time Castro's forces in the Sierra Maestra, 500 miles from Havana, were reported to be locked in a death struggle with the Cuban armed forces.  An official army communiqué Thursday night said the the principal group of the rebels had been isolated.  However, Castro and his men have had sixteen months of combat experience in the thick bush which covers the Sierra Maestra.  They know ever mule trail and path crashed through the jungle by wild pigs and they know every tree and bough and drop of water.

In the past Castro has been proved to be a master at extracting himself from difficult situations and in the Sierra Maestra mountains he is fighting on his home territory while many of the Government troops have had little or no experience in guerrilla warfare.

With his attempt to bring his war against Batista to Havana and other principal cities of this 750-mile-long island, Castro assumes the disadvantage of doing something which the armed forces have wanted him to do.  He gives them something to shoot at.  While the fighting was confined to the jungle, Batista's men often were caught in ambush and the shadows which had attacked them melted away before they could be brought to combat.  Now Castro is fighting on the plains where modern American equipment of the armed forces is highly effective.

It is perhaps for this reason that Castro endeavors to employ the weapon of a general strike.  He envisaged a general stop-work movement such as that which successfully overthrew General Marcos Perez Jimenez, dictator of Venezuela, several moths ago.  However, the general strike to be successful must paralyze Havana, Santiago de Cuba and all other key cities of the island.  This week, the strike failed.

The powerful Confederation of Cuban workers, the Central Labor Organization which controls 1,200,000 members in every union on the island, threw its weight against the walkout.  Eusebio Mujal, secretary general of the confederation backed the Government, declared that "the workers will not participate in a political strike."

The Communists apparently held aloof from the attempt of the youthful Castro revolutionists to stage a general strike.  It is said that the Castro followers rejected the help of the Communists who wish to "direct" the movement.  The Communist party has long been outlawed in Cuba but its strength is considerable in the ranks of labor.

In this republic's second city, Santiago de Cuba, and throughout Oriente Province the call for a general strike did meet with response.  All commercial movement and transportation came to a standstill.  Oriente Province is overwhelmingly in favor of the rebel leader, who draws both monetary and military aid from its inhabitants.

Throughout the island the revolutionists committed acts of sabotage, particularly against power plants and transportation services.  Train and omnibus service has been almost nonexistent in Oriente and Camaguey throughout the past week.

A state of national emergency has been declared by the Cuban Congress and President Batista has been granted the same extraordinary powers which he enjoyed during World War II.  He and his Cabinet have taken over the legislative functions of Congress and they have complete control over every phase of national life.

One of the features of the "total war" which caused some brief preoccupation to the Government was a two-day run on the banks.  Small depositors hastened to withdraw their funds because of a report that President Batista might seize inactive accounts under his emergency powers.  When President Batista gave assurances that no such action was contemplated the run stopped.

The attempt of young revolutionists to overthrow President Batista came at a time when the island was highly prosperous.  Sugar sales were bringing in millions of dollars, luxury hotels had been constructed and the tourist trade was flourishing.  Now the Cuban economy has been seriously affected.  Hotels are empty of tourists.  Commerce and industry are faced with a serious loss of income and both national and foreign capital are withholding further investments.

It is obvious that Castro has made a serious if not fatal error in engaging in a trial of strength with President Batista's armed forces.  The Cuban Army, Air Force and Navy have the best American equipment and what is equally important, they have an excellent communications service.  One of the most serious disadvantages of the Castro organization is the lack of communications.

As long as Castro stays in the mountains he is a menace and could continue to be the personification of armed revolt against Batista.  When he comes down into the streets of the cities, however, he is faced with hopeless disadvantages.

President Batista is determined to finish his term which ends next February.  On the other hand the young revolutionists are equally determined to overthrow the Government Whether or not Castro and the youth of the island have sufficient force to defeat the Batista regime is highly problematic at the present moment.  President Batista has undoubtedly won the first round with the failure of the general revolutionary strike.