Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-30
BY FRANK III. SIMONDs.

| policy both with respect of
Mexico and Nicaragua, but enough
has been reported to indicate that
| Europe has found in these incidents
cause alike for satisfaction and for
criticism. Whatever the merits Of the
most recent discussions between the
| United States and two Latin American
countries. they have palpably played
the game of Europe
Between Europe and the United
| states there now exists q condition
of bad feeling which can hardly be
exaggerated. Nor is it less manifest
| that along with this bad feeling goes
an inevitable economic rivalry des-
! tined to Increase steadily in the next
few years. 1t follows perfectly logi-
cally, therefore, that any action of the
American Government which contrib
utes to creating unpopularity where
competition with Europe is assured
| suits the European interest.
South America is, in the nature of
things, field for economic flnan-
| cial battle between America ID Eu-
! rope. 1t was once very .ufgely a
European field in which the American
part was small. The Argentine and
Brazil were financed from London,
and the most valuable of Chilean re-
sources were actually controlled by
British capital.
Changed During War.
The war changed this. During the
| struggle the withdrawal of British
shipping, the construction of European
capital, the reduction of the purchas-
ing power of Europe, all these circum-
stances combined to open the way for
an American economic invasion of
| GnIIfh NM lob
able as 1t was unwelcome to the Eu-
| ropeans.
/ 1t might have been possible, at
least in theory, to have made this new
association between the United States
and the Latin countries OF the South
something more than an accidental cir
| cumstance. 1t was clear, given the
| European conditions, that for some
years the United States would have
certain advantages economically and
financially. We were in a certain
sense the beneficiaries Of conditions
| which we had not caused. it remained
to be seen whether we could exploit
| them inteliigently.
Culturally, South America was, of
course, wholly European. Paris and
Madrid exercised an influence which 1t
was never possible to hope could be
replaced. But there were communi-
ties of interest, solid and material
concerns, obvious political questions
In which the American and South
American interests were parallel, If
not identical. We had a chance which
could hardly have come to us had it
| not been for the war.
/ Incidents Of the Past.
| One thing stood in the way. There
had always been distrust of the United
States from the south bank of the Rio
Grande to the Straits of Magellan.
The circumstances under which we
acquired first Florida and later all the
vast territories in the Southwest
which had been Mexican awakened a
dread of our power and distrust of
our purposes which finds many repe-
titions in European. states of mind.
The war with Spain and the Panama
affair strengthened this suspicion.
The Monroe Doctrine, which most
North Americans regard as represent
ing q moral guaranty for the South
American states themselves. seems to
| all rather q threat of North American
hegemony than a pledge of support
from the United States to exclude
European invasion. In word, South
America Is. in fact. vastly more fear
| full of the United States than of any
| or all European countries put together.
| This was the advantage Europe al
ways had over the North American.
| 1t was an advantage which even be-
! fore the World War made it easy for
| European to sell an inferior article
1 in Buenos Aires, for instance, pre-
1 cisely where the commercial traveller
| of the United States found most diff
| Guilty In disposing Of something better.
| 1t made 1t easy for a Briton to float
| a loan. whereas American lendings
were by comparison rare.
| When the war was over, South
America was condemned, in the nature
| of things. to buy and borrow in the
! United States for a period of years.
| But Europe, from the outset, was
| quite aware of the dangers which ex-
| listed for it in the situation. Therefore
| from the outset every effort was
made to preserve the moral ties be-
| tween Europe and South America,
while the material bonds were for the
time being loosened.
Role Of Geneva League.
The League of Nations supplied an
admirable field of maneuvers. The
refusal of the United States to enter
the League transformed this body into
closed field of friendly association
between Europe and the Latin Ameri-
CefIl 6IdtCos <4lHdJog IOOJ o. Oee CAA1A
and extreme care were taken to give
South American states positions of
importance and places of influence.
Nevertheless, this operation was
never attended with complete success.
The Argentine quit the League several
years ago, after dispute. Brazil re-
tired last year when it's demand for a
permanent seat. on the Council was
denied. Had the United States chosen
! 4 - sta, NH oT,
European diplomacy would never have
failed to exploit, much might have
been accomplished
But if the South American states
have frequently shown dissatisfaction
with European treatment, they have
never laid aside their fundamental
distrlst of the United States. That
Is the rock on which all European
diplomacy can build and has built.
And that is precisely why the recent
Mexican and Nicaraguan episodes
constitute for Europe an enormous
diplomatic and economic advantage
European prospects in South America
are conditioned upon the persistence
OF Latin American distrusts of the
United States. These recent events |
have enormously stimulated this dis
trust
Not enough attention is paid in the |
United States to the European state |
of mind. The great and growing dis
like Of the United States Is dismissed |
rather cavalierly as due only to- envy |
and jealousy and as having no serious |
or enduring Importance. The grow
ing tendency In Europe to combine |
economically IL not politically and the |
mounting sense that the real rival and |
the true commercial enemy Is the |
United States is little analyzed by the |
public opinion which feels itself above |
and beyond all political or even Geo.
non1ic competition.
But IL Europe is tending to eco /