The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-01-23
BY WILLIAM F. dunno.

Dispatches from London state that
the British foreign office sis watch
ing developments at Havana closely
and that President Coolidge's speech
is undergoing the sharpest scrutiny"
The Havana conference, held at
time when Wall Street policy and
methods in Latin-America are sharply
outlined by the invasion of Nicaragua,
is having repercussions throughout
the world and especially in Great
Britain.
British and American Investments.
British investments in Latin-Amer-
lea total $5.200.000,000. This is but
slightly under the total of American
investments-s5, 26O,oo0,oo0, accord
ing to the latest estimates. All for
eign investments in Latin-America
total something over S7,000,000, 900,
exclusive of American investment, so
that it is clear that British and Amer
lean imperialism are the two nations
with the greatest stake in this rich
field
Reasons for British Interest.
The armed advance of Wall Street
government into Latin-America and
its attempts to stifle all opposition to
intervention at the Havana confer
ence cannot but rivet the attention of
Britain, its chief imperialist rival,
on developments there.
Great Britain has not given up
hope of extending her influence in
Latin America. The rise of American
Imperialism to dominant position in
Latin-America has taken place in the
period since 1914 and was made pos
eible by the crisis in British finance
precipitated by the world war.
Britain and the Two Canals.
Great Britain did not look kindly
upon the opening of the Panama
Canal which gave American goods
easy access to the western coast of
South America, shortened the distance
to Australia and made the American
navy far more powerful factor in
the Far East. Certainly British i'm
perialism would be only too glad to
prevent the building of an additional
canal through Nicaragua if way
could be found.
Wall Street Strategy.
American imperialist strategy has
for its immediate purpose the max
'ng of the Caribbean and the Gulf of
Mexico into an American lake. This
purpose has been carried out success
fully with four exceptions: outside
and to the northeast of the string of
islands under American domination
Cuba, Hair, Porto Rico, Virgin Is
lands) which are in reality fortifica-
tions protecting the Panama Canal,
are the Bermudas; inside this rough
semi-circle is Jamaica; to the east and
south is another group of British
owned islands, interspersed by other
islands under French ownership; to
the south is British Guiana French
md Dutch Guiana as welD and to the
west is British Honduras.
Naval Bases.
British Imperialism, in addition to
its huge investments, has therefore a
number Of potential naval and mill
tary bases in Latin-America from
which there is a possibility of threat
ening the Panama Canal and carry
ing out damaging raids on American
shipping.
The breakdown of the Geneva con-
ference for the limitation of naval
armaments called attention to the
growing imperialist conflict between
Great Britain and America, and the
Havana conference, inasmuch as it
marks a further step in the applica-
ton Of the Wall Street program, must
be judged not only from the stand
n"'nt Of United States and Latin