Evening star., 1932-07-24
BY GASTON NERVAL.
N intellectual ambassador of god
will from, latin America Was in

1 n Many distinguished professors,
authors and leaders Of thought
come every year from Europe, par
ticularly Sc since the World War ended
the isolationist myth of the United
States. But the presence here of an
internationally known representative Of
the Latin American intelligentsia still
is news.
Not because their kind may be scarce
on the other side of the Rio Grande.
Quite the contrary. But until few
years ego the United States was net the
usual destination of Latin American in
tellectuals Either because it is only
recently that the cultural aspects Of
pan-Americanism have been brought to
light or because their traditions and
their ties of origin directed them more
to Europe, Latin Americans who were
concerned with the things of the mind,
and sought larger horizons. usually
crossed the ocean and settled in the old,
historic centers of continental Latin
culture
The last few years, however. have
witnessed change. Although there is
yet much to be desired in this respect,
enlightened citizens of the United States
college professors. writer's, artists,
journalists-have lately toured frcm
time to time the Latin American re-
publics. Some of them have remained
there Until then, the type of American
visitor to which Latin Americans were
accustomed was the travelling COM
mercial agent or the business promoter
The presence of intellectual leaders
from the great Northern nation" there
fore. aWoke the Latin Americans to the
possibilities CT cultural tnter-Amerlcan
relationships.
Locking to U. S. Now.
Encouraged by this departure from
the purely materialistic attitude OF
yesterday, Latin American intellectuals,
in turn, began to look to the North.
They began to think Of the United
States not only as an economic en-
porium or financial market, as there
tofore, but also as cultural center in
which the seed of inter-Amercian in
tellectual understanding could bear fruit.
DR.. Victor Andres Belaunde, of Peru,
who was here last week lecturing in
George Washington University, is one
Of those Latin Americans who have had
the vision of the new pan-Americanism
Indeed, he is one of the pioneers of this
movement of cultural interchange
between the two races of the New World
For the last IL years he has lectured in
various universities Of this country on
the history. civilization, social and poll
tical problems and the economics of
Latin America. He is at present the
head of the Latin American department
of the University of Miami. Just before
coming to Washington to lecture on the
native background of Latin America, he
took leading part in the discussion OF
radical tendencies in Latin America, at
the Institute of Public Affairs of the
University of Virginia the first week of
July.
DR. Belaunde is certainly the Latin
American professor with the most dis
tinguished record in American univer-
sites. But the significance of his pres
ence here derives not only from his
record in the educational field DR..
Belaunde is one of the outstanding
leaders Of American thought to-
day, and his reputation, both as a
scholar and as statesman, has long
transcended the boundaries Of his own
country.
Member of Parliament.
Victor Andres Belaunde is a graduate
of the University of San Marcos OF
Lima, from which he received his doc
tors degree. He is a member OF the
Peruvian Parliament, where his ora
torical ability and political record have
won him a place of leadership. Three
weeks after his address to the members
of the George Washington University
seminar on Latin America, he will take
his seat again at the Peruvian Congress,
when it opens for its annual session in
Lima next Sunday.
The Royal Academy of Spain and the
Academy of History of Madrid have
made Dr.. Belaunde their correspondent
member in Peru. He is also a reputcd
author and journalist, having published
a rumber of books on international
affairs. the last of which. La Realidad
Nacional," is commanding wide atten-
ton throughout Latin America. He
is editor of Mercurio Peruano, an in
tellectual periodical which he founded
in Lima. AS if all this were not suffi-
cient to take up his time, he also lee
lures at the University of San Marcos,
his permanence in South America Civ
ing him an opportunity to bring back
each year new information on current
events for his courses in the United
States.
Before coming to this country, DR.
Belaunde figured prominently in the
diplomatic service of Peru. He was
charge d'afaires and Minister Plenipo-
tentiary in Bolivia and Uruguay. Later
On, his defense of individual liberties
violated by the Leguia dictatorship
caused his exile from Peru. When the
11-year regime of Leguia was over
thrown. two years ago. DR.. Belaunde' S
name was mentioned for the presi-
dency of Peru.
I had met DR.. Belaunde in one OF
his previous visits to Washington. This
time I interviewed him at the Legation
of Ecuador, where he was the guest
of another ACE" of Latin American
belles-lettres, Don Gonzalo Zaldumbide,
today representing his country before
the White House.
Discuss Current Problems.
We talked of current American
problems; of the political changes
which have upset Latin America with
such frequency during the last few
years of the economic factors which
precipitated the revolutionary wave; of
the radical tendencies now menacing
the stability of some of the Southern
governments. DR.. Belaunde had just
uSllNtIcO oil dOQlCoo GAIC SAioA
lottesville Institute of Public Affairs
tracing the appearance of radicalism
in Latin America, and praising the
Southern nations for their constant
struggle against it, from the very be-
ginnings of their independent life.
We talked OF the obsoletepess of the
Monroe Doctrine; of the new Latin
American policy of the State Depart
ment, more respectful Of the sovereign
ty of independent small republics; Of
the reversal to the Jeffersonian theory
of recognition of revolutionary govern
ments, announced last year by Secre-
tary Stimson; of the Bolivarian prof.
ects for all "anfictionic" league in the
Western hemisphere. Dr. Belaunde is
among the foremost authorities on the
life and character of Simon Bolivar,
the George Washington of South Amer
ica. He is at present completing a
voluminous work on "the Liberator, "
which will describe the tragedy of
Bolivar's political career from an en-
tire1y new angle.
OF all the many interesting things
which I heard from Dr. Belaunde, none