Evening star., 1933-12-03
PAST FAILURES DOOM
PAN-AMERICAN PARLEY
Commentator Foresees Collapse of Mon.
tevideo Conference Unless Americas
Unite for Common Good.
BY GASTON NERvAL.

BY GASTON NERvAL.
"HE Seventh Pan-American Con-
ference opens tomorrow at Mon
tevideo. In a period OF world
i wide political and economic un-
certainty, in which the confer
ence method has unfortunately failed
to live up to the expectations Of states
/ men, the opening OF the MOnttVldt0
gathering will be aceompanied i,hy by IA! far
possibilities Of its achievements, under
more auspicious circumstances, would
warrant.
In a world in which economic nation
| alism has been set at large and in
which unsettled and serious domestic
conditions have, for the time at least,
turned the attention OF governments to-
| ward the solution Of elementary prob
lens at home, the chances for interna-
| tional arrangements, either political or
| economic, have dwindled considerably.
How much can be expected OF Monte
video, from the economic point Of view.
| when the White House has unmistak-
| ably made clear, on the sailing Of the
| American delegation, that no perma-
nent agreements can be considered
abroad while domestic conditions re-
main uncertain?
AS for the political aspects, the record
of the six Pan-American Conferences
which preceded this one Is hardly en-
couraging Unless the Montevideo con-
ference turns out something else than
automatically phrased, platitudinous
recommendations" never to be enacted,
the delegates Of the 81 American re-
publics will have wasted their time.
Drastic Changes Required.
| Until some radical and fundamental
changes are brought about which would
bring us closer to the true kind of
Pan-Americantsm-th Bolivarian Pan
Americanism Of equal rights and mutual
charlottesville Montevideo conference
and all the Pan American conferences
to come will do little In promoting real
understanding and cooperation among
the republics Of the Western Hemi
| sphere.
For the past five years this column
has been pointing out some of the most
| important of those changes. The open
ing Of another feeble attempt at inter-
| American harmony through diplomatic
| speeches seems an appropriate time to
summarize them.
The first one and one essential to the
attainment Of the others, is the abroga-
! tion Of the Monroe Doctrine. The out
dated, misunderstood and misinterpret-
| ed Monroe Doctrine, distorted beyond
| recognition, has been the cause of most
Of the resentment and suspicion Of the
United States prevalent in Latin Amer
lea. Besides having been used-rather,
misused-to serve as a cloak for hege-
monic policies which may now be in
discard but have in the past caused
much harm, the Monroe Doctrine Is
| completely out of date and even in con-
f1ict with all the modern peace ma
chinery Of the world.
| Success Rests in Unity.
| In its place, and to take care, in the
meantime, of the all-important question
of protection OF lives In case of an
| archy in any American country-the
chief problem of inter-American rela-
| tions-a Pan-American Doctrine should
be adopted by all the American States.
This doctrine would transfer the self
appointed powers until now held by the
| United States alone to continental
organization which would have in mind
the rights Of all instead of the privilege
Of one.
Three steps can facilitate this:
(a) The calling of continental as
sembly, in which the chief problems
involved In the political and economic
relations of the United States with the
Latin American countries would be
| frankly discussed, the United States
formally renouncing whatever privileges
she has appropriated to herself under
the Monroe Doctrine 1t goes without
saying that the kind of Pan-American
conferences we have been having for
the past 40 years would not do at all
(b) The adoption by all the Ameri-
can States Of the good principles in
volved in the original Monroe Doctrine
as understood by early Latin American
leaders, that is, the principles Of oppo-
sition to non-American colonization OF
the American territory and opposition
to non-American interference with
American governments for the purpose
Of depressing or controlling them. Thi,
should be done, jointly. and sponta-
neously. either by each American gov
eminent issuing declaration to that
effect or, better still, though greater
obstacles are in this method. by sign
ing a continental pact of h-defense
in case of non-American aggression,
just as Bolivar, the Liberator, under
stood the Monroe Doctrine.
Doctrine Of Joint Responsibility.
/ (c) The devising and adopting. by
all the American States, of Pan
American Doctrine of Joint Response
bility, that is. one which would give all
Of them a voice in the solution of any
controversies arising out of the problem
of protection of lives in any one OF
them where internal anarchy had COM
pletely destroyed any semblance of local
government. This doctrine would pro-
| vide for the respect of the sovereignty