Evening star., 1934-01-14
BY GASTON NERvAL.
40 THOSE who had been follow

"O THOSE who had Deen Ioi!ow-
ing the Latin American policies
Of the ,,et present. Msroh President
Roosevelts pledge that from
now on the United States will be op-
posed to armed intervention caused no
surprise. =
AS q matter of fact, this pledge Is
only the expression of development
in the foreign policy Of the United
States. which really began several
wears ago. It is true that only recently
it has been perfected; 1t is also true
that even now it is not complete, but
the desire of the Washington Govern
ment to discontinue its dangerous
habit of intervening in neighboring
Latin America republics made itself felt
for the first time under the Hoover
Stimson administration.
When Mr. Hoover. as President-elect,
toured the South American capitals
and disavowed interventionistic de-
signs on the part Of the United States;
when, later on, Secretary Stimson re-
fused to send armed forces to the in
terror of Nicaragua for the protection
of American property apparently en-
daneered by rebels, stressing that Such
protection could only be extended by
the Nicaraguan authorities; when Sec
retary Stimson announced reverslon
of the State Department to the Jefter-
sonian policy of recognition OF revolu-
tionary governments: when. at various
times during It's term, the Hoover
Stimson administration turned down
requests from certain Central American
countries to supervise elections and be-
come entangled in their domestic af-
fairs: when. finally, Secretary Stimson
Withdrew the last United States Ma
rines from Nicaragua and TOOK the nrSt
steps to eliminate other remnants OF
"imperialismo yanqui" in the Carlp-
bean: when all these things happened,
at the same time that the State De-
partment attempted to restore the
Monroe Doctrine to its original, merely
defensive meaning it became evident
that the Latin American policy OF the
United States had undergone a funda-
mental change.
Began in Hoover Regime.
OF course, the reasons for this change
should be sought in the unfortunate
fruits borne by the policy of interven-
ton and the widespread criticism OF
the United States which it had pro-
voked. Disappointed by such results
and embarrassed by such criticism, 1t
was only natural that the men intrusted
with the conduct of American foreign
relations were reluctant to perpetuate
the "big brother" attitude or to WELD
any longer the big stick" Of Theodore
Roosevelt over the heads of weak South
ern regimes. Undoubtedly the severe
beating which the policy of Intervention
took at the hands of Latin American
delegations at the Havana %@ conference inference
In 1928 impressed the washington
statesmen.
Be that the reason, or that the physi-
cal difficulties which the economic
depression put in the way OF armed
intervention made this less attractive,
the truth remains that from the begin
ming of the Hoover-S Stimson admins
tration the distaste Of the United States
Government for Intervention became
apparent, When its term was over sew
eral remnants of intervention were still
in existence, but many new attempts
at it had been avoided, many of its out
standing features eliminated and an
entirely different attitude toward the
Latin republics had developed at Wash
ington.
When Franklin D. Roosevelt became
the Chief Executive of the United States
he wisely recognized the merits and the
pOSS1D1uLleS Oh ClllS new 1sdtul AIIieI.
ican policy" Of the State Department.
He took up where his predecessor had
left of and. going a step farther, he
made it part of his program Of gov
ernment when he committed his ad-
ministration to the policy Of the good
neighbor"-one based upon respect for
the rights of others. This pledge
uttered in his inaugural address, he
repeated q few weeks later in his Pan
American day proclamation, in which
he also made an unprecedented refer
ence to the Monroe doctrine as a
"Pan-American doctrine of continental
self defense"
Soon after that President Roosevelt
startled the world with his proposal o.
o non-aggression pact which would pre-
vent any nation from sending armed
forces beyond its frontiers. This, too,
the Latin Americans could interpret as
another reputation of Intervention
theories and practices of yesterday.