Evening star., 1934-01-28
BY GASTON NERVAL.

! bI UhSlON NEhtALs
TINE obvious haste of the Wash
ington administration about
recognition of the Mendieta
i government in Cuba may prove
embarrassing to the good
neighpor" policy. The expediency with
/ which preparations for the recognition
of Mendieta were made only a few
hours after he had been selected chief
! executive-and the endeavors to Sc
! cure recognition by the other Ameri-
+ can governments-may be interpreted
! in Latin America as an indication that
the United States still reserves to it
| self the right to decide when Cuban
regime has enough popular supper.
and when it is able to maintain law
and order.
This conclusion is unavoidable In the
face Of the unyielding refusal Of the
United States to recognize the Grau
| San Martin government, which for al
most four months controlled the Cuban
situation, preserved internal order and
faithfully carried out its international
obligations.
OF course, under the privileges Of the
Platt amendment, the United States
may claim such right and be justi-
fed, from legal point Of view. in ex-
ercising it, but it will be difficult for
the State Department to harmonic its
new Latin American policy" Of nom
intervention and good neighborliness
with the diplomatic pressure involved
in this passing upon the popularity and
strength of Cuban regimes.
Importance Of Recognition.
If the nation withholding recognition
for several months, and then extend
t,Nrr tvN fnt rny hn CT q h
lishment of a new government, were
not the United States, and if the ma
ton thus unrecognized and recognized
at the will of the Washington states
men we're not Cuba-that is, II the
TWO countries involved we're not two
of such different physical power and
bound by such strong political and eco
nCnlic ties as are the United States
and Cuba; If they we're any other two
countries. the problem would not be so
serious. But because of the peculiar re-
lationships existing between the United
States and Cuba, because of the un-
avoidable moral and material influ-
ence of the former, because Of the
Platt amendment, recognition by the
| United States is a matter of life and
| death for any Cuban regime.
And that is just why the Roosevelt
administration should observe the ut
most discretion in exercising its right
of recognition of new government in
! the island republic. That Is. if 1t
I wants to preserve the reputation it is
beginning to enjoy in Latin America OF
being one opposed to military interven-
ton and to political interference with
the domestic affairs Of the Caribbean
republics.
The elevation of Col Mendieta to the
- C,,1.a l,ac 1at
internal difficulties of the island. 1t
is true that Col Mendieta. being much
more conservative than the younger
leaders who were in control until
recently. may seem to have a wider
support from varied sectors Of Cuban
public opinion. The proprietary class
the landowners, the sugar planters the
government employees. may be with him
because he represents to them guar
antee of security and protection which
they did not have in his immediate
predecessors.
The middle classes may be with him
because he stands for the preservation
of the existing economic and political
system unGer which they have reeu-
lated their lives and their businesses
4 An Enemy of Machado.
The various groups which formed the
opposition to the Machado dictatorship
may be with him, because he was one
Of the most active enemies of the ole
regime and the only one who can now
preserve the fruits of the revolution tc
the anti -Machadistas. who came pretty
close to losing them to the more radical
elements.
Certain of the independent groups
like a fraction of the A. B. c.. part OF
the students and others who dislike the
old parties and hope for a new deal in
Cuban politics may be with him. be-
cause he has managed to make for
himself a record of personal honesty
and has never been identified with the