Evening star., 1934-06-24
LETICIA DECISION ALTERS
MONROE DOCTRINE VIEWS
Popular Misconceptions of Americas
Role Cleared and League of Nations
Regains Some Prestige.

| f1ict which demanded League action.
For the previous four years the State
Department had been getting further
and further away from the trans
formed and distorted Monroe Doctrine,
which had presided over inter-Ameri-
can relations and given rise to the
charges of Yankee imperialism and
hegemony in Latin America. Former
Secretary of State Stimson had al
ready restated the purpose of the
Monroe Doctrine in its original sense,
depriving it of some Of the corollaries
and Misrepresentation Of Monroe's
successors. And only few weeks be-
fore President Roosevelt had stressed
this change in the views of the United
States and perfected it by calling the
Monroe Doctrine "a pan-American
doctrine of continental self-defense."
! But even If expected, the waving Of
! the Monroe Doctrine in the Leticia
case involved the carrying out, in
practice, Of promises and changes of
policy, until then only made in dip
lomatic documents or after-dinnsr
| speeches of good will. 1t was the first
confirmation of the abandonment of
one of the mistaken conceptions of
the Monroe Doctrine which had
J caused so much misunderstanding and
suspicion in past decades.
Public Opinion Changed.
And because it was a confirmation
in fact, not only in words, it served
to illustrate the changed position of
| the United States in the eyes of public
opinion. For even if those familiar
with the history of the doctrine--its
origin, its misinterpretations and dis
tortlonS-and those closely following
the march of international events
knew the modified position of the
United States in reference to the
Monroe Doctrine, the conception of
the doctrine prevailing in the public
mind had undergone little change
Public opinion, on both sides of the
Atlantic, was still under the impress
sion that the ascendency which the
United States attributed to itself in
the Western Hemisphere. by way of
the Monroe Doctrine, prevented the
interference of any agency not exclu-
sively American in the political af-
fairs OF the New World.
Naturally only the unparalleled dis
tortion which the doctrine had suf-
fered in the course of its existence
had made such theory possible. So
many corollaries had been added, so
many and such capricious interpreta-
tlons OF 1t had been adopted, so many
abuses committed in its name and
such an exaggerated stretching of the
original principles Of the doctrine had
been practiced, both by Anglo Saxons
and Latin Americans, that the Monroe
Doctrine had come to be thought of as
giving the United States the final say
ing on any questions affecting the re-
lations of Latin America with the rest
OF the world.
Should Convince Skeptics.
1t was because this conception
rather this misconception-of the doc
trine prevailed in the public mind that
observers, not only here, but in Latin
America as well. we're skeptical as to
the efficiency of the Leagues inter-
ventlon in a purely American dispute.
and awaited eagerly to know the final
outcome of the agreement concluded
between Colombia and Peru, under
League auspices.
The successful carrying out Of that
agreement, which finally ended q few
days ago with the return of Leticia to
Colombiaa should help TO remove the
doubts Of skeptics, both as to the pos
sibilities Of international police forces
and as to the changed characteristics
OF the Monroe Doctrine in 1894.
| Copyright, 1934)