Evening star., 1936-11-22
MUCH MISUNDERSTANDING
Observation-Disclosures
Declaration of 1923 Could Have Been
Made Basis for Establishment of Peace
in Western Hemisphere.

| ldllCo, WidSi Al4inAiy Aidoc ~ GAL AAioeA "a
ment OF aggression against Latin
America, and the countless acts Of
hegemony and imperialism committed
under its shield, on the one hand, and
the violations Of the original doctrine,
on the other, have definitely converted
| the historic formula of 1928, from a
case Of America versus Europe, into
one of United States versus Latin
America.
If to all this you add. now, the real
ization that not even the original
doctrine was so effective or so disin-
terested as has been supposed, it is
easy to understand all the harm 1t
has done, and all the harm 1t is still
doing. to the cause Of pan Ameri-
canism.
To substantiate these charges and
to trace the influence of the Monroe
Doctrine and its corollaries through
more than 100 years of unsuccessful
pan Americanism, the writer published
a book, two years ago, in the last
chapter Of which there appeared list
of suggestions for an improvement in
inter-American relations. The list in
cluded coordination and perfection of
the existing peace machinery, defini-
ton of the aggressor, enactment of the
doctrine Of non-recognition of terri
torial gains by force, economic dis
armament, and other subjects which
are, also, likely to be discussed at the
Buenos Aires Conference, but 1t was
headed by the following suggestions
concerning the Monroe Doctrine:
"a. Calling of Pan-American
Conference, in which the chief prob
lens involved in the political and eco
nomic relations Of the United States
with the Latin American countries
would be frankly discussed, the United
States formally renouncing whatever
privileges It has appropriated to itself
under the Monroe Doctrine.
Adoption of Principles.
"B. Adoption by all the American
states of the good principles involved
in the original Monroe Doctrine, that
is, the principles of opposition to nom
American colonization of American
territory and opposition to non-Amer-
ican interference with American gov
ernments for the purpose of oppress-
ing or controlling them. This could
be done jointly or separately, either
by each American government issuing
a declaration to that effect Prof.
r..kk,. .-.ntbod ~ 81 Ar.orinor da,1o
rations) or, better still, though great
er obstacles inhere in this method, by
signing q continental pact Of self-de-
fense in case of non-American aggres.
sion, just as Bolivar, the liberator,
planned. This would not be a mere
internationalization or continentaliza-
ton of the original Monroe Doctrine,
as most Of its advocates call it, both
here and in Latin America, because,
as we have seen, the original Monroe
Doctrine was not advanced for the
purpose Of serving as guarantee Of
mutual defense.
1T would really be an entirely new
thing, establishing in q contractual
form the guarantee which early Latin
American leaders thought, erroneous
ly, the Monroe Doctrine gave them.
1t would, in fact, be more the enact
ment Of the Bolivarian doctrine than
the continentalization Of the Monroe
Doctrine. But it would serve better
than anything else the only laudable
principle which could have justified
the Monroe Doctrine II the doctrine
had adhered strictly to it. and only
to it, instead Of refusing to sanction
it for fear of foreign commitments
and entanglements. namely, the prin.
ciple Of contractual continental SELF
defense"
(copyYisht. 1850