The Washington times., 1936-03-07
Truths About
The Monroe
Doctrine
BY JAMES T. WILLIAMS, Jr.

Before the n a te OF the
United States allows the Admin
istration to destroy the Monroe
Doctrine, under the speciouS pre-
text of increasing American trade
with our Southern neighborS, the
truth about the Doctrine ought
at least to be written again into
the records of the Senate.
It was the Senate on motion of
Senator Dill Cd of Washington,
which ordered the truth about
this cardinal principle of Amer
ican foreign policy to be printed
and issued as a Senate Docu-
ment. The title Of the Document,
which is No. ia (Seventy-firSt
Congress, econd Session., is
Memorandum on the Monroe
Doctrine" It's author is the
Honorable j. Reuben Clark, of
Utah, then President Coolidge's
Undersecretary of State and later
American Ambassador to Mexico.
Mr.. Clark prepared his memo
randum in 1923. 1t was printed
by order of the Senate in 1890.
Since then the Department of
State has given this authoritative
Interpretation of the Doctrine
wellnigh worldwide distribution.
The Latin American govern
ments and the press and people
of the Latin-American republics
have been encouraged to accept
Ambassador Clark'S mastery
statement of the origin, the pur-
pose and the effect of the Doc
trine as authoritative.
NATIONAL POLICY
What will these Latin Ameri-
can governments think when the
Administration shows a wiling.
ness next September to junk the
Doctrine as thus interpreted in
return for promise for larger
share in Latin American trade?
In his letter transmitting his
memorandum to the Secretary of
State, Ambassador Clark said:
Finally, it should not be
overlooked that the United
States declined the OvertureS of
Great Britain in 1923 to make
joint declaration regarding
the principles covered by the
Monroe Doctrine or to enter
into a conventional arrange
ment regarding them. Instead
this government determined to
make the declaration of high
national policy on its own re-
SpOnSibility and in its own be-
half.
"The Doctrine is thus purely
unilateraI.
THE United States deter.
mines when and if the principles
of the Doctrine are violated,
and when and if violation is
threatened.
"We alone determine what
measures, j. any, shall be taken
to vindicate the principles of
the Doctrine, and we, of neces-
Sity, determine when the prin-
ciples have been vindicated.
mo other power of the
world has any relationship to,
or voice in, the implementing
of the principles which the Doc
trine contains.
''It is our Doctrine, to be by
US invoked and sustained, held
in allegiance, or abandoned as
our high international policy
or vital national interests shall
seem to us, and to us alone, to
demand"
The Latin American govern
mentS which are to be encour-
aged to bring forward a spurious
substitute for the Monroe Doc
trine will doubtless resort to the
speciouS pretext that they wish
to implement the doctrine by re-
writing it,
They will merely be reviving
the British proposal of 1923 Ito
make a joint declaration regard
ing the principles covered by the
Monroe Doctrine" which they are
willing to accept and unite in
applying.
MEMBERS OF LEAGUE
These Latin American govern
ments are members of the League
of Nations.
If they succeed in getting the
American government to do what
the British government unsuc-
cesSfully tried to do in 1923 the
United States will then be COM
PEELED to turn over all disputes
regarding the Monroe Doctrine
to the league of Nations for
settlement.
How many Senators of the
United States really think the
American people wish to swap
the Monroe Doctrine for the
spurious substitute which the
League of Nations agents in
South America will offer at the
coming Psn-American Confer
ence?