Evening star., 1936-06-14

N 70 ONE 1am1l1ar Win the cur
nj rent trends in the foreign
" policies Of the United States
L could have been surprised BY
Secretary Hull's latest pronouncement
reaffirming the determination Of the
United States not to intervene in the
domestic disturbances Of any Ameri-
can republic.
The adherence of the present ad-
ministration for armed intervention
abroad has been so evident, and SC
consistent, that the new declaration
would appear altogether obvious, were
1t not for the unfortunate circum-
stances which called 1t forth.
Any one who has been following
the thorough transformation under
gone by the Latin American policy
of the State Department, in the past
few years, must easily realize that
the emphasis on non-intervention has
been, precisely. its outstanding fea-
ture.
Dedicated Against Intervention.
Even before he was inaugurated,
President Franklin D. Roosevelt had
committed himself, in the Democra-
tic platform Of 1882, against the prac-
tice of intervening with armed forces
in the internal quarrels of the Carib-
bean republics. In his inaugural
speech he dedicated this nation to
the policy of the good neighbor, u
"the neighbor who respects the rights
of Others" and soon afterward made
this the basis of his proclamation on
Pan-American day, IN which he ver-
itably assured the Latin American
governments that they would receive
a new deal at the hands Of his ad-
ministration.
It was not long before the opportu-
nifty arose to test how sincere was the
new Government Of the United States
in its opposition to armed interven-
ton. Judging by previous standards
there was as much reason for the
landing of the bluejackets in Cuba in
the Summer of 1888 as in any Of the
similar occasions in the past. Yet.
Washington persistently refused to
authorize any such landings and, In
spite of the existence then of the Platt
amendment, made it clear that even
the protection of Americans in the dis
turbed country-the pretext for Sc
many previous interventions-would
be limited to precautionary measures
strictly necessary to remove them from
places of danger. Later on, when the
crisis had subsidized, although not COM
pletely disappeared, the United States
abrogated the Platt amendment, which
gave it the right to intervene in Cuba
for the maintenance of internal order.
Convinced Of Sincerity.
This voluntary remuneration OF q
privilege which even the constitution
of Cuba had sanctioned, together with
the negotiations undertaken to with
draw the United States Marines still
remaining on Haitian soil, soon con-
vinced the Latin Americans Of the sin
cerity of the good neighbors non-in-
tervention pledges.
Thus, at the Montevideo conference,
the representatives of 20 republics OF
the Western Hemisphere felt justified
in welcoming and trusting Secretary
Hull's assurances that during the life
of the Roosevelt administration they
need not fear the armed Intervention
of the United States. And when. a
few days later, in his memorable VIII
son dinner speech, the President OF the
United States solemnly proclaimed: !:
"The definite policy Of the United
States from now on Is one opposed
to armed Intervention" even the man
in the street, both here and through
out Latin America, became conscious
Of the change and praised the new
non-intervention attitude.
In the two years and half which