Evening star., 1937-01-24
CHANGE OF i. S. POLICY
in AMERICAS MARKED
Signing of Buenos Aires Non.Interven.
ton Protocol Emphasizes Re-
versal of Attitude.


speech President Roosevelt dedicated
| this Nation to the policy of the good
neighbor," 1.-The neighbor who respects
the rights of others" and soon after
ward made this the basis Of his proc
lamation on Pan-American day. in
which he veritably assured the Latin
American governments that they
would receive a new deal at the hands
of his administration.
1t 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 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 of the Platt
amendment, made it clear that even
the protection OF United States citi-
zens in the disturbed country-the
pretext for so many previous inter-
ventions-would be limited to pre-
cautionary measures strictly neces-
sary to remove them from places of
danger. Later on, when the crisis
had subsided, although not completely
disappeared, the United States abro-
gated the Platt amendment, which
gave it the right to intervene in
Cuba for the maintenance of internal
order.
This voluntary remuneration Of a
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
sincerity of the good neighbor's" nom
Intervention pledges.
Delegates Willing to Believe.
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 Will
son dinner speech, the President Of
the United States solemnly pro-
claimed: 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
throughout Latin America, became
conscious of the change and praised
the non-intervention attitude.
In the three years which have
elapsed since those statements were
made, further proofs have been given
by the present administration to con-
vince even the most skeptical of its
reluctance to use the armed forces of
the United States in the domestic
affairs Of Latin American countries.
It has signed and ratified the Monte
video convention on the rights and
duties of states specifically barring
intervention; it has put an end to the
military Intervention in Haiti; it has
resisted powerful influences in this
country which demanded an inter-
vention in Mexico's religo-educational
crisis; it has given up, in the new
treaty with Panama, the right to in
tervene there for the restoration of
internal order, and it has, now,
pledged itself, by the Buenos Aires
protocol, not only not to interfere in
the domestic affairs Of its neighbors.
but to condemn and oppose any at
tempt at such interference by any
other American country.
No matter what the future may
have in store for pan-American re-
lations 1t is plain that today, at least.
armed Intervention of the United
States In Latin America must be con-
sidered out of the question.
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