Evening star., 1937-02-07
BUENOS AIRES AGREEMENT
IS NEW PEACE DOCTRINE
Treaty Inspired by Roosevelt and Hull
Seen Toward Ideal Boil
yarian Plan.

AS WdCel OF 1dCC, 6OlIlc VI lIlc
Latin American leaders Of the time
did take or, as they found later, mis-
take the original Monroe Doctrine
for just such pledge, and that was
the cause of many a disappointment
they experienced. IN the first two
years following it's announcement four
different Latin American governments,
those Of Colombia, Brazil. Buenos
Aires and Mexico, approached the
United States with view to making
contractual and continent-wide the
guarantee of mutual defense which
they thought the Monroe Doctrine
meant. All four Of them were
courteously. but most emphatically
: told that no such guarantee had been
given and that the Monroe Doctrine
was not a pledge of mutual protection.
but unilateral policy Of the United
States, which the United States alone
could interpret or apply at its will.
Thus, at the very outset, even the
original Monroe Doctrine-not to
mention the later and much dis
torted versions Of it-conflicted with
the Latin American aspiration for a
general pledge of mutual defense
This conflict was even more clearly in
evidence when the United States re-
fused to participate in discussions for
forming continental alliance at the
Congress Of Panama, in 1926, its re-
fusal serving to underline the clash Of
two widely different political philos-
ophies.
Suspicious Of Alliances.
On the one hand, was that Of the
Latin Americans. Simon Bolivar and
the the other founders of the Southern
republics, who dreamed of alliances
among the nations Of the New World
and Of a continental union unlimited
in power and splendor" Theirs was
romantic vision of united America
standing before the world to protect
its own existence independent from
any force without, and to consolidate
its newly acquired institutions. With
such goal in mind, Bolivar had Con-
voked this congress, which was only
the climax of a series of suggestions
for continental union advanced by
himself and other Latin American
liberators. With such a goal in mind,
the Congress was to discuss topics far
ahead of the times: leagues Of nations,
anti-war pacts, international citizen
ship, international armies, territorial
guarantees, etc. With such goal in
mind, the United States, even then the
most powerful nation on the continent.
had been invited to attend and had
been advised that among the subjects
Of consultation at Panama "the means
of making effectual the principles an
nounced by President Monroe" were to
receive paramount consideration.
In open conflict with this was the
cold, self-interested and more practical
philosophy Of Monroe, Adams, Clay
and the other Northern statesmen.
They were not thinking In continental
terms. They were suspicious Of alli-
ances. They doubted the benefits Of any
permanent links with neighboring
states. They had the safety and inter-
ests of the United States to consider,
and these alone they considered. So
long as it was In the interest Of the
United States to remove the dangers
arising from European colonization
and interference they had been
against the imperialistic designs of
the holy alliance, even though such
designs had already been thwarted
by England. So long as 1t was to
their advantage to have free, in
dependent republics as neighbors,
rather than large and danger.
Gus European colonies. they had not
hesitated to express their sympathies