Evening star., 1938-11-27
Argentina Unknown Quantity
AS Lima Parley Approaches
Result of Deliberations Will Depend on Extent
to Which 1t Opposes Plans of
American Delegates
By Carlos J. Udela.

NEW YORK.-As the moment ap-
proches for the opening of the eighth
Pan-American Conference at Lima,
Peru, next December 9, it becomes
clearer that personalities will dominate
the scene.
With IA out of 20 Latin American
countries ruled by dictators of differ
ent shades, from the despotic to the
paternalistic, pan-American issues are
often subordinated to individual wills.
In the forthcoming Lima Conference,
where the whole agenda boils down to
the question whether the nations to the
south will line up with the United States
against certain European trade or poll
tical rivals, those individual wills, and
the lesser or greater degree of political
opportunism shown by representatives
of the other six republics besides the
United States, will play the tune to
which the conference will dance.
There is, for instance, Dictator Rafael
L. Trujillo of Santo Domingo and his
pet plan for the creation of a pam
American league of nations; there is
President Lazaro Cardenas of Mex
leo and his new-fangled doctrine of
compulsory naturalization Of aliens;
there is Foreign Minister Jose Maria
Cantilo of Argentina, who opposes Pres
ident Roosevelt's proposal for the COL
lective defense of the hemisphere, and
there is, last but not least, the Amer
ican delegation, including such dissim-
liar members as Alfred M. Landon and
John L. Lewis daughter, which may be
called upon to protect the position of
international pacifier held by Secretary
of State Cordell Hull.
Cantilo Role to Be Big.
Foreign Minister Cantilo of Argentina,
by virtue of his close associations with
Brazilian, Uruguayan and Chilean states
men, is bound to play, directly or indi-
rectly, vital part in the Lima debates.
He is a man much more attracted to
Europe than to the United States, a
stanch partisan of keeping and strength
ening bonds with France, England and
Italy, and diplomat only recently called
from Rome. where he was Argentine Am
bassador, to assume the foreign secre-
taryship of his country.
Argentina, as was shown at the Havana
conference of 1928 and the Montevideo
meeting of 1933 can swing the Latin
American blocs toward or against the
United States. Honorio Pueyrredon, at
the time Argentine Ambassador to Wash
ington. led the fight against Charles
Evans Hughes and the American delepa
ton at Havana. Carlos Saavedra Lamas,
the suave Argentine chancellor who pre-
sided over the League of Nations Council,
headed the pro-American movement at
Montevideo five years ago, at a time
when Cubans and Mexicans had decided
to drag the United States over the Goals.
Both times Argentina succeeded. And
this time, whatever attitude Mr.. Cantilo
takes, will also spell swing in favor of
or against the American representation
at Lima.
Trujillo's pet plan seems destined, at
best, for the pigeon-hole. Of all the
Latin American countries, only Colombia
which at present lacks any influence on
the continent, may support it. The pam
American league of nations, like the
Christopher Columbus Memorial Light
house at Santo Domingo City now called
Trujillo City, is personal project of
the Dominican dictator, who continues to
rule his country through a straw Presi-
dent and rubber-stamp Congress.
The Mexican plan for compulsory nat
uralization of foreigners. obviously de-