The Wilmington morning star., 1940-02-08
WASHINGTON
REPORT
By CHARLES p. STEWART
Central Press Columnist)

WASHINGTON, Feb. Histories being cur
rent of the presence of more belligerent Euro
pean warcraft particularly German U-boats)
in the Pan-Americas Atlantic neutrality zone,
the Washington state department limited to the
southern republics that Uncle Sam would ap'
preciate an expression of their willingness to
afford the facilities of their ports to Yankee
fighting ships assigned to the job Of policing
the zone against these overseas vessels.
Replies from the Latin countries have been
uniformly acquiescent. In a case or two, out
right invitations have been extended to Uncle
Samuel to make himself at home in the Latin
new worlds waters.
This is a rare testimonial to the success OF
Rooseveltian good neighbor' policies.
l lived in the Argentine republic when the
United States enteId the last World war.
President Wilson wanted to give an appearance
to solidarity to our declaration
Accordingly, he dispatched to the Central, In
sular and South American countries a cruiser
squadron under Admiral William B. Caperton.
at the same time indicating to their various
governments that he expected Caperton's fleet
to visit them.
This was all right, say as to Brazil, which
nominally Ono actual fighting) was at war
with Germany. But Argentina preferred to stay
neutral. Consequently President %Irigoyen said
his nation couldn't entertain such company
beyond the recognized 24-hour limit.
U. S. Defied Neutrality
For the United States to have agreed to such
an arrangement would have implied that Pan
American solidarity wasn't so solid. Therefore,
doubtless under orders from home, Caperton
put into Buenos Aires, and stayed for two
weeks, in defiance Of Argentine neutrality.
Argentina couldn't do anything about it. 1t was
not strong enough. But was Argentina sore?
What country wouldn't have been?
While our squadron was there its bluejackets
couldn't even be granted shore leave, lest they
be mobbed and create an international "inci-
dent" It's notorious that the Argentina Re-
public has liked US least Of the Latin Americas
since tlI.
I don't contend that Woodrow Wilson was
the most undiplomatic of our Presidents in his
dealings with Latin America. Several OF his
predecessors were just as bad, or worse.
Presidents Harding and Coolidge were no
Improvement.
President Flowers attitude was-definitely.
Hoover was IS truly Pan-American as Presi-
dent Roosevelt has been. Hoover's weakness
was that he wasn't as socially spoken as Pres
ident Roosevelt has been. He didn't speak in
the "My Friends tone of voice that F. D. r.
has used so effectively.
Latin America loves that my Friends" stuff.
"The AlI-American Front"
Duncan Altman issued a book lately called
THE AIl-American Front"
Altman doesn't know as much on any single
spot in Latin America as l know about the
single spot that 1 happened to live 1n-the
Argentine Republic. But he knows the whole
situation-from the Rio Grande to Cape Horn.
He averages them.
His dope is that we've got to get "acquaint.
ed" But it will be a hard task, he surmises.
Oh, he comedies that the current admins
tration has made progress. "But will we keep
it up?' he questions.
Continuing, says Expert Altman, "A concert
of friendly nations can be built up in the west
ern hemisphere only by reconciling the incom-
patibilities of races different in values, in Gus.
toms, at ways of looking at life, by every fac.
tor of economic circumstance and of historic
inheritance"
Concluding quite a long book, Author Ak
man sums up, 1--WE must either enslave Latin
America or see others enslave 1t; or preserve
it's freedom with ours by winning its immeas.
urably difficult friendship"
1 asked Altman how long he thought it
would take.
Give hundred years." he guessed at.