Evening star., 1940-01-14
Sees Monroe Doctrine
Strengthened by War
BIZ Frederic J. HasEin.

present European war on American az
fairs may prove to be the revivification
and strengthening of the Monroe Doc
trine, in the belief of diplomats and
other close observers Of international
affairs at Washington. Not for many
years has there existed so close a COM
munity of feeling as has been produced
by the events on the other side of the
Atlantic. Once more the Monroe Doc
trine Is being heralded as perhaps the
most effective instrumentality for peace
drawn in modern times.
Occurrences of more than usual drama
have served to emphasize the changing
aspect of inter American affairs in rela-
ton to international affairs generally
When last autumn the Panama Confer
ence announced 300-mile neutral zone
around the Americas, the idea seemed
more than little chimerical In the
broadest sense, it does so still in the
opinion Of diplomatists and naval stra-
tegists, for the difficulties of inclosing so
vast an expanse of the high seas are
apparent.
A test of the utmost Importance came
when the German battleship Graf Spec
was driven by a British squadron into
the haven of Montevideo. Despite the
most urgent representations of the Ger
man government to a friendly power,
Uruguay, only the briefest harborage was
allowed the crippled warship unless she
willing m iy,fo f6n {aI -
the hostilities. And when the officers
and crew of the scuttled vessel came
ashore in the adjacent Argentine terri
tory immediate internment followed.
Further, although the Nazi government
was quick to make diplomatic protest
against the treatment of the Won Spec
and later of her crew the American re-
to a protest of equal spirit against the
violation of the 300-mile neutrality zone.
The matter of supreme Importance
here is that solidarity of the Americas,
North, Central and South, was exhibited
with the strong implication that, at last,
there had come about a certain unanim-
ity of opinion concerning the deeper
X X
The Monroe Doctrine was expressed
but little more than century ago in
note to the government of Russia which
then maintained fortress on the site OF
the present city of San Francisco. 1t
was, in modern real estate parlance, a
notice to vacate. The world was Quick
to realize that this short paragraph was,
in reality, addressed to the entire world,
or at least to all European powers, to
keep hands off America. Lest there
arise any doubt about the inclusiveness,
the Lodge resolution, specifically extend
ed the terms to Asiatic powers as we'll
In past history there have been solemn
leagues and covenants, there have been
truces of God and kindred proposals to
maintain the peace, but no other instru-
ment has ever, in major fashion, main
tained substantial peace for more than
century. This one paragraph has pre-
vented the vast domain of South America
from becoming the theater of war be-
tween alien powers contending for do
minion or at least hegemony In the
Western Hemisphere.
And it seemed that, in recent years,
the Monroe Doctrine was weakening.
For some years all went merry as a we'd
ding bell, but some faith in the good
intentions of the Colossus of the North
was lost because of the war between the
United States and Mexico. 1t looked a
bit as though the author of the Monroe
Doctrine itself might become a danger
GUS aggressor. This should have been
dispelled by the action of the same
United States in raising such threat
that the Emperor Maximilian was
driven forth from his usurped empire
| in MeXico-a threat made in pursuance
| of the Monroe Doctrine.
Yet lingering suspicion unquestion-
ably remained and the action of adven-
turing filibusters from the United States.
such as William Walker, the San Fran
cisco newspaper man, who moved against
both Mexico and Nicaragua, as well as
commercial adventures and exploiters,
| did nothing to allay that suspicion.
President Hoover withdrew the United
States Marines from Nicaragua and took
steps toward ending Intervention in
Haiti. Then Undersecretary of State
Reuben Clark drew memorandum def
| nitely divorcing the idea of the Monroe
Doctrine, as to overseas aggression, from
| North American intervention. This was
! followed by the utterance of the good
neighbor policy of the Franklin Roose-
welt administration, which was described
at the time as an abrogation of the
Monroe Doctrine. Finally the United
States ratified the convention of the
Montevideo Conference of 1888, which
specifically stated that mo state has the
right to intervene in the internal or ex-
ternal affairs of another"
Not few observers looked upon these
several moves as progressive relinquish-
ment of the Monroe Doctrine which had
stood for so long. That foreign powers so
looked upon them is strongly indicated
by the redoubled efforts they made to i'm
penetrate the Latin American countries
with their propaganda and their cultures.
X X X
The largest German colony in the
Western Hemisphere consists of the
100000 in Brazil. Although some have
been there a considerable time. thev
retain the German language and have
their own schools In recent years, Nazi-
ism has been openly taught there. Brazil
has 100000 citizens of Italian blood and
the theories of Fascism have been openly
taught to them. The Germans had car