The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-08-11


Henry Wallace more) against
it. The democ-
racles don't need any Of the boards
economic missionary work; their
faiths the same as ours right now.
AS for the Axis countries, they'll
take none OF our kind OF economic
medicine, anyway until it's inject
ed into 'em forciblv But good eco
nonaic management IN Latin Amer
lea should be Ue 0rth while
sondify our ri. With the
friends we've gOt ,uere and win
over the element that's a bit
clammy toward US yet.
Another things obvious. Just at
present the defense board Isn't
really a defense board. It's an Of
Tense board - against the Axis.
When the wars over, however, de-
tense will be the right word for 1t.
We 1.-THE United States) will want
to hang onto whatever Latin
American economic gains we've
made, on into perpetuity.
Before the last war Europe's
Latin-American economic status
was about 95 per cent to our per
cent The war, perforce, swung
the southern republics trade
strongly in our direction. They
had to do business with us or no.
body. II we'd had a competent
economic board then, to make our
neighbors definitely like us COM
mercially, they'd have been our
commercial friends permanently.
We didn't have one, though. Con-
sequently, as soon as the conflict
was over, they topped economical
ly back to Europe in short order.
This time it'll be up to our
board to make hay while the war
time sun shines and then to keep
on making the same hay in the
same hayfield afterward. And it's
got to be the kind Of hay that's
mutually profitable to us and our
western hemispherical neighbors.
Wallace Is handspring
A third thing Is evident. The
new board plainly is going to con-
sist principally Of Vice President
Henry A. Wallace. Serving with
him are the heads Of the state,
treasury, war. navy, commerce and
justice departments, but they're
too busy with their own depart
mental work to give much atten-
ton to Economic Defense Board
duties. The vice president, though,
has sufficient leisure for plenty Of
supplementary assignments. For
this especial one Henry Wallace Is
first class selection, too, He's
specialized on Latin America,
speaks excellent Spanish and has
the right temperament
Henry's chief assistant is the
boards executive director. Winfield
w. Refer. Winfield doesn't know
much OF Latin America, but he's
an able economist and this Is an
economic board.
Pan American problems are
argely agricultural, and Henry
Wallace was secretary Of agricul-
ture. War and navy departmental
considerations enter into the equa-
ton Just now, but won't figure
much when peace Is restored.
Commerce is an important item,
as are treasury relationships, and
they'll continue so. wars or no
wars. What the justice depart
ment has to do with the situation
isn't so obvious Still its inclusion
In the lineup Is harmless.
To be sure, war. navy. commerce
and treasury secretaries and Act
ing Attorney General Biddle aren't
Latin-American experts, but Hen
ry Wallace Is. The state depart
ment naturally Is automatically
up to its neck in such matters and
Undersecretary Welles is a super
expert-more so than Henry Wal
lace, for he's lived In the Latin
Americas. The only point as to
Welles is that he's kept so on the
Jump with diplomacy all over the
globe that he probably can't con-
centrate intensively on one mere
continent.
So Henry's the main Latin
American personality at the mo
ment.
What About Britain?
There's one suspicious fly In the
ointment.