Evening star., 1941-12-14
Hemisphere Solidarity


President Roosevelt's stirring call
for hemisphere solidarity against
dangers threatening all alike in the
New World foreshadowed the call
sent out by the State Department
inviting the Latin American repub-
lies to a Pan-American meeting at
Rio de Janeiro early next month. At
that momentous gathering common
policies against Japan and its Axis
partners undoubtedly will be worked
out. That will be the natural COM
plement of the principles and poll
cies of common defense and mutual
aid laid down ct the Pan-American
Conference held ct Havana in the
fateful summer of 1910, when the
German sweep across Western Eu-
rope and the collapse of France had
for the first time revealed the full
menace of totalitarian power.
Even before this call to Pan
American unity had been issued from
Washington, the spontaneous reac-
tions of Latin America to Japan'S
dastardly aggression has clearly re-
vealed the spirit of solidarity with
the United States Nowhere in Latin
America is there anything which
could be classed as pro-Japanese
sentiment. Everywhere. the preda-
tory Empire Of the Rising Sun is
looked upon with suspicion and latent
fear. Considerable numbers of Japa-
nese are settled in parts of South
America, especially in Bolivia. Peru
and Brazil. but their clannishness
and aggressiveness has nowhere made
them liked Even Brazil. so hospi-
table to agricultural immigrants to
populate its vast virgin spaces and
so tolerant of racial differences, has
felt it imperative to restrict Japa-
nese immigration.
1t is therefore not surprising to
find that number of Latin American
countries, mostly in the Caribbean
and Central America, have joined up
completely with the United States in
the common cause by declaring war
against Japan Mexico, our nearest
Latin American neighbor, has broken
diplomatic relations with Nippon,
and President Camacho, publicly de-
claring that Mexico is ''in danger"
pledged that the United States could
rely on Mexican solidarity and CO.
operation" Those nations which
have decided to be at least techni-
cally acknowledgement. have all waived
the technical requirements of full
neutrality by considering the United
States also acknowledgement" and
thus entitled to the use of port
facilities by our warships, together
with other privileges.
Even should most Latin American
countries eventually join the war
against Japan, now enlarged to in
clude Germany and Italy, their mill
tary and naval establishments will
be necessarily restricted to local
defense needs. Only Argentina,
Brazil and Chile have navies with
capital ships, and those are uni
formly old. However, the Latin
American countries, besides furnish
ing us with base facilities, will be
of great assistance in the economic
sphere. Bolivia can furnish us her
tin to replace supplies probably in
terrupted from Malaga and the Dutch
Indies, while Brazil may supply us
with increasing quantities of rubber
Extensive experimental plantations
have been established in various
parts of Brazil during the last few
years, while the supply Of wild rub
Der from the Amazon valley basin
remains minor source. 1t Is re-
grettable that Congress did not act
on recommendation to appropri-
ate funds for Brazilian rubber de-
velopment when the proposal was
made year or so ago. Tin and rub
ber by no means exhaust the list of
vital raw materials which Latin
America can send us to replace
sources temporarily cut off by war;
With all Latin America eagerly
falling into line, and with our good
neighbor, Canada, and the British
possessions elsewhere entirely leagued
with us, the solidarity of the Western
Hemisphere seems assured