Evening star., 1941-10-15
Member of the Associated Press.
Argentine Trade Pact

The signing of reciprocal trade
agreement between the United States
and Argentina at Buenos Aires last
night is such a step forward in de-
velopment of the Good Neighbor"
policy that it's Importance hardly can
be overemphasized. For years we
have courted Argentina's political
friendship with one hand, while with
the other we pushed her away eco
nomically by keeping artificial bar
riers raised against imports of the
major products she must sell to live.
Now we have moved to end this
anomaly. We are not removing the
trade barriers completely, but the
new agreement lowers them Suff1-
GENTLY to make it a real gesture of
economic friendship which should go
a long way toward healing the mis-
understandings that have helped to
keep Argentina pretty much of a
question mark in the generally har-
monious picture of hemisphere soli-
darity.
This country stands to benefit
enormously from the pact, directly
and indirectly. Of direct practical
benefit are Argentine tariff conces-
sions on imports of such United
States goods as fresh fruits, tobacco,
automobiles and certain types of
machinery. Perhaps of greater value
is the fact that by being able to sell
more of her goods here as result of
our reciprocal tariff reductions on
such items as canned corned beef,
faxseed and coarse woods. Argentina
will have more money with which to
buy our products. The agreement
has been drafted carefully so as not
to create any undue hardship for
domestic producers through allowing
too sudden an increase in imports of
competitive goods. Perhaps the
greatest overall Importance of the
accord, however, lies in the evidence
1t gives of the existence at last of a
real spirit of cooperation between
Argentina and the United States and
the effect such cooperation should
have in drawing all the American re-
publics more closely together in a
united front against Axis political
and economic aggression.
Effective hemisphere unity is vital
to the security of this country as we'll
as Of the other Americas, and great
strides have been made under the
leadership of President Roosevelt and
Secretary of State Hull in recent
years toward achieving it. If the
growing inter American solidarity
has rested upon a somewhat shaky
foundation at times, it has been due
in some measure at least to Argen-
tina's position. With a strong ma
tional pride, she has been jealous of
any semblance of Yankee" domina-
ton. More practically, with her
economy dependent upon her export
trade, she had understandable re-
luctance to sacrifice European mar
kets by concessions to Nation which
had raised barriers against normal
trade with her. For example, only a
little more than a year ago, Argen-
tina entered reservations which made
problematical her participation in
any action that might be under
taken by the other Americas under
the Act Of Havana to prevent the
Axis gaining a foothold in this hemi-
sphere by assuming control of terri
tory held by conquered European
nations.
Throughout the hemisphere, how
ever, there has been a growing real
ization that greater cooperation in
the commercial field, as well as in
military defense efforts, is necessity
for the survival of all. Happily this
has led to what President Roosevelt
described as the forging Of "a new
link in the chain of friendship, peace
and good neighborliness" binding the
United States and Argentina. AS
pointed out by Secretary Hull, the
concrete evidence given by signing of
the trade agreement "of the desire Of
each country to help the other in the
economic field inevitably will pro-
mote cooperation between them in
other respects" No one can dispute
his statement that "close co-opera-
ton between Argentina and the
United States is especially important
at time when the very existence of
the nations of this hemisphere may
depend upon presenting united
front to the forces of aggression"
Thus the trade agreement becomes
more than a pact to promote COM
merce-it is highly significant con-
tribution to hemisphere solidarity.