Evening star., 1942-04-12

The perfect hour OF pan-AmericaniSm
will arrive when all the inhabitants of
all the Western Hemisphere republics
feel as DR.. Ezequiel Padilla. the Foreign
Minister Of Mexico, felt when he said
Of the United States in New York on
Thursday: This country is the center Of
the hopes Of the world for victory"
That is a good sentiment for a slogan
to mark Pan-American Day, which will
be celebrated in the New World Tuesday.
Unfortunately there is a division of
opinion in the Latin American republics
at this critical hour about the relation
of the United States to their future.
Argentina maintains an attitude of polit-
ical opposition to the United States
Brazil has. strong anti-American ele-
ments Chiles difficult problem of ma
tional defense makes 1t impossible for
that country to cooperate with us in
foreign policy. In Ecuador the United
States Government still looks for signs
of resentment over the settlement of the
old boundary dispute with Peru, which
the United States was instrumental in
arranging.
Although all Latin American repub-
lies except Argentina and Chile have
broken of relations with the Axis, the
diplomatic representatives of Spain re-
main strong in every capital south of the
border, and they are active insinuatorS
of the Axis, anti-democratic point of
view. The Falangists, Spanish style
Fascists, are strong in Argentina and
Mexico, although we count the latter
country among our firmest friends. Ra-
mon Serrano Suner, the Spanish Foreign
Minister. is the official fountain of the
Falangist idea.
Internal Social Clash,
"Efe" Spanish news service, is growing
stronger everywhere in continental Latin
America-performing the function that
once was the province of the Nazi-subsi-
died Trans-Ocean news service. How
ever, at the same time, American private
and Official news services are making
headway in Latin America.
But the managers of "Efe," like the
managers of Trans-Ocean, are willing to
give their services away.
At the seat of the difficulties which
prevent the final solidification of the
policy of continental solidarity is the
social conflict which is notable in Latin
America as it is in all other countries.
Conservative vested interests" struggle
for, power with the liberal social pro-
gressives. "Efe" makes it appeal to the
conservatives, who in Argentina, at least.
are convinced that their own salvation
and future lies outside the aspirations
of the United States.
The state of political affairs in Argen-
tina best illustrates the problem of the
internal social clash. 1t is unrealistic to
ascribe the aloof attitude of Argentina to
an actual spirit of cooperation with the
Axis, although whatever the cause, Ar
gentina does us a disservice. Argentina
is great country of wealth and poverty,
and the division of political opinion
roughly parallels the economic division.
The liberal group in Argentina won
victory in the presidential election of
1897, which made Roberto Ortiz the chief
executive. He assumed Office February
20, 1898, for a six-year term. The Vice
President was q conservative, Ramon
Castillo, and when Ortiz relinquished
his Office in July, 1910, because of i'll
health. the opinion Castillo represented
became paramount in Argentina. This
domestic see-saw in favor of the con-
servative element keeps Argentina bal
anced away from the United States and
the United Nations even after Washing
ton had arranged economic concessions
for Argentina in the United States mar
ket.
United States Sympathetic With Chile.
The suggestion has been made inform
ally within the administration that the
United States Government develop a
policy for actively aiding the social and
economic advance of the Latin American
forgotten men" through the introduc-
tion of the New Deal to our southern
neighbors. The mere fact that this is
being suggested is enough to reassure
the conservatives of Argentina and else
where that their attitude of doubt about
the United States is correct.