Imperial Valley press., 1942-01-15
CAPITAL TALKS
by
Peter
Edison

WASHINGTON. Jan. Is - The
specific iSSUes which Will bother
the 81 American foreign ministers
mectuue III Rio de Janciro in jan
uary are tie curbmg OF alien ac-
tiyiuc>. increased production Of
StrateLic materials like rubber and
tin, pylorItiCs supply OF materials
needed ana perhaps most import
ant OF all. maintenance OF adequate
shipping facilities.
For the moment. he alien prob
lem in Latin America is generally
considered under control but 1t
can get a lost worse. While nine ol
the republics have declared war on
the axis. they are the Caribbean
countries. the little island and
central American republics whose
fate Is all bound up with the Unit
ed states None of the countries on
the South American continent pro-
per had gone that far in the first
month OF the WAY They have been
cooperating beautifully. The black
list has effectively tied the hands
oi the axis commercial firms and
the agencies through which Ger
man and Italian propaganda and
industrial espionage have been
conducted. ThWarted il this man
ner. these ant-United States fore
es are turning to new tricks. trying
to work through every channel
they can.
One organization that has come
increasingly under the attention Of
the United States in this regard is
the Spanish Falange, the organ
ization of the Franco PaSCiStS in
Latin America. Not too much is
known about its workings. There
have been sporadic drives for
spanish America for the Spani-
ards but they never gained much
ground. Spain Itself Is technically
a neutrS. n this war. and in the
South American Spanish-speaking
countries there can be no legal
grounds ior action against the
Spanish Fascist tOctrinaires, so
iong as they do not resort to pro-
motion OF sedltiul, treason and the
overthrow Of Jhe existing republics
governments. But il this Spanish
Fascist organization should become
the vehicle behind which Nazl
propagandistS work, Jhat would be
something else again.
The argentine Congress CEN
sure Cf the German ambassador,
gandist in South America before
his recall. is one of the more
hopeful signs of the southern
hemisphere'S sentiments. Nene-
zuelas closing of all German
consulates is another. But if
South American republics go be-
yond steps like these and the ac-
cording to the United States of
Is all the right of -beiliger-
|, ent in this war, then some tOuchy
questions OF international policy
must be decided up0n-princIpai-
~. how are these south American
countries to treat the tens of
thousands Of Germans who make
up not inconsidcrable portion
of the population: The Influence
of this German element in south
America generally has been over
emphasized. Nevertheless, accord
ing to Lawrence Duggan of the
State Department, it is fair to
assume THAT the Rio conference
will consider Strengthening and
extending these controls, since
part of a vast military operation.
Newest element in the South
American alien problem Is present.
ed by the Japanese. Penetration
Of the Japs in South America has
been mlnimized and pOOl-poOhed,
but that vas 1ho attitude in Ha
Waii. tie Philippines and on the
west coast of tie UnI.cd States,
100. and what has happened there
has been nothing 10 minimize.
Brazil has tnr largest japanese
population, JUat a l. La ,he larg
est German population. b., these
clements are 50 scattered icy pre-
5ent no rtaI problem. L is in Peru
hat the grcateat JapanA-- menace
is . be tognd and 9nder ocular
circumstance. Tuc 25CaQ - 10000
Japs in Pc.aI arc no coHncqtrated
N st.atn.." areas. The" are not
miners In TIE inferior. 70! are they
fishermen along the cOa-' Instead,
thry are Il stOrekeeplng and gard
ening cas-. with perhaps the Iarg-
est concentrations near the metro
poiItan ccnters of Lima and Callao.
From our points Of .cE. where
the japanese present the 2rcatest
hazards are as tho prcmotcrs of
strlEcs. or as Sabotcura Dyuamit-
ing OF a single track tunnel from
one Of nc Peruvian or Bolivian
mine could do more damage than
thc sinking Of con'oi nt hips
4ca.Iug tuc rest Of til mines
oWara tuc Um'nd t5a'"s
Thus far. j, Is bchc.cd, lie Pc
etlylan government La. taken every
,tcp necessary 10 cuIb 'Ae Japs and
10 protect United state interests
But II more Gras'i" ac'Inn 3 re-
luired az i a.G5.d boromc nee
cssary ~ coNilhr thee aTe, aliens
/ II CONCENTRATION camps tie 4Ics-
I'm m.2ht arlec q 70 NO L. to
fo1' lie L.u am tor now .o"1
HONOR> CHLMIsT
BURLINGION. V JI. /. Up
AI'ulusu Dean Jr -5A l. Hla Of
VcMDH Agricultural .cA"ol IS