Evening star., 1942-05-07
People Of Colombia
Confident ofU. :. Aid
In Case Of Attack
Peoee-Loving, They Have
Tiny Army and Only
Few Gunbouts
BY WARD MOREHOUsE,


Foreign Correspondent of The Star and
| North American Newspaper Alliance.
BARRANQUILLA, Colombia. May
7.-People of Colombia talk of the
war but they would not like to be
/ talked into it, War with What?"
said an induStrialist of Medellin as
1 visited that city Our army is
pitifully small, We have only a few
| gunboats. and we are in the same
| state of unpreparedneSS that other
South American countries find
themselves. And I repeat, war with
! what?"
And Colombians, he added, are
peace-pursuing people md have
been at comparative peace since
I 1902. In the last decade there has
been little thought of military de-
velopment. There has been, in
stead, concentration on road build
ing, factory building, modernization
of cities and industrial expansion.
Colombia is not and has not been,
War-minded.
They we'll know here in this port,
however. as in Medellin and the
capital of Bogota. that any threat to
the Panama Canal might become
threat to Colombia, that Panama
attack undoubtedly would bring war
to this country'S borders. There are
many Colombian airhelds within two
hours bomber flight from Panama.
And Barranquilla' Soledad Airport,
to which United States bombers now
have access and are using regularly,
is hardly more than an hours flying
time from Panamanian points.
Coast on Two Oceans.
Colombia, an enormous two-ocean
countryside has 1000 miles of
coastline on the Pacific and 1,100
on the Atlantic-has severed rela-
tons with Japan and Germany and
her ties of friendship with the
United States are now very strong.
Here in Barranquilla I've found evi-
denceS of rather intense pro-
American spirit, and certainly an
existing belief that Colombia would
be given instantaneous aid in event
of attack.
The Colombian authorities gave
full cooperation in ousting the Ger
man personnel from the airline
Scadta (noW Avianca and they've
sought to free the country's borders
of Germans and Italians. They are
aware, however, that many Ger
mans remain. Many have been sent
to inland areas. No small number
of these are Germans who have
spent many years here.
Colombia, fully aware of it's linn
tied military resources, feels that it
is no more defenseless than other
countries of Latin America.
There are dangers in its proximity
to the Panama Canal but this very
proximity. the Colombians will tell
you. would bring United States aid
in formidable proportions. Conf
dence in United States armed
strength and the potentialities of
America as warning nation are
somehow greater here than within
the boundaries of the States.
Peaceful Minded People
In the republic of Colombia,
land of coffee, gold and oil, you
seldom see a soldier. You behold
no parades and there are no zooming
military planes. After five days in
Barranquilla don't believe I've seen
single policeman. You see," said
a Colombian who's lived in this port
20 years and who has been to the
States numerous times, we're
peaceful-minded. We have few such
things as robberies and thugs. We
have an army-something of an
army-but you're seldom reminded
of it. Everywhere from the Straits
Of Magellan to the Caribbean Sea
you will find Latin Americans talk
inc of war bIlt T have vet tn know