The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-11-10

effectively employed on the lower
side Of the Rio Grande during the
last conflict. and it should be a
still simpler proposition today, for
the reason that our present dl-
plomacy has a more friendly COM
prehension Of the Latin tempera-
ment than that Of Woodrow Wilson
did. We might even succeed in con-
verting Argentina, not to mention
Chile, which already shows symp-
toms Of aligning itself with US.
MY own experience during the
19l4-lS period was as Yankee pub
ncity manager in the River Plate
area. with Buenos Aires as head
quarters.
Argentina then. as now. was
very stubbornly neutral. but it
might have been won over with a
reasonable degree Of tactfulness
from Washington. and it probably
can be today if we're as suave
with the folk there as the Roose-
Welt administration has demon
strated that it knows how to be.
The point from which our local
management undoubtedly ought to
operate is Rio de Janeiro. Mexico
City is highly important but it's
so close to us as 10 be readily ac-
cessible from our side Of the bor-
der. Buenos Aires is the western
hemisphere premier southern me-
tropolis and needs to be energeti-
cally cultivated, but it's still eX-
ceedingly neutral. whereas Rio is
belligerently one of our anti-Axis-
party members.
A Vital Jump
Now, South Americas eastern
coastal bulge isn't to be forgotten,
a bulge opposite to Vichy French
Africas western bulge. with Dakar
at its westernmost. the shortest
hop across the southern Atlantic
and 'pt to become a jump Of the
utmost military Importance as the
war wags along.
At the extremity Of Brazil's
easterly bulge, toward Dakar, is
Natal.
However, only a trifiing jump
from the bulges apex is the far
more important Brazilian city Of
Pernambuco (also known as Re-
cife). with materially better port
facilities than Natals. AS to the
bulge, I'd award the prize to Per-
nambuco, Of course not disregard
ing Natal in emergencies.
on that bulge issue Psrnambuco
seems to me to nave the edge on
every other place.
Rio isn't geographically as avail
able as either of the other two. The
fact remains, though. that it's the
Brazilian capital. whence come all
the republics wartime orders. and
II isn't far outside the critical orbit,
either.
Rio. then. strikes me as 1T be-
yond the tip of Florida down to
TERRA del Fuego.
Wen, suppose a Yankee press
agent is dispatched to solidify us
with Latin America!
What's due TO be his itinerary?
Fly All the Way
He'll be due to travel by plane
exclusively. His trouble the last
time was that he couldn't be expe-
Gitious enough-not without lmmi-
nent risk Of crashing. True, nobody
cares if such an envoy does crash.
insofar as he's concerned personal
ly; yet, if he does so. IL spoils him
as an envoy.
All right.
He ought to fy first to Havana.
for a brief visit and 10 get &C
quainted From Havana, Mexico
City should be his destination Of
few days duration Thence he's
scheduled to scoot down the west
coast, looking in at an occasional
port as far as Valparaiso; thence
on 70 Santiago, the Chilean capital.
Picking up a suitable guy to keep
the Chilean press interested. his
next mop VIII be across the Andes
to Buenos Aires There he'll have