Evening star., 1943-12-12
Continued From Page C-1.

asked Brazilians about this rumor and
their reply was:
IF that happens, then you can ask
Inyour Ambassador why
In spite of the years of the good
neighbor policy, it would not be too
difficult to engender a new suspicion of
North American imperialism. 1t is just
here that the danger lies. No one,
whether civilian or military, appears to
be thinking in terms of old-fashioned
imperialism; there is no desire to en-
croach on Brazil's sovereignty. But the
very fact of the complicated relationship
which has grown out of the war crisis
might push us into a new kind of i'm
perialism. The most careful statesman
ship will be called for in order to avoid
any such mistake.
Close to Vargas.
Caffrey has, of necessity, been ex-
tremely close to the Vargas regime.
His staff worked with the Brazilian Sc
cret police to suppress a thorough Nazi
organization directed by Germans highly
trained for that particular function. On
the basis of information obtained in
large part by members of Caffrey's staff,
the ringleaders were arrested in a series
of raids in the course of one night Sub
sequently nearly 2,5O0 Axis plotters have
been apprehended and put in concentra-
ton camps.
Now the rumor is that Caffrey will
leave Brazil to 60 to Madrid as Am
bassador to Spain. He will be replaced
by diplomat less closely associated with
the Vargas regime. This may be merely
another rumor in Rios rumor- charged
atmosphere, but many Americans here
give it currency.
1t is important to remember that when
the world conflict ends there will almost
certainly be new competition for place
and power in South America. Then any
slightest ground for suspicion of motives
of the U. S. A. will Immediately be seized
on by rival powers; they will again seek
to make us into the menacing Colossus
of the North. Equally important, Brazil
at least is developing industrial inde-
pendence. Within few months the
Volta Redonda steel mills will begin to
produce on scale greater than South
America has ever seen. North America
must be prepared to deal on a new basis
with new South America
In Bolivia on smaller scale some
what the same problem exists. Nazis
occupied key positions in the Bolivian
Army. They have been replaced with
members of United States military
mission. After the war Bolivias position
is likely to be extremely difficult. Hav-
ing become involved in maintaining
Bolivias security, it will be difficult to
take detached view when the threat
is not from Axis enemies outside the
continent, but, say, from Bolivia's own
neighbors. To let ourselves be pushed
into the position of hemisphere police
man would be disaster all around.
No one, it should be repeated, wants
this. On both the diplomatic and the
military side men have worked tirelessly
night and day to achieve continental
solidarity. That they have achieved it
WAoAiouV VIC uoC VI 1UICS Ut even LQe
threat of force but by collaboration in
the truest sense is one Of the triumphs of
the war.
Now that the worst danger is past,
We tend to forget all too easily the situa-
tion that those men faced three years
ago. So real was the threat of Axis in
vasion from nearby Dakar in Africa that
whole series of secondary airbases
were planned for the interior, as a line
of defense against an enemy with air.
bases on the coast. Having, achieved
wartime cooperation and solidarity,
perhaps we shall be wise enough and
fortunate to steer safely through the
different hazards of the phase that is
about to begin.
printed BY special arransement with the 81.
Louis rost-D1spatch.)