Evening star., 1943-12-15
Hull Hits Butler Attack
On Latin American Aid
AS Unfair, Unfounded
By the Associated Press,

AS Unfair, Unf0unded
By the Associated Press,
Praising the Latin American
Republics for their aid in the
fight against the Axis, Sec
retary of State Hull denied last
night an assertion by Senator
Butler, Republican, of Nebraska,
that United States funds were
being lavished extravagantly in
an effort to buy South American
friendship.
Mr.. Hull said the Butler state
ment, issued after the Nebraskan
completed a 20,000-mile tour of
Latin and South America, was "un-
fair and unfounded." The wording,
he added, was calculated to injure"
the entire good neighbor policy.
"It is a tribute to the good sense
of the people of the Americas, who
have now had 10 years of experience
with the good neighbor policy, that
these gross Misrepresentation were
not generally believed" the Secre-
tary said in a statement, adding:
Deplores Buffers Charges.
"It is distressing that at a time
when the Nation is engaged in a
gigantic effort to defeat the as
sassins of civilization a wholly in
defensible attack should be leveled
at policy so universally acclaimed"
Senator Butler told the Senate
last week that his personal in
vestigation showed that United
States commitments in Latin Amer
lea totaled more than $4,000, 900 900
and that this country was being
played for sucker" and inviting
the contempt Of the southern re-
publics.
The Senate Appropriations Com
mittee reported yesterday that total
expenditures and loans to Latin
American nations in the last three
years amounted to $1,547 1856 900.
Deducting $64 ,0l3 900 of loans repaid
and payments resulting from lease
lend, the net United States COM
mitments and loans were s1.483,-
$4,000, the committee said in a
report presented by Acting Chair
man McKellar.
Butler Plans Audit.
Earlier unofficial tabulation show
ing the total of United States aid
to be S2,910,9l5,000 were incorrect,
the committee said, and resulted
from the addition of items actually
carried forward to a net cumulative
total.
Mr.. Hull declared he believed
Senator McKellar had presented "to
the satisfaction of everybody the
the fallacies and the
of Senator Buffers
allegations
Senator Butler said he wasn't "re-
an inch" from his original |
charge and reiterated his intention
Of making an independent audit.
Acknowledging the possibility of
errors Of judgment" in programs
carried out under pressure of war,
Mr. Hull said. nevertheless, the main
question now is whether I'VE shall |
forget the broad essential nature
Of our cooperative activities in the
other American republics and turn
TO a controversy over limited num-
Der of items of wartime expendi- j
ture."
Cites War Support.
Senator McKellar ably and effec-
tlvely~presented the matter-in this
dght,ssMr Hull added. - -
He emphasized that 1--WE in the
United States are proud of our
membership in the inter- American
system through which the 20 Amer
ican republics have so decisively
met the challenge of our times"
He noted that 13 of these coun-
tries are at war with the Axis; that !
six others have broken diplomatic
relations with the Axis, and that
Argentina alone has failed to act. .
He said the cooperating coun-
3ries had opened their ports to
United States ships, welcomed our
5roops and devoted their minds,
.orce and fields to the production
If war materials.
They rounded up Axis spies and
'aboteurs," Mr.. Hull continued.
and they shut off trade of benefit
% the Axis. They co-operated in
;he defense of the Panama Canal
and in the suppression of the sub
marine menace"
The plain truth is" Mr.. Hull
declared, that without this CO.
operation the course of the war in
highly essential strategic areas
night have been different"