The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-03-16
Observations
South American
Faith in United
States Restored
BY Charles p. Stewart

OIdI6S hSSIOISu
BY Charles p. Stewart
Latin-American republics have
responded warmly to State I'm.
dersecretary Sumner Welles' as
surance that the United States
has not the remotest idea of estab.
fishing a single military base on
the soil OF any of them, or in their
various vicinities, that can impair
the absolute independence OF any
OF their number.
Welles undoubtedly is the best
minister OF inter-American affairs
available in this country.
President Roosevelt is the No.
/ missionary of New World good
neighborliness. Vice President
Henry A. Wallace has worked
hard TO learn their two languages
Spanish and Portuguese. At
present he is touring a number OF
the Latin Nations, making
speeches. Director Nelson A.
Rockefeller's Inter-American Co
ordination Once is working ef-
fectively.
Welles, however, not only
speaks their languages and has
visited all of them, but he has
lived in them, and was personally
popular among them in days prior
TO the good neighbor campaign.
when they generally did not like
us so well.
AS a matter of fact. we have
obtained some wartime conces-
sions for bases on the coasts OF
several of them, but we did It
with their governments cordial
Endorsement.
We also have 99-year leases for
bases on New World British soil,
in localities which may appear to
be- pointed in Latin Americas d.
rection, and there has been talk
in Congress that we ought to in
sist on making these bargains
permanent, in return for lend
lease aid extended to them or
their home folk.
1t was injudicious talk, by legis-
lators who did not realize how
damaging it would be among such
Latins as did not understand
how meaningless it was. Most
OF them, though, did realize 1t.
They comprehend that we have
their own defense in mind, as well
as our own.
Germany, it is ,7ell known, long
has wanted to horn in onto our
Latin-American Atlantic coast and
Japan on the Pacific side.
The Latins objected on both
fronts. They had foreign colon
les. though, which more or less
ove-ruled them. Furthermore,
back in pro-g0od neighborly days,
when everything south Of the Rio
Grande was a terra incognita 10
all but a few Yankee traders, we
paid no attention to German and
Asiatic acticity on our sides OF
the southern Atlantic and Pacific
coasts.
Spain, Portugal and Italy would
have been the natural overseas
lands to be so busy at It. How
ever, 1t mainly was Germany and
Japan. The Spanish, Portuguese
and Italians apparently took 1t for
granted that they were in solid
in Latin-America, but they were
not; they classed as native.
The British we're better en-
trenched than we were. Our ad-
vent started with World War I
and then only with a couple of
our banking companies and the
merest handful of diplomats, such
as Sumner Welles. then first seq
rotary OF the United States en-
bassy In Buenos Aires.
The Axis has tried, in the pres
ent crisis, to take advantage OF
those conditions, TO propaganda
against US.
Their story Is that we are try
ing TO gobble the whole hemis.
phere-annex 1t.
Sumner Welles denies IL abso-
lutely and is fully believed, az
conclusively proved by the La
tins reaction.
The only one OF the 20 southern
republics where I might slightly
qualify this statement is Argen-
tina, which has not broken rela-
lions with the Axis. Just why 1t
has not in something OF a prob
lem. Probably this is because Of
commercial rivalry with us-their
agricultural production and our
own being so similar.
Always figure Importantly in
the discussion.
AS have already had occasion
10 remark, Latin America EN-
phstically is air.minded. because
IL is extremely shy on surface
transportation. This hits Argen-
tina as we'll as the rest OF them.
This fact may bring Argentina
into line. Indeed, II Is sure to do