Evening star., 1945-08-27
US. Urged to Clarity
Stond on Argentina
Ambassador Withdrawal Called
Grave Mistake by Observer
By David Laurence


BY David Laurence
What does the United States intend
to do about the Argentine problem?
Developments over the week end broadly
tend to clarity the position of the WASH
ington administration. In fact, it would
seem that the late President Roosevelt's
action in recognizing the present gov
ernment at Buenos Aires-a step that
had the active and unanimous support
of all Latin-American governments-is
about to be repudiated in large part by
President Truman and Secretary Of State
Byrnes.
Cordell Hull was a great American
Secretary OF State, but one of the very
few mistakes he made was in the final
stages OF his policy toward Argentina.
President Roosevelt rectifed the error
by approving, on March 16 of this year,
written plan for the formal recogni-
ton of and admission of Argentina into
the Pan-American family of nations and
giving her an opportunity to declare war
on Germany and Japan and sign the
United Nations Declaration. Mr.. Hull
now is credited with having Influenced
Secretary Byrnes to follow the State De-
partment policies of 1914
1t is true that the Farrel-Peron gov.
eminent in Buenos Aires has not as yet
lived up to all the commitments it made
at the Mexico City conference, but the
pot is boiling inside Argentina and the
ferment of democracy is working To
make a decision now to withdraw ouI
Ambassador and not replace him at this
critical time when the Argentine people
need our encouragement and support is
a grave error.
Similar Action In Past.
The business Of snubbing friendly peo-
Piles by withdrawing an ambassador has
played havoc with our relations with
Latin-America in the past and has
served only to foment anti-Americar
movements in this hemisphere as well
as being used in the countries affected
as a means of capitalizing a peoples
patriotism and stimulating resentment
against foreign dictation."
When Norman Armour, the American
Ambassador, was withdrawn from Ar.
gentina last year in the same kind OF
move as is being made now, it did not
help matters, but tended to give the
Fascist groups free hand by withdraw.
ing our own contacts with the demo.
cratic elements in Argentina.
Subsequently other Latin American
countries saw the unfortunate conse.
quences of this step and this presum.
ably influenced the late President
Roosevelt last March to approve a new
program whereby ambassadors from al
Latin American countries and the
United States would be sent to recog.
nize the government in Argentina and
to admit the Argentine people into the
family of nations. President Truman
and Secretary Stettinius as we'll as al
the members Of the United States dele.
cation at San Francisco approved thu
admission of Argentina to the United
Nations Conference.
Now Latin American governments anc
peoples will wonder at the sudden re.
versal OF a major policy single-handee
and without consulta ton with them
They have heard, first from the news.
papers, that a so-called "stiffening" is
to be applied to our policy towarc
Argentina.
During the war it was logical for the
United States through the State De-
partment and other channels to inveigh
against Axis agents and influence anc
to use economic weapons; but the wal
is over and the question now is how tc
build lasting friendship with the Ar.
gentine people who can be trusted in
the approaching elections to choose ths
kind of government they want or else
to invoke revolution if the present ad.
ministration in Buenos Aires prevents
free expression by ballot.
Forbearance Urged.
Is the United States alone to sci
herself up as the judge of the form OF
government or personnel or theological
leanings of the various administration,
in Latin American countries? Isn't this
precisely what our State Department
is opposing when Russia insists on
single-handed policy in the Balkans
and Eastern Europe?
The best policy for the United States
to pursue is one of patience and for
bearance. To pull out an ambassador
who has been making headway in eur
behalf and to fail to replace him
promptly is to imperil the success OF
the forthcoming Pan-American Con.
ference at Rio de Janeiro on Octobe,
20, which is to draw up a treaty OF
mutual defense in this hemisphere to
supplement the temporary agreement
known as the Act Of Chapultepec
signed at Mexico City last spring.
The present Argentine government
has right to be present and take an
active part in that conference and Sec
retary Byrnes may have inadvertently
furnished Argentine Fascists with lust
the psychological weapons they have
been looking for to wreck that con.
ference.
1t would be much better for the
prestige of the United States and the
cause Of Pan-American solidarity II
the Secretary of State formulated his
new policies in Latin America after
consultation with the other governments
Of Central and South America and If
he sent at once another ambassado,
to Buenos Aires to replace Mr. Braden
who has just been appointed Assistant
Secretary of State here.
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