Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-02-27

into serious is Lowell MeIlett.
sues. Exen less can We be ex-
pected to appraise the merits OF
domestic disagreements within vari-
GUS Of these countries which may
contain the seeds of inter- American
difficulties.
But there Is sound basis for ouI
feeling that this is useful confer
ence, one certain to carry still
further the steadily developing unity
among the nations of the Western
Hemisphere.
Much has happened in the Amer
icas since the last war. Consider the
conditions then. There being no
basis for cooperative action to meet
the crisis of that war, no such ac-
ton was taken. Our country en-
tered the world conflict with one eye
cooked on our nearest neighbor
Mexico, an unfriendly neutral
stretched along a 1,200mile border
All in all, the support received by
the Allies from some Latin Amer
lean nations was more than offset by
the energies consumed in maintain
ing a vigilance over other Latin
American nations.
We Trust Them Now.
It hasn't been like that this time.
Beginning with the conference at
Montevideo in 1888, at which Secre-
tary Hull formally renowned the
right of the United States to inter-
vene In the affairs of other Amer
lean republics, there has developed
an extraordinary degree of mutual
trust and solidarity 1t is not yet
complete, of course. but it has reach
ed the point where the only &C.
casion for surprise would be found
in its breaking down. Nothing so
promising has come to pass in any
part of the world as the success of
the good neighbor policy in the
Western Hemisphere.
To take more recent point OF
departure, much has happened ir
this hemisphere since Munich.
Even as the Hitler regime made
its bold plans for the Notification Of
Europe. an ambitious element in the
Argentine gave evidence of similar
aims with regard to South America
The early successes OF Germany
Italy and Japan lent confidence tC
their undertaking. With the aid Of
their foreign mentors, they seizec
control of their country and thus
far they have kept it. Sadder now
if not wiser, they are continuing tc
develop the military strength of the
Argentine and their army has be-
come standing menace to their
neighbors.
Suppose the efforts OF liberal
American statesmen never had been
made or had failed and that we had
a situation in the Latin American
countries similar to that of Is years
ago. What would now be happening
in Mexico City? Conceivably we
would have an Argentine Hitler lay
ing down his own terms. Conceiv-
ably we would have an American
Chamberlain coming home carrying
his umbrella in one hand and in the
other a piece of paper representing
Peace in Our Time" Peace in oul
time would mean, perhaps, the gift
of Paraguay or Uruguay to the Ar.
gentine, even as Czechoslovakia wa!
tossed to the wolf at Munich. Il
might mean tacit understanding
that Argentina should find he
Lebensraum, her place in the ives
tering sun, by moving against Chill,
in return for agreeing not to NOV,
northward, even as England ant
France sought to appease Hitler a
the expense of Russia.
Speaking Out Freely.
But it isn't like that at Mexic,
City. The urge to appease Argen
tina is very slight, indeed On tn
other hand there is no desire t,
prevent Argentina from becoming
good neighbor If that country
rulers are able to demonstrate
sincere desire to be such-or if tn
Argentine people should provid
themselves with rulers of a neigh
borly disposition.
Meantime, the representatives o
the lesser republics bordering Of
Argentina are not dancing in tn
streets of Mexico City chanting
Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf p