Evening star., 1947-02-06
Pan American Tribute
To Dr.. Leo 5. Rowe,
Led by President

President Truman led official and
diplomatic Washington in an i'm
pressive tribute last night to the
memory of DR.. Leo S. Rowe, direc-
tor-general of the Pan American
Union, who was killed in a traffic
accident two months ago.
From his seat on the dais directly
beneath portrait Of DR.. Rowe, Mr..
Truman heard six distinguished
speakers eulogize the late Pan
American leader before hundreds Of
persons gathered in the f1ag-decked
Hall of the Americas in the Pan
American Union Building.
DR.. Antonio Rocha, ambassador OF
Colombia to the Union and chair
man of the Governing Beard,
termed the ceremony "a tribute Of
an entire continent" DR.. Rocha
spoke in Spanish.
Open Minded and Generous.
"Just as the spirit Of the inter-
American system is adaptable, so
DR.. Rowe's was open-rninded and
generous" the speaker declared.
Everywhere, from his position Of
leadership in the Union, at inter-
American conferences, in his writ
ten and spoken word, in his unceas-
ing cooperation as a friend, in his
resolute will to service, he was sus-
tanned by the enthusiastic faith of
those whose inner eye discerns great
spiritual truths.
eft would be hard to conceive Of
any ideal with which DR.. Rowe
would be more in sympathy than
the good neighbor policy" the
speaker concluded.
Speaking in Portuguese, DR.. Joao
Carlos Muniz, ambassador of Brazil
to the Union, reflected this way Of
his friendship with DR.. Rowe and
his productive work in fostering
inter-American amity:
"In evoking his memory, at this
moment when we offer him our
tribute of gratitude, see him
exactly as I saw him for the first
time Is years ago, just as saw him
only a few days before cruel death
bereaved us of him forever"
Additional tribute was paid by
Joseph D. Charles, Ambassador OF
Haiti tQ the sUnited State, Tess-
ing TIL assemblage u xsei, he
said that sas long as there Is found
in our humanity a heart large
enough, a spirit great enough to
think that the highest destiny Of
men and Of peoples is to love and
serve, the memory Of DR.. Leo STAN
ton Rowe will remain alive always" !"
DR.. Rowe possessed mobility Of
spirit" said Assistant Secretary of
State Spruille Braden, in speaking
for the United States. "His memory,
honored throughout the hemisphere,
will remain as a constant i1spiras
ton, sustaining our hope In the
Iperfectability of mankind"
Father Walsh Gives Farewell.
The Rev. Edmund A. Walsh, S. j.,
vice president Of Georgetown Uni
versity and regent Of the School Of
Foreign Service, complied with DR..
Rowe's last wishes that he speak a
word of farewell. He called DR..
Rowe "a gentleman in private and
In public life exhibiting those graces
of true humanism which are more
easily recognized than defined.
HE knew that diplomacy is the
art of the possible, not the imposi-
ton Of the impossible by bayonets. .
Father Walsh asserted. A
The closing address was made by
DR.. Pedro de Alba, acting director
general of the Pan American Union.
He said of DR.. Rowe: HE surren-
dered himself to the cause of Pan
Americanism as an apostle and as
a fighter. This house became his
sanctuary in which to carry on his
studies, at the same time serving
as his headquarters for directing
great battles. The man who teaches
by example carries in his hands a
persuasive power"
Mrs. Truman was seated In the
audience, which besides the diplo-
matte corps included heads of Gov
ernment agencies interested in Latin
America, Senators, Representatives
and Latin American military
attaches.