Evening star., 1948-12-23
Force in Latin America

The State Departments condemnation
of the use Of military force in Latin
America to overthrow popularity elected
and constitutional governments is note
worthy document. stigmatizing this prac-
tice as "deplorable," as inconsistent with
the expressed ideals of the American re-
publics, and as increasingly danger to
all the countries of this hemisphere" the
department goes on to say that 1t Is con-
ferring with the foreign offices OF other
American republics as to what can and
should be done to cope with this ominous
trend.
That such q trend exists Is obvious.
Within the past few months, three legally
elected governments-thoseo of Peru, Vene-
zuela and El Salvador, to name them in
the order of their occurrence-have been
overthrown almost without resistance by
coups d'etat engineered by the officers
corps of. their respective military eStab-
lishments. Furthermore, during this same
period, no less than eight other Latin
American governments have been threat
ened by uprisings or incipient revolts,
including such usually stable countries as
Chile and Uruguay.
Such a situation is sadly at variance
with the lofty principles subscribed to by
all the republics of the western Hem1-
sphere in the Rio treaty and the Organiza
ton Charter of American States, both of
which explicitly affirm the effective exer-
else of representative democracy to be the
vital basis for realizing the aim of Pan
American solidarity founded on peace,
justice and security
However, as the old saying goes: 1T Is
a condition and not theory that confronts
us" And finding remedy for this bad
condition is not easy. Much criticism has
recently been levelled at our concurrence
in the resolution passed at the Inter-
American Conference at Bogota last April
providing for diplomatic recognition of
revolutionary governments provided these
are in full control and prepared to meet
and discharge their respective RESPONSE
bilities. The critics contend that this
resolution gave the green light" to polit-
ical adventurerS bent on overthrowing
existing regimes. Yet it should be remem-
bered that, In the past, the United States
has aroused widespread antagonism in
Latin America by its former policy of with
holding diplomatic recognition of revo-
lutionary governments which the State
Department considered illegitimate because
of their actions and methods of attaining
power. Such a policy on our. part was
resented by our southern neighbors as
arrogating to ourselves superior wisdom,
authority and power. It was largely in
difference to that feeling that the State
Department advocated passage of the
Bogota resolution.
Bearing all this in mind, it seems obvious
that there can be no return to a resumption
| by us of a unilateral test for recognition
of revolutionary regimes. The solution of
the problem would appear to be the
formulation of an effective standard on
a Pan-American basis, to which all the
signatories would be ready to give more
than lip service. But it is to be anticipated
that the working out of such a method will
not be easy The revolutionary tradition
runs deep throughout Latin America. In
deed, 1t has often seemed to be the only
way to get rid of governments which,
though technically legitimate, had proved
despotic and self -perpetuating in defiance
of public opinion. The increasing ease
with which modernized armies In Latin