Evening star., 1949-03-27
Great Britain, France and Holland Face
Challenge to Keep New World Lands
Havana Meeting of Latin American Nations Fuhers Efforts of
Dependencies Escape From Traditional Yokes

Falkland Islands off the coast Of
Argentina and the Antarctic pos
sessions. The colony Of British
Guiana alone is nearly as large as
the entire United Kingdom. This
South American colony, together
with Trinidad. contains, among
other things. rich oil fields, ex-
tensive bauxite or aluminium de-
posits. as well as gold and dia-
mond mines.
Dutch Guiana has some of the
largest bauxite mines in the Vest
ern world, practically all Of the
output of which comes to the
United States. Without access to
these deposits, we could not have
produced the hundreds of thou
sands of planes that helped to de-
feat Hitler and Hirohito. These
sources are more vital to US now
than ever. The largest oil refinery
in the world is not in the United
States or Russia. Ehe great
Standard Oil refinery on the
Dutch island of Aruba, just off the
north coast of Venezuela. is the
largest plant of its kind. The
Anglo United States-owned refin-
cry on the Island of Curacao. next
door to Aruba. is a close second in
its output.
Rich in Resources
French Martinique, Guadeloupe.
and French Guiana not only sup
ply the mother land with most Of
its sugar. alcohol, copra, hard
wood and other products, but
French Guiana. no longer a noto-
rious penal colony, bids fair to
become a rich gold-mining and
oil-producing area. Various COM
panies and interests. some backed
by United States capital. are now
engaged in extensive explorations
in the interior of this French
possession. OF course. from a
strategic standpoint. the Danish
colony of Greenland in the North
Atlantic is one of the most i'm
portant European possessions in
the Western Hemisphere.
Strategically, if Britain. France.
Holland and Denmark should
lose all or even any number Of
these colonies. it would affect this
country very seriously. The loss Of
the Falklands and certain of the
Islands by the British
would give control of the Straits
Of Magellan to Argentina or some
other power.
It is we'll to remember that in
two wars Argentina has not only
refused to support us. but In the
fight against the Axis she actually
gave aid and comfort to our
enemies. Had it not been for the
British naval base in the Falk-
lands. German raiders like the
Graf Spec might easily have gained
control of the South Atlantic dur
ing the early part of the last war.
The islands south of Cape Horn.
now occupied by Great Britain,
Argentina and Chile. are con-
sidered potential submarine bases.
from which it would be COM
paratively easy for any power in
control of them to cut off trafic
through the Straits of Magellan
and around South America.
What would become of all the
air and naval bases we built in
Bermuda, Trinidad and the various
islands and possessions of the
Caribbean. as well as those in
Greenland. if these colonies should
gain their independence? In many
instances. the lease of these bases
to us during the war and the con-
struction of hundreds of millions
of dollars worth of installations
on them was opposed by greatl
numbers of the inhabitants as
we'll as the majority Of the local
officials and politicians.
Embarrassing to u. S.
One of the interesting points
raised at the Havana Conference
is the possible consequence to
these territories. and the threat
they would raise to the American
republics, if Russian Communists
should succeed in taking over
France or Holland or any of the
other mother countries. Some idea
of our predicament may be ap-
parent when we recall what hap
pened in French Martinique and
Guadeloupe after France fell to
Nazi Germany in the last war.
Those islands became strategic
hazards to our lines of commune
cation, both to the Panama Canal
and to the South Atlantic and
South America.
More important still, the con-
ference in Havana, as we'll as the
Latin American campaign to end
European colonialiSm, coming at
this particular time, not only sup
plies lush fuel for the Moscow
propagandists but it is particularly
embarrassing to the United States.
Naturally, we cannot very we'll
afford to join Argentina, Guate-
mala and the others in trying to
wiring ancient American posses
sions from Britain, Holland and
France, at the very moment when
we are trying to engage them in a
united front with us to stem the
tide of Communist aggression.
incidentally. nearly all of these
European colonies were under the
rule of Britain, Holland and
France before any of the Latin
Republics, and some Of
them even before the United
gained independence from
Old World nations. Jamaica be-
came British in 1866. French Mar
Unique in 1885 and the Dutch