Evening star., 1949-07-17
NLotin Affairs En1Dhdsized
New Stote Executive
to Concentrate on
Our Neighbors
By Edword TomIinson

lOmatic importance ana dignity
which 1t deserves. Once again
the Bureau of American Republic
Affairs is headed by q top-flight
policy making official who will de-
vote his entire time to our rela-
tions with the 100000 people
of the 20 nations and the scores Of
islands and self-governing terri
tories to the south Of us.
Fortunately. the new Assistant
Secretary of State for Inter-
American Affairs. Edward q. NIL
Ter. jr., will not have to spend
time convincing the veteran ex-
perts Of his department Of the
necessity for renewed vigor and
energy in the consideration and
solution Of Western Hemisphere
problems. For over two years
they, along with every Latin
American diplomat in Washing
ton, as well as our own ENJOYS
and foreign service officers In the
southern capitals, have been
champing at the bit because Of
what they all felt had been the
| relegation of New World rela-
tionS to a secondary place In the
councils Of our foreign affairs.
On q recent visit to Washington
the Foreign Minister Of one Of the
leading and most friendly Of the
other American nations said: You
seem to have forgotten that it
was we, your next-door neighbors,
who, with very few exceptions.
stood stanchly by you from the
very first moment Of the darkest
hour of your history" And he
added, with a slight tone Of Bit
terness, 1--WE do not ask the viz
tual charity which you are 20
bountifully bestowing upon many
other parts of the world. We only
ask the economic and financial
cooperation which you will one
day discover will be to your own
best interest as we'll as ours"
Economic Problems First
Every man in the Bureau OF
American Republic Affairs knows
that the two most pressing prob
lens confronting all the other
American nations, and especially
their relations with us, are eco
nomic. The first is the financial,
or dollar crisis in Latin America,
and the second, the slump in trade
and the barriers every one Of the
countries raises against exports to
the United States, as well as i'm
ports from this country. They
know the gravity of these prob
lens, and their disastrous effects,
not only upon Latin America but
their eventual effect upon the
United States itself. The plain
fact is, If there is financial crash
in all. or most Of these countries,
the repercussions north of the
border will be far reaching.
The reasons are not difficult to
see. United States investors,
which means not only banks. rich
people and big American capital
lists. but countless average citizens
in every State of the Union who
own stocks and bonds, often rep
resenting their life savings, have
an estimated $500, 100000 tied
up in almost every type of
mining, oil fields. utilities, airlines,
plantations, steamship companies,
factories as well as wholesale
and even retail establishments
throughout that part of the world.
Last years total trade with the
20 American republics amounted
to nearly $4,000. 100000. The De-
partment of Commerce has just
released figures showing that last
year more than one-fourth, or
27 per cent Of all our exports,
went to Latin America. More than
one-third, or 35 per cent, Of all
the products we imported came
from the countries and islands to
the south of us.
Balance in Exports
In 1947 our total trade with the
tiny island of Cuba alone was ST.
2O1 1881 900. almost as much as
our trade with the United King
dom, which amounted to $1,208.-
$4,000. Our combined exports
and imports from Brazil amount
ed to 1,088, ,854,000. More inter-
esting still, we sold both Brazil
and Cuba more than we bought
from them. Nor did we subsidize
or furnish loans or credits for
their purchases from us, as we
have been doing for Great Britain
and other European countries.
Many of our most vital neces-
stiles, both industrial raw mate
rials and foods, tin and copper,
manganese, tungsten and other
alloys, as well as coffee and sugar,
vegetable oils and innumerable
everyday products came from
that part of the world. Vital as
most of these things are to us
now, If we should be suddenly
thrown into a military crisis, they
would be indispensable.
At this moment only two or
three Of the countries have the
dollars with which to buy the
starkest manufactured and other
necessary imports from us. Vene-
zuela, Cuba and perhaps little
Panama. out Of the 20 southern
can pay for their pur-
chases from this country. Brazil
is unable to import farming and
road building machinery. Yet it
is difficult for her to deliver man
ganese and other minerals we
want from her because she lacks
transportation to transport them
from the interior to the seaports.
is desperate for agri-
cultural machinery. The same is !
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