Evening star., 1950-10-08


We will continue to have tt
below the Rio Grande in oul
challenge of communism. Each
and every one will cooperate eco
nomically. In case of Russian
submarine attacks the majority
OF them. but not all, would Offer
facilities for air and naval bases
Some. particularly the Centra,
American and possibly the west
ern South American countries
would permit us to station troops
on their soil as they did in the
last war. Costa Rica, Panama
and others have already made
such offers.
Europe Another Matter
In the present emergency a few
countries such as Colombia. Bo.
livia, Honduras and others have
volunteered token forces. If il
continues, Mexico and some Others
might do likewise. But unless
there is a direct attack on this
hemisphere, or Russian Com
munist armies march into West
ern Europe, no important nation
to the south of us is going to send
any effective number of men ia
fight overseas.
Some Of the reasons are obvious
As to the present difficulty in the
Pacific, Korea and Asia in general
are too far away. The Latin
Americans have practically no in
terests there. Trade with that
part Of the world has never been
important. Before the last war
the japanese made a concerted
drive to build up commercial re-
lations with these countries. They
established steamship lines to both
the Atlantic and Pacific coasts,
and spent large sums of money
for propaganda. Yet their share
OF Latin American trade never
amounted to more than 3 per cent
Of the total.
The Japs established large COL
onies Of their people In Brazil and
Peru and settled considerable
numbers of their nationals in most
OF the Western republics. But the
Asiatics were never popular. They
not only remained unassimilated
racially, but also socially and po-
litically. In fact, they were al
ways suspect. and because of their
treachery and disloyalty during
World War II they are still more
or less outcasts.
Price of Collaboration
Any move by Russia to invade
Western Europe would present a
different situation. 1t would
bring the conflict closer to every
family. The original settlers of
all these countries were not only
European Spaniards, Portuguese
and others, but millions of those
who have come over since are of
Italian. French, German and even
Balkan descent or birth. Fifty
per cent Of the population of Ar
gentina has Italian blood in its
veins. and several million are i'm
migrants from Italy. There are
five million Italians in Southern
Brazil. Southern Chile Is largely
German.
Most of these people are anti
Communist. The vast majority
are devoutly Catholic. Many of
them have accumulated land and
property, and some of them great
wealth. Large numbers of the
Germans may have leaned to the
Nazis in the early part of the last
war. But then Naziism was surel,
German theology, while fas.
cism received its greatest impetus
In Italy. Present-day communism
however, is alien to all the West.
ern European nations. It is o1
Russian origin. Russia has never
been popular in Western Europe
and less so since the fall of the
Cars. Wherever communism ha!
fiourished in this hemisphere Il
has been principally among tn;
poorer laboring classes, peasants
poems, and the less fortunate
among the long established ma
tive populations.
What is more, when and if wal
should spread either to the
Americas or to Western Europe
and the Latins decide to become
directly involved from a military
standpoint. some of them will ex.
pect long-range economic assist
ance from us, in return for theil
collaboration. They will not make
such a demand openly; nothine
so crude as that. But until such
assurances are made certain anc
irrevocable. military support from
our neighbors in any war over.
seas will not be all-out.
Need Economic Aid
To us such an attitude may
seem short-sighted and cold
blooded. But as one important
United States diplomat has point.
ed out, This is simply the way
1t is, and there is no use arguine
about it. Furthermore" he add.
ed, from their standpoint sucf
an attitude is not without logic
Whether justly or unjustly, mos
of them still feel that their eco.
non1ic needs and wishes were
grossly neglected following tn,
last war;"
Some of them, particularly Bra
zil, gave what they are convinced
was all-out aid in that conflict
yet" as one of the highest Bra
lillian officials put 1t, when tn,
war was over, you not only bailes
ollt the 0reat EiIroneop ,ou,are