Evening star., 1951-01-07
Champions Solidarity
Assistant Secretary of State Miller Tries
To Make Americas Into One Family
By Edwurd TomIinson

State for Latin American Affairs
to Washington as chairman of
the Advisory Board of the point
four program. Realizing Mr.
Rockefeller's interest in the in
dustrial development of the Latin
American nations, and his pres
tige in the financial and business
world, Mr.. Miller welcomed his
predecessor to the new job, which
brings him in close collaboration
with the State Department.
Pitched Right In
Soon after the Assistant Secre-
tary took office he tackled the
ticklish Argentine question in an
effort to ease the tension which
had existed between our own and
the government of President
Juan Domingo Peron for more
than six years. Disregarding the
critics, particularly anti-Peron
labor groups in this country,
along with considerable number
of leftist elements and even some
of the liberal newspapers, he
shouldered full responsibility for
making an economic deal with
the BuenoS Aires regime. After
months of the most tedious nego-
tiation Peron agreed to lift many
restrictions On = United States
Argentine trade, in return for a
$125 million loan, or credit" :"
This agreement made it possible
for the majority of United States
firms doing business in Argentina
to be paid in dollars for goods
already sold in the country. and
for other companies to remit their
earnings.
Unfortunately, the Argentine
agreement intensified the already
critical attitude of Brazilians to-
ward Washington. Officials in
Rio had previously expressed bit
ter disappointment over what they
felt was the failure of this coun-
try to lend more economic aid in
the development of their indus
trial resources, in return for their
collaboration during World War
II. Whatever we may have
thought about it, such a deal with
their next-door neighbor. coun-.
try that had neither sacrificed
anything nor co-operated in the
great world conflict. seemed to
even the most intelligent Brazilian
like reWarding an enemy and
turning our backs on a friend.
Adding insult to injury came the
charges of Senator Gillette's ag-
ricultural subcommittee that Bra
lillian coffee growers were largely
responsible for the skyrocketing
of coffee prices in.this country.
With State Department ap-
proval the Export Import Bank
and also the World Bank have
granted a sizable list of loans
and credits to Brazilian business
firms, and also to the Brazilian
government for a number of hy-
droelectric and other industrial
projects, amounting in the past
IL months to over $100 million.
Recently came the announcement
that more than three-quarters of
million dollars of point-four
funds have been earmarked for
use in providing more scientific
know-how and industrial tech
niques for the people of that
country. This is one of the very
first allotments made since the
fund was voted by Congress.
Sees for Himself
A large measure of the credit
for easing economic difficulties
between Mexico and this coun-
try, and the advance of $3.50 mil
lion in new loans to the govern
ment of President Miguel Aleman
in the past six months, can be
ascribed to. the efforts Of the AS
sistant Secretary. This in spite
of the fact that Mexico posed
a very serious personal problem
for him when he took over the
direction of ter-American At
fairs a year and a half ago. He
had hardly been confirmed by
the Senate when he became the
target of campaign instigated
by persons connected with the
Mexican government oil monop-
oily. Several Congressmen even
took up the cudgels against him
and repeated some of the charges
in our own legislative halls.
These charges grew out OF the
| fact that Mr.. Miller championed
a State Department policy against
making government to = govern
ment loans for the exploitation
of oil resources in any country.
The department and Mr.. Miller
! took the stand that there was
no justification for using public
money for risk enterprise so long
as there is plenty of private
capital available for such pur-
poses.
Mr.. Miller has made point
of personal, -the-spot investi-
cations of the problems existing
or arising between this country
and it's neighbors. No other ''fT1
official of the State Depart
since the days when former
retary Cordell Hull visited so
many of the southern capitals
has been in more intimate con-
tact with Latin American leaders
in their own countries. Within
the first IL months after he as
sumed Office he had visited and
spent time in every one Of the
20 republics.
\ Nor have any other policy max
ina officials of the department in
recent times been so well qualified