Evening star., 1962-01-28
Continued From Page Al

NOHIlHucu CTOLA age al
development has been the wild
ening split between Argentina
and Brazil.
The two have long been
rivals for leadership in Latin
America despite their agree
ment last April on a common
policy in inter-American af-
fairs.
The Brazilians suspect that
President Kennedy's persistent
courting Of Argentine's Presi-
den Arturo Frondizi is an
effort to split the two coun-
tries and promote Argentine
ascendancy.
One United States official
privately said he feels the weak
parliamentary regime ruling
Brazil since the resignation of
President Janio Quadros last
August is too unstable to be
the main base for United States
policy in Latin America.
The net result is a scarcely
muted antagonism here be-
tween the Brazilian and United
States delegations.
The argument in opposition
to the United States proposal
on Cuba has two main barbs-
juridical and political. The
Mexicans join the Brazilians in
maintaining that this confer
ence. so hastily prepared. has
neither the authority nor the
competence to oust Cuba from
OAS organs.
They agree with the United
States, however, on several
other basic points:
That the conference can vote
to ban the Castro government
from the Inter-American De-
fense Board, since this auton-
ofnous body was established by
just such a foreign ministers
meeting as this.
They also agreed with a gen.
eral statement on the incom-
patibility of Cuban commu-
nisrn with the inter-American
system and with an embargo
on all hemisphere arms ship
ments to Cuba. They also say
the trade embargo the United
States desires is negotiable
partly, they admit privately,
because trade in the hemis-
phere now constitutes less than
5 per cent Of all Cuban trade.
Back Investigation
But what the Mexicans and
Brazilians refuse to admit is
that the Castro government
can be put under blanket sus-
pension from OAS at this
meeting. They want the con-
ference to Great a committee
under the OAS Council in
Washington which would in
vestigate fully the Cuban COM
mitments to the Communist
bloc and then call a full
f1edged inter-American confer
ence to revise the OAS Charter
If necessary.
1--WE refuse to make the law,
try the criminal and pass SEN
tence all in one brief sitting"
said one leading member of the
Brazilian delegation.
The opposition argument also
has a strong political side.
The foreign ministers in
volved are ceaselessly remind
ing Mr.. Rusk that all he has
to worry about is a verbal lash
ing by critics at home, while
they face unstable domestic
situations that could >erupt
into violence at the least spark.
A violation of the basic tenets
Of Latin law" they contend
could be just such a spark.
For its part the United States
delegation has made full use of
its own domestic situation.
Aid Opposition Cited
With the vocal support of the
congressional delegation here
Senators Morse and Hicken-
looper and Representatives Sell
den and Merrow-United States
diplomats are driving home in
a furry of private negotiations
the message that Congress is
unlikely to pass the Alliance
for Progress SO billion appro-
priation in an election year If
there is no action here.
In a way Mr.. RuSk is in dan
ger of being trapped in his own
maneuvers. When he shifted
from a plan for diplomatic sane
tions to an effort to GUST Cuba
from the OAS, he and his lieu
tenants stressed both to the
press and their Central Ameri-
can allies that the substitute
was just as strong.
Consequently, anything less
at this point is almost certain
to be interpreted at home ano
abroad as a defeat for United
States diplomacy.
With each hour the contrivec