Evening star., 1962-01-03

1lIoG Ildll VI Illc llSW ycdl, pOS-
Sibly in the spring.
Disagreement Ignored
The official announcement |
stressed what it called always"
friendly relations between the
United States and Mexico,
making no mention Of current
disagreement over how to deal
with Fidel Castro's pro-Com-
munist regime in Cuba.
Mexico and Cuba were the
only countries voting in the
Organization of American
States last month against an
American supported Colombian
resolution calling an inter-
American foreign ministers
conference to deal with threats
to the peace" posed by Cuba's
Castro regime.
Five other American repub-
lics-Argentina, Brazil Chile,
Ecuador and Bolivia - alb
stained on the vote to in
dicate varying degrees of re-
luctance for any joint action
against Castro.
The President has been di-
recting intense diplomatic ef-
forts to win a wider base of
support among the other
Americas for joint measures to
guard against further Com
rnunist penetration in the hemi-
sphere from Cuba.
Conference First
His impending visit can have
only an indirect effect on
Mexico's action at the forth
coming foreign ministers con-
ference which will be over be-
fore he meets with President |
Lopez MateoS. The meeting on
the Cuban question is scheduled |
for January % in Punta del
Este, Uruguay.
It was understood that at one
time a date late in January had |
been tentatively agreed upon
for the Presidents visit, but |
Mr.. Kennedy backed away from
that arrangement after Mexico
voted with Cuba in the OAS
meeting that called the Punta
del Este conference.
But there was some hope
that, even if unwilling to vote
in. the Punta del Esta meeting
for anti-Castro measures, the
Mexican government might be
persuaded to at least abstain
rather than vote against ac-
ton supported by the United
States in order to create a ia
vorable atmosphere for the
Kennedy-Lopez MateoS meet
ing.
In the most friendly terms,
the official announcement of |
the visit said:
"Dr. Lopez Mateos has kindly
invited President Kennedy to
visit Mexico in 1862.
President Kennedy has ac-
cepted this invitation with
pleasure and looks forward to
meeting personally with the
President Of our good neighbor
to the south with which the
United States has always en-
joyed friendly relations.
mo date for this meeting has
been set. 1t is expected that a
date which in convenient for
both Presidents will be fixed
later"
Timing Unexplained
There was no explanation of
why Mr.. Kennedy's acceptance
of the Mexican invitation -un-
derStood to have been pending
for months was announced
before a date for the visit had
been agreed upon. One reason
could be the hope that the an
nouncement might help to sway
Mexico'S attitude in the Punta
del Este conference.
White House Press Secretary
Pierre Salinger said he did not
know whether Mrs. Kennedy
would accompany the President |
on the visit to Mexico. Mrs.
Kennedy now has scheduled for
early March a twice-poStponed
visit to India and Pakistan.
Mr.. Kennedy, who regards all
his meetings with some 80 for
eign government heads during
1861 as having been useful, was
especially pleased with the
warm reception accorded him
and Mrs. Kennedy on their
mid-December visit to Vene-
zuela and Colombia where he
had friendly meetings with the
Presidents of those two coun-
tries.
He also has met twice with
Argentine President Arturo
Frondizi, once in New York last
fall during the United Nations
General Assembly session, and