Argentine Pressure On Bolivia?

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24417, 17 November 1944, Page 4

Argentine Pressure On Bolivia?

Both the “ New York Times ” and the Associated Press agree, as reported yesterday, that the United States is sending wheat to Bolivia — a transaction which the Associated Press says is designed to. counter Argentine pressure. According to the Associated Press, Argentina has without warning reduced her wheat exports to Bolivia by half, on, the “ pretext ” that Argentine army manoeuvres have dislocated rail transport. If-it is true that Argentina is employing economic pressure, the aid given by the United States to counter it is important, for Bolivia’s backward agricultural economy and the grinding poverty of most of her 3,000,000 inhabitants render her peculiarly vulnerable to Argentina’s tactics. Argentina’s design may well be what the Associated Press says it Bolivia is the weak link in what Argentinians call “el Diagonal”, the somewhat uncertain entente of Brazil, Bolivia, and Chile; and Argentinians see in “el Diagonal” a threat raised by Brazil against their claim to leadership in South America. They see in Bolivia, especially, an opportunity to wreck the association and strike a blow at Brazilian prestige. Both Chile and Bolivia, moreover, have remained in diplomatic relationship with Argentina, in spite of the United States’ appeal to the Latin Americas to put her into diplomatic isolation. But Argentina’s influence in Chile has recently waned; for fear that Chile has drifted from the path of working solidarity with the majority of the Americas has stimulated parliamentary and press criticism of Dr. Rios’s Government, and in particular the powerful leftist bloc which supports Dr. Rios has become increasingly vocal on this issue. The traditional rivalry be-

tween Argentina and Brazil has shown itself more clearly in their dealings faith Bolivia. The BolivianBrazilian trade agreements of July, 1943, substantially increased Brazil’s lead; and the Argentine Government showed surprising speed in recognising the new Bolivian regime which seized- power last December. But if Argentina hoped to gain by alone recognising the „Villaroel regime while the other American republics stood; aloof and remained aloof for six months, those hopes have, it appears from th 6 report by the Associated Press,' not been realised. It may, however, seem strange that a show of force should be made at a time when the PanAmerican Union has passed on to the 20 other American Governments a proposal by Argentina which, if approved, will break down the barrier of diplomatic isolation. But it is significant that Washington opinion predicted that the PanAmerican Union Would reject the proposal without further ado, and .that in the result the representatives of Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela on the union’s governing board were said to favour the proposal. Officials in Buenos Aires welcomed this outcome “ with un- “ concealed pleasure”; for it pointed towards the split in hemispheric solidarity' which Washington considered unlikely. Moreover, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela ar& among the six republics which Brazil, it is said, seeks to weld into an Amazonian bloc. The outcome may well have encouraged Ax’gentina to emphasise by a show of force against Bolivia its capacity to make mischief among the Latin Americas..