Manawatu Evening Standard. SATURDAY, DEC. 17, 1938. A COMMON FRONT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 18, 17 December 1938, Page 8

Manawatu Evening Standard. SATURDAY, DEC. 17, 1938. A COMMON FRONT.

The eighth Pan-American Conference, which is now in session at Lima, has been made noteworthy by the Argentine and Mexican delegations submitting a joint declaration that all the American republics will present a common front against foreign armed aggression, or attempts to implant undemocratic systems in the Western Hemisphere. Proposals for a united front of this nature were expected to dominate the conference, there having been a growing fear throughout the Americas lest the economic and political activity of Germany and Italy might produce a situation which those countries could exploit, as they have exploited the civil war in Spain. In the past the Latin States of America have disputed any thought of domination from Washington. They prefer their traditional freedom. In his opening speech the President of Peru declared that the attitude of the American republics at this stage of world affairs was collaboration and help. That was not very helpful to the United States ideology, especially when Senor Benavides added that they must not foster in their political, economic, or spiritual life a “Continent Imperialism.” Mr Cordell Hull, United States Secretary for State, declared his country’s policy in the words that the “American nations were determined not to permit an invasion of the Western Hemisphere by armed forces or the dissemination of doctrines undermining the establishment of institutions, government or the basic social order.” However the lead has been given by Argentine and Mexico in . a declaration which would give a multilateral character to the Monroe Doctrine if it is agreed to by the 21 republics represented at the conference. “The American continents are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonisation by any European Power,” declared President Monroe in a message read to Congress in 1823. This was the birth of the famous Monroe Doctrine which gave a blunt warning to any foreign nation that aspired to oppress “or control iu any other manner the destiny of the Central and South American republics.” Lately, however, the United States Administration and the people

too have awakened to the fact that the Fascist dictatorships of Europe are extending their influence to several South American republics in such a manner as to threaten the trade and prestige of the United States. Brazil, the Secretary of State said recently, has become apprehensive of this penetration, this country of vast territory and relatively small population being regarded as an excellent goal for Fascist propaganda and trade drives. Brazil and Chile to-day receive more goods from Germany than from the United States, but the German and Italian drive goes further than trade in that it is a cultural movement, designed to propagate Fascist ideas in the fertile soil of the republics, and to establish powerful foreign colonies. The United States could hardly remain indifferent to tliis and so the policy of solidarity is being pushed with added strength. Some of the Latin American republics are also apprehensive of this movement, and this no doubt accounts for the Argentinian-Mexican declaration. Possibly never before were the relations between these States and their “big neighbour” on a better footing. President Roosevelt and Mr Hull have earned their confidence, and both at Monte Video in 1933 and at Buenos Aires in 1936 there was a closer and friendlier co-opera-tion. The latter conference, at which Mr Roosevelt was present, declared that every act susceptible of disturbing the peace of America affected every one of them. Four instruments adopted were interpreted as having expanded the Monroe Doctrine into a multilateral policy of all the nations except Canada, and recently Mr Roosevelt declared that Canada Vsecurity was vital to the United States. 'The present conference may see the objective of Washington attained.