THE MUNROE DOCTRINE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19608, 9 April 1927, Page 14

THE MUNROE DOCTRINE.

TROUBLE IN NICARAGUA. BRITISH ACTION CRITICISED. f/BOM CUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] SAN FRANCISCO, March 9. The action of the British Admiralty in sending a warship to Nicaraguan waters to protect 1500 British citizens there, with larger property holdings than the United States, is being termed an incursion on the rights of tne Monroe Doctrine. Despite assurances to this effect officially given in London, the action of sending H.M.S. Colombo is being interpreted in some quarters as being connected with the negotiations between the American and piaz Governments lor an American protectorate over Nicaragua. The view of. another section of the press, critical of Mr. Kellogg's attitude toward Nicaragua, is that, while the United States has failed to protect-her nationals there, Britain is following her traditional practice of pro tecting the interests of Britishers abroad, no matter under what flag they may be living and movingThere is a third view put forward, ■which shows :how difficult it is to get the American, mind on foreign affairs. Great Britain's action is regarded by this section as a shrewd move on the part of the United States to exploit the high position held commercially by Great Britain in Central America When Britain takes a step, like this, Americans believe, with Britishers, that every other intermediate step has been exploited in the interests of peace. Among friends, as well as critics of the United States Administration, the question is be- j ing asked what would America do if Japan ! had commercial interests there, and sent a warship to protect them. The anti-British section of the press, whose activities had dwindled almost to vanishing point, are busily canvassing the situation, and are quoting the Monroo Doctrine, to bolster their case that this action has a different significance when British nationals are endangered on the American continent than if such danger existed for them elsewhere in the world.