ON THE WANE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 254, 6 January 1941, Page 3

ON THE WANE

NAZI INFLUENCE Hitler's Nazi agents are being gradually discredited throughout South America. The Fuehrer has abandoned hope of being able to set up a Nazi protectorate, as was attempted in Uruguay, from which coups Avere to be engineered in Chile and Brazil. But a last effort is now being made in line Avith Hitler's attempt to create a European bloc against Great Britain. Strong pressure from Berlin is being brought to bear on Nazi leaders in South America to secure the election of candidates favourable to the regime of the Third Reich. But the* battle is already lost. Hitler got a bad setback throughout South America Avhen he failed to honour his loudly-voiced promise to defeat Britain in August. Latin Americans had been impressed by his succession of conquests, and Avere influenced by the vast propaganda machine of the Nazis, Avhich guaranteed the subjection of the British Empire. When little Avas done by the United Kingdom or the United States to counteract it, the mercurial Latin-American temperament attuned its outlook to the spread of Nazidom. Nests of plotters grew rapidly. The stalemate came when Hitler failed to disturb British morale. Nazi stocks waned in consequence. September and October passed, and Hitler's guarantee of "delivery of goods contracted for, not later than mid-October, Avas dishonoured. The United States threw its influence bodily into the picture, Avith its "hemisphere solidarity'/ policy. Next came the offer by the United States to share their defence plans Avith the 21 Latin-Amcrican republics, and giA'e them a share in the wartime disposition of naval and air bases, as A\ T ell ar; in the protection to be established over territories in the Western Hemisphere oA\ r ned by European countries that had been over-run by Germany. Hitler's last hope faded Avhen lie did not honour the penalty clause in his contracts for delivery of goods. It provided for the payment of 10 per cent, of the A-alue of the contracts. This turned out to be only another scrap of paper. LatinAmerican Governments and commer cial firms that placed contracts in Germany now have credits in Reichs marks to the amount of the cash bonds. The entire scheme appears ti have been part of the propaganda campaign Germany loosed OA r er South and Central America, just after the collapse of France. Germany offered its cash guarantee to the Argentine Government and tAA'o large importers in Buenos Aires. The guarantee Avas given in writing but neither the Government nor the tAvo firms accepted it. The recent announcement by the Argentine Government of its agreement AA'ith the British Government for the supply of 40,000,000 dollars' worth of meat—the largest contract in the history of the Argentine meat industry—paved the Avay for a general repudiation of Nazidom throughout South America.