LOOKING TO LIMA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 October 1938, Page 7

LOOKING TO LIMA

EIGHTH PAN-AMERICAN CONFERENCE MEETING IN DECEMBER HOPES OF IMPORTANT RESULTS In December the Eight Pan-Ameri-can Conference will meet in Lima, Peiu. This will be the third conference during the reign of the New Deal and the Good Neighbour Policy in the United States. The first was in Montevideo, in 1933. and served as an introduction to the new Latin-American policies of Uncle Sam. The second was the extraordinary Pan-American Peace Conference, held in Buenos Aires. Argentina, in 1936. In this parley some of the first fruits of the new attitude toward Latin America began to appear. Because of changing world conditions and because the Good Neighbour Policy has had time to establish a real reputation, the third should be one of the most important in the history of Latin America-United States relationships and in that of the LatinAmerican states with each other. If there was ever a time in which it was possible for America to reach realistically valuable agreements on fundamental questions which might have a bearing on the course of world history, it is now. Events in Europe and in Asia, the overstepping of themselves of the totalitarian States, the “purges” in Russia, the favourable change in Argentina's foreign office, the backwatering of the semifascist state in Brazil, the peaceful solution of the Chaco problem, the attitude of the United States towards the new petroleum policy of Mexico, as compared with Great Britain, trends in inter-American trade, all of these have contributed to the creation of a unique state of mind in Latin America. Governments officially, government officials non-officially, the Press, student organisations, business men and private individuals, men, women, boys, and girls, in all Latin America, so it seems, are practically unanimous with respect to certain ideas and ideals and all but in complete accord with respect to others. Lest there be any confusion, the terms American and Americanism must be defined before these new platforms on which the »Latin Americans seem to be united can be understood. Both American and Americanism are used in Latin America altogether differently from the sense in which tjiey are used' in the United States. They are used as a Frenchman, or a German, might use the terms European and Europeanism if there were forces to bind them together such as the Latin American feels tie the Americas together. The constructive achievements already listed have resulted in important developments in Latin America: A wave of Americanism has swept over the continent and even in regions where peoples prided themselves on their European origin and culture there is a tendency to shift their'allegiance to their American origin, culture, youth vitality, and idealism. It seems good to be an oasis of sanity in an insane and troubled world. America has picked up the torch of civilisation and must carry it on with the revitalizing alloys which America can give it.

This new America feels that it must unite, become more knit together, more spiritually attuned in order to accomplish two results. The first is to save itself and all the moral and material values it feels it has inherited and added to. Every Latin-American State knows that it could not survive a fortnight against the bullets and bayonets of imperialist-minded peoples, that all of them together might have a tough time of it, and therefore the good will and th<? monetary and military force of Uncle Sam looks rather appealing these days. And things have come to such a pass that the more hard-boiled Latin-American commentators and officials frankly say that if it is a question of choosing between two evils, between two possible imperialisms and two possible payments for services rendered at the conclusion of a war, they would rather hire the aid of the United States, in order to save themselves, than hire land-and raw-materiM-hun-gry peoples who have not even made a bluff at “good neighbouring.” These Americans, too, feel that, at all costs, they must preserve peace among themselves, live and illustrate the peaceful solution of international problems, and become so united in the interests of peace and of high principles of national and international conduct that their combined weight must tip the world scales in the direction of sanity, peaceful and prosperous living. Long before certain modern nations adopted strange gods the Latin American praised and practiced arbitration, racial toleration, and opposed imperialism and the regimentation of the individual. Their stand for high ideals, now, its not therefore a quick conversion in order to protect themselves against these new ideologies. They sincerely prefer the best and feel a tremendous sense of responsibility in drawing the world back to the ideals it once held. At the moment this seems to be the temper of Latin America. Il it lasts, Lima may witness marvelously fine things.