Pan-American

Statesmen of all the Americas journeyed last week to La Habana, the ancient, the rich and golden, the fair and queenly Cuban city of 500,000 souls. Last week she became again what the Spanish conquerors called her, La Llave del Nuevo Mundo "The Key of the New World." Down narrow streets, through which once swaggered the conquistadors, modern statesmen strolled with ingratiating mien, at that same Palace in La Habana from which lorded "Captains General" in the proud name of Spain, there stopped last week, briefly and peaceably, Calvin Coolidge, El Presidente De Los Estados Unidos. The Pan-American Conference (TIME, Jan. 16) was on.

Loomed one real issue, it arose from a hard fact: The Americas are split in regard to great triune ideal of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. The U. S. stresses Fraternity because there are invested in Latin America some five billions of U. S. dollars. Fraternity is the best policy when seasoned with a little intervention.

Here Latins balk. They hark back to Liberty and Equality--Liberty to stage their own parlor revolutions if they choose. Equality with a Great Power which is simply not their equal.

This dangerous and explosive conflict of ideals and facts hung tense in the warm air of La Habana, last week, as the Conference assembled and was formally opened by the President of Cuba, General Gerardo Machado. After him spoke the President of the United States, who made the very best of a difficult situation by championing Fraternity and omitting specific reference to Intervention. Therefore, some regretted that the U. S. Navy Department found it necessary to send a huge bombing plane soaring in non-stop flight from Miami, Florida, directly over La Habana and on to assist U. S. Marines in Nicaragua.

Latin Delegates to the Conference harkened closely while Senor Calvin Coolidge spoke, joined in the general applause. Latin correspondents sent home many a personal item such as that El Presidente speaks English with a marked, nasal Yankee twang. Many wrote home also the story of how a large, Delegate-filled hotel had hung above its bar pictures of Gerardo Machado, Calvin Coolidge and Charles Augustus Lindbergh. A Cuban policeman saw the pictures, sternly reminded the bartender that the U. S. is dry, rapped out an order. Thereafter the likeness of Col. Lindbergh hung alone.

Such solicitude not to offend the U. S. characterized not merely policemen, but the highest authorities of State, who went so far as to bar from entrance to Cuba, last week, the distinguished Dr. Pierre Hundicourt, onetime Haitian Delegate to the Hague Peace Conference, who is now an avowed propagandist against "the Imperialist policy of the U. S. in Latin America."

Fortunately for the U. S., the established procedure of the Pan-American conference is to deal only with subjects actually on the agenda and to deal with these in secret committee rooms. When a committee reaches agreement, its decision is passed upon by a formal, full dress, decorous meeting of the conference as a whole. Under this system Latin fireworks have been quenched at all the five previous sittings of the Pan-American conference.