Indignation

The Latin American diplomats in Washington, a tight little group when affronted, buzzed with indignation last week. The war in Europe was near its end; the postwar world was being planned. But their great continent-and-a-fifth was allowed no voice in its planning. Singly and in groups they had hinted to the U.S. State Department that a Pan-American conference was long overdue. (The last was at Rio de Janeiro two years, nine months ago.) The only answer they got was evasion.

Mexican Foreign Minister Ezequiel Padilla had also "hinted" to the State Department. So had Leo S. Rowe of the Pan American Union. Both got the runaround. According to Under Secretary Edward R. Stettinius Jr., there had been "consultations." But when a TIME reporter asked Latin-American diplomats whether the "consultations" ever worked both ways --with the Latins taking the initiative--he met raised eyebrows and an "Are you kidding?" attitude. Apparently the U.S. State Department intended to speak for the hemisphere.

In unofficial grumbles the Latin Americans presented their case: all the republics except Argentina had cooperated with the United Nations. Brazilian troops were fighting in Italy. U.S. forces freely used Latin ports. Brazil and the Caribbean countries were dotted with U.S. bases. The economy of every Latin American country was geared to the Allied war machine. Latin Americans were tired of being treated like bothersome children.

The State Department feared, if Washington rumor was right, that a Pan-American conference might take up the painful question of Argentina. This the Latin Americans denied vehemently. Most of them had withdrawn their ambassadors from Argentina. Beyond this action, they wanted no part in the U.S.-Argentine conflict, which they consider a U.S. worry.

"You can trust us," scoffed the diplomats, "to keep our necks pulled in." For a Pan-American conference with Argentina on the agenda would be under U.S. pressure to gang up on Argentina. If Argentina yielded ground, the State Department might forget the help it had received from the other Latin American countries. But Argentina would not forget--or forgive.

"Besides," said certain diplomats in deeply anonymous whispers, "we don't like such ganging-up. Any one of our countries may find itself in Argentina's shoes if it tries to get out of the U.S. sphere of influence or otherwise opposes the State Department. No one wants to prepare a scaffold on which he may be hanged." One diplomat quoted a Spanish proverb: "When you see your neighbor being shaved, prepare to lose your own whiskers."

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