Big Neighbor

The diplomatic grapevine last week spread the biggest piece of Pan American news since Franklin Roosevelt began exploiting the Good Neighbor policy: U.S. ambassadors had called on the Presidents of Chile, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay and Paraguay, to present them with personal letters from the U.S. President suggesting that they declare war on the Axis.

Apparent reason: Joe Stalin had put his foot down and insisted that no nation not actually at war with the Axis should have a voice in the peace. Furthermore, if Joe were going to get one vote for each of his 16 "autonomous Soviet republics," Uncle Sam wanted to round up all possible Western Hemisphere votes.

But the six good neighbors were vexed. They disliked pressure from the U.S. It made them look cheap--kicking a man who was down.

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