Wanted: A Formula

THE HEMISPHERE

The other 19 American republics, unwilling arbiters in the U.S. quarrel with Argentina, finally began to talk. The first comment last week was not promising for State Department hopes of joint action against President-elect Peron. Not one republic offered a feasible formula for drawing the hemisphere together again.

Colombia's authoritative Tiempo praised Assistant Secretary of State Spruille Braden's democratic intentions, but deplored his "mistaken policy" in Argentina. Grizzled old Francisco Castillo Najera, Mexico's Foreign Minister, declared that he "could not see why Mexico, having kept relations with the previous [Argentine] regime, whose legality was questionable, should not now continue relations with [Peron] who as far as I know has been legally elected."* Brazil decided to send its ambassador back to B.A.

As the hemisphere's Mr. Big, the U.S. could take whatever line it pleased. But to go on doing so belied a Good Neighbor's concern for neighborly action. Some Latin American diplomats hinted that if the State Department did not change its tune, the "Pan-American system" would go on ice for six years (i.e., as long as Peron was President). The question was how badly the U.S. wants hemispheric unity. For hemispheric unity could not be had without including Peron.

* At week's end, Peron held big leads in Buenos Aires city and province, stood to win in the electoral college, 304-to-72.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.