Test of Solidarity

Since the American republics first realized World War II was on they have been energetically thinking up ways to defend themselves against it. Set up were: a Pan-American-patrolled neutrality belt, machinery to take over European-owned New World colonies, plans for economic collaboration and mutual military defense of the hemisphere. But these blueprints for security had only theoretical, not practical, approval. Last week the first real test of Pan-American solidarity arrived.

It began fortnight ago in Mexico's east-coast port of Tampico. Under cover of storm and night four Nazi freighters quietly slipped their moorings, headed out into the Gulf of Mexico. As the shore line dropped astern a signal flare cut the darkness ahead, then another. To the nervous Nazis that meant British warships. The Phrygia's captain, in a panic, scuttled his ship. The other three swung frantically about, stampeded back to port.

Next morning they discovered the warships were not British but the U. S. destroyers Plunkett, Gilmer and Broome, on neutrality patrol. They indignantly accused the U. S. of "hostile attitude," set up an injured howl that the destroyers had invaded Mexico's territorial waters. The Mexican Foreign Office took the matter in hand.

Last week the Plunkett, Gilmer and Paul Jones asked identity and destination of two more vessels off Tampico, this time Latin-American merchantmen: the Mexican tanker Cerro Azul, inbound in ballast on a coastwise trip, and the Honduran freighter Ceiba out of New Orleans. In a story from Tampico smelling rankly of Nazi propaganda it was reported that the ships were boarded by U. S. sailors, their captains questioned, their papers checked, their cargo registries examined.

The Mexican press blew up. Tampico's El Mundo admitted the action had taken place outside the internationally recognized three-mile limit, but insisted on Mexico's self-established claims to sovereignty as far out as nine miles. Three Mexican gunboats were on duty near by at the time. U. S. interference with a Mexican ship, in Mexican waters, in the presence of Mexican warships was a grave matter. The time had come for a showdown on how far sensitive Latin Americans would sacrifice their pride for the sake of security measures they had helped establish.

The decision next day was a rap on the knuckles for Germany. The freighter captains agreed that they had not been halted or searched. Mexico called that incident officially closed, then decided the first one was just an unfortunate mistake by the Nazi seamen, closed it too. To the U. S. Navy all this diplomatic maneuvering was a lot of nonsense. Growled one sea dog: "What the hell do we have a neutrality patrol for?"

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