On the River of Silver

At his magnificent estancia on the Uruguayan side of the Rio de la Plata, across the river from Buenos Aires, Don Aaron de Anchorena held a hunting party last week. Don Aaron's father-in-law owns La Prensa of Buenos Aires, biggest newspaper in South America. His guests were two good friends, Foreign Minister Julio Argentino Roca of Argentina and Foreign Minister Alberto Guani of Uruguay. They went there, not so much to hunt as to discuss the defense of the Western Hemisphere's most strategic waterway south of the Panama Canal: the Rio de la Plata, which in English means River of Silver, though the English call it River Plate.

Since the U. S. became concerned with defense of the hemisphere, it has tried to promote the building of naval and air bases in Uruguay to protect the River Plate--and with it the whole rich east coast of South America. But Argentina's pride and the bugaboo of Yanqui Imperialism have operated against a U. S.-Uruguay deal.

When, after three days of hunting and talking, the Foreign Ministers of Argentina and Uruguay announced their deal last week, no mention was made of the U. S. Neighboring countries (presumably Brazil, Paraguay, probably Bolivia and Chile) will be invited to participate in the plans. The U. S. stayed out of the picture, but Ambassador Norman Armour and Foreign Minister Roca have recently had long heart-to-heart talks. Last week the U. S. lent Argentina $60,000,000. Before the bases are built, the U. S. will most probably lend technical assistance--as well as money.

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