Policy Statement

The Eisenhower Administration's policy toward Latin America gets articulate interpretation in the current issue of LIFE EN ESPANOL. The writer is Henry Holland, the State Department's Latin American Affairs chief from 1954 until he resigned last August to join the Manhattan law firm of Anderson & Roberts. Holland's main points:

Good Partnership. When President Eisenhower took office, "the wholesome concept of good neighbors" prevailed in inter-American relations. But "we foresaw a bond stronger than any yet achieved here or in any other community of world states." As a result, Eisenhower "called for a thorough study of the entire field of inter-American relations, the first integral examination ever made of our relations in the hemisphere. The man who did this job was the President's brother, Dr. Milton Eisenhower, who submitted an exhaustive report in November 1953. Dr. Eisenhower's recommendations on hemisphere partnership became and still are the basis of U.S. policy toward Latin America."

The new concept is "a partnership of nations, a community of 21 states . . . whose internal tranquility is guaranteed by a system assuring a peaceful solution for every dispute arising between its spirited and progressive members . . . [and where] each member believes that, in order for him to progress, every other member must progress with him. That is the goal of U.S. policy in this hemisphere."

Trade Not Aid. To spur economic progress in this pattern, the Administration encourages the flow of dollars to Latin America by trade and private investment. "The 168 million people in the U.S. cannot export prosperity to the 175 million people in our sister republics. There is only one really effective way to expand our trade, and that is to increase our imports from the area. The Eisenhower Administration has been notably successful in defending its trade policy toward Latin America, despite an annual barrage of proposed laws, tariffs and other restrictions designed to eliminate some competitive Latin American product . . .

"After trade, this Administration believes the most desirable source of dollar income is private investment . . . Loans have to be repaid, both principal and interest, whether or not the investment earns a profit. Not so with private investment. For the private investor to withdraw a dividend, he must first earn it. And investments are like trade in that there is no limit to their expansion."

Dealing with Dictators. "I have often been asked to comment on the charge that it is the policy of the United States to support dictatorial governments around the hemisphere." But should any nation try to correct by diplomatic or economic pressure the shortcomings of another?

"Each of us has something that other countries consider disadvantageous. The U.S., for example, is particularly criticized for its racial problem. What would be the reaction here if the racially tolerant Latin Americans were to announce that no further coffee would be shipped to the United States until we had straightened out our problem of segregation?" Holland's conclusion: "We must follow a philosophy of 'live and let live.' No one of us should try to tell the others the kind of governments they should have."

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