A U.S. Policy for the Hemisphere:

...The economic side is also important, because a solution of economic problems may remove most of the causes that lead to unrest and provide fertile ground for Communist infiltration...

...The labor organizations of the United States have time and again urged our policy-makers to pay greater at?tention to the moral and libertarian aspects of our inter-American relations...

...Within the limitations of diplomatic propriety, the latter has constantly emphasized??in contacts with the Government, with U.S...

...Haven't we learned enough from our ex?perience in Asia and other parts of the world...

...Their job is to deprive our country of the political, economic and military sup?port of as many Latin American countries as possible in the present cold war and in the event of any future shooting war...

...But I do not believe that the battle for the minds of the people of Latin America has been lost...

...fidelity to our democratic traditions and hopes??in other words, provided we stop furnishing the Communists with political ammunition...

...Low living standards, insufficient prices for raw ma?terials, economic uncertainty caused by axcessive de?pendence on single crops, lack of capital for productive investments and industrial development, the need for better transportation and agricultural diversification, the existence of commerce barriers, and the need for greater technical training and knowledge in order to increase productivity??all these are at the root of the social and economic unrest that plagues most of our sister republics of the Western Hemisphere...

...While I am not discounting the importance of the mili?tary aspect of our inter-American relations, I believe that it does not now constitute the major requirement...

...This is unquestionably a good beginning, but much more will have to be done to give Latin America the economic boost it really needs...

...The documentation on the true character of that bloody regime and its total submission to the Kremlin, which has been made avail?able since its downfall, has greatly helped...

...The situation, bad as it is, must not be further complicated by ignoring the stark and painful realities of today's international rela?tions, especially in the face of the greater threat of world Communism...

...Some of them have also received FOA grants to attend the Trade Union School at the University of Puerto Rico, followed by a two-month visit to the United States...

...Some super?ficial observers, impressed perhaps by the unfavorable reaction to our Government's performance at the Caracas Conference and our handling of the Guatemalan issue, have too quickly reached the conclusion that the Com?munists have really scored a great victory against us...

...It must be admitted that in Latin America, as well as in other parts of the world, our country has lost a con?siderable part of its former prestige and influence...

...A large number of Latin American trade-unionists have visited the United States during the past two years under the Technical Cooperation Program of the Foreign Oper?ations Administration...

...This does not mean, however, that we should advocate the establishment of a diplomatic boycott of these dic?tatorial regimes or refuse to deal with them on matters affecting our hemispheric defense...

...People have always been prepared to sacrifice their lives for the triumph of the spirit, whether expressed in terms of religion, patriotism or love of liberty...

...A large body of democratic public opinion in Latin America, particularly among political, intellectual and trade-union elements, has expressed its bewilderment at Washington's ability to ignore the total suppression o: civil liberties and human rights in so many Latin American countries, while attempting at the same time to arouse world support for our crusade against the Communist regimes behind the Iron and Bamboo Curtains This skepticism on the part of our friends cannot be dismissed with the reply that we need the support of the dictatorial regimes for military and economic reasons...

...em?ployers and with labor people??the importance of recon?structing a bona fide, independent trade-union move?ment as a necessary prerequisite to the growth of a lasting democratic regime...

...Of course, most Latin American countries will have to do their part in correcting practices and discarding policies which have proved ruinous and have blocked any possibility of improving the living standard of the masses...

...Our struggle against the forces of international Com?munism may continue for years, possibly decades...

...Have they been successful in this task...

...To gain such ends, the Communists exploit every opportunity, playing different roles according to the local conditions in each country...

...Let us be frank, then, in stating that we want proper assurances and guarantees regarding the use of our financial help...

...We have on our side the means to achieve such a victory, provided we apply them with intelligence, wisdom, consistency and, above all...

...In other words, we can regain their allegiance and active support by act?ing in a way that eliminates any doubt about our sin?cerity in the fight against totalitarianism...

...We must therefore think in terms of the future, not only in terms of the present...

...But, even if it did, what military benefits can we get from a dictatorship if we do not enjoy the support of its people...

...At the recent Inter-American Economic Conference in Rio de Janeiro, our Govern?ment pledged an increased level of lending by the Export-Import Bank for sound economic projects of public inter?est...

...When the military dictators who are now in power in many Latin American countries are overthrown??and, sooner or later, that is what always happens??we will still need the support of the people of those countries...

...The current goal of the Communists in Latin America is not to establish full-fledged Communist regimes, but rather to dominate public opinion and influence their governments so as to pit them against the international policy of the United States, to the exclusive benefit of the Soviet Union...

...People everywhere now ask what the chances are of keeping the Western Hemis?phere free of Soviet influence and making it an active sector in the defense of the free world...

...It also pledged to ask Congress for authorization to participate, with a $35-million subscription, in the set?ting up of an International Finance Corporation, with an initial capital of $100 million, to provide money for those economic and industrial projects for which private capital is not available...

...Through skilful propaganda among students, intel?lectuals, journalists, politicians, military officers, busi?nessmen, nationalists and, above all, exploited workers and peasants, the Communists' principal immediate goal is to create an atmosphere of mistrust, resentment and hatred against the United States...

...We need to make this distinction clear more frequently and more pointedly than we have done in the recent past...

...In addition, most of our embassies have made nationwide showings of many excellent labor films produced in the United States and have distributed a considerable amount of printed material on the life of the laboring people in our country and on the activities of our trade-union movement...

...As a matter of fact, I think it can be won there more quickly than elsewhere...

...With few excep?tions, the policy followed by our diplomatic missions in Latin America in this respect appears to me as good and effective...

...One way of doing that is to lend open support to the development of free trade-unionism, especially where it is opposed by reactionary totalitarian forces parading under the slogan of anti-Communism...

...Yet, there are ways of doing things which can be very eloquent in reiterating our national belief in genuine democracy and our natural aversion to every form of totalitarianism and dictatorship...

...The military side is important, of course, but it can never be effective unless it has the en?thusiastic backing of the people...

...Very few people of any political standing??with the exception of the Communists, their fellow-travelers and the profes?sional anti-yanquis??dare now repeat the stale slogan that the revolution led by Carlos Castillo Armas was designed to protect the predatory interests of a few Amer?ican corporations rather then to eliminate a Soviet beach-head in the Western Hemisphere...

...The contribution of American tax?payers should be used for the economic well-being of the people, particularly the underprivileged workers and peasants, and not only for the privileged few...

...While it must be admitted that we have had and are still having serious trouble, I insist that the battle for the minds of the people of Latin America has not yet been lost...

...In this respect, I am happy to say that, after a period of initial uncertainty and contradictory policy, much progress has been made, thanks mainly to the advice of the American Embassy...

...One sure indication of these intentions is the attitude of the Guatemalan Government toward the free labor movement...

...policy toward them are prompted by their desire to see democracy's cause strengthened rather than weakened...

...In fact, I am convinced that, fundamentally, the grievances of our Latin friends over the alleged or actual mistakes of U.S...

...Surely we do not have to go out of our way to honor and reward the Latin American dictators every time they perform an act which happens to coincide with the momentary exigencies of our foreign policy...

...But the moral-libertarian aspect is, in my opinion, the one that will finally decide the issue...

...The elimination of the Communist-controlled Arbenz regime in Guatemala has, undoubtedly, already resulted in a better inter-American climate...

...Will they listen to us then if we now fail to heed their anguished cries at the loss of their free?dom and the violation of their human rights...

...But the new govern?ment, which has pledged the re-establishment of true democracy as its main goal, has a solemn obligation to redeem that pledge??an obligation contracted before its own people and the whole democratic world...

...POLICY FOR THE HEMISPHER By Serafino Romualdi AFL Representative in Latin America AMERICAN PUBLIC OPINION has finally been aroused to the importance of the Western Hemisphere in the global struggle against Communist aggression, mainly as a result of the events of last fall in British Guiana, those of June and July in Guatemala and the very recent disturbances in Chile and Brazil...

...As a result of these activities, Latin American workers today have a better understanding and appreciation of our country's efforts to raise standards of living through?out the world and to safeguard peace against the threats of Communist aggression...