LBJ OPENS DRIVE FOR LATIN UNITY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP73-00475R000100400020-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 30, 2013
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: February 20, 1964
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/12/30: CIA-RDP73-00475R000100400020-1
WASHINGTON POST AND FEB 2 0 1964
TIMES HERALD
LBJ Opens
Drive for
" Latin Unity
Sees Lopez Mateos
Friday to, Stress
Alliance Support-
By Dans Kurzman
Staff .'Reporter
Since the Preside-nt took
office. the Alliam:e has beenr
I overshadowed by U.S. embroil-l?
ment -n hemispheric political,'
criseS'.. The Pa fin m. a Canal
Zone. itiols of ??tan, 9 and
follow&I by the dispute over
the controversial ?1903kPanama
Canal Treaty and Panamanian
charges of aggression against
this country. has 'helped in
some degree to. revive memo-
ries of U.S. intervention in
Latin A meri ca. ?
.,Nor ? has U.S. preoccupation
with? Cu ban pinpricks, such
as the shutting off of water
tupplies for, !Guantanamo
Naval Bas,e, contributed to the
aVailability of time for active Th
promotion of e Alliance.
_ . .? - ?
omproved perceptibly as the excessive salt content of the
11-esult of an agreenient that water Mexico is thawing from
was reached last year in the the Colorado River. Only
President Johnson will otlior CriSes Cut Time -
inaugurate this week . what! . ('rises.
, ?('risesin other parts of the
may turn into an intensive ; world. including Viet-Nam.
campaign to convince Latin ; Cyprtiq. and Zanzibar, have
America that the United !,.fillrtilier reduced this time.
orcover, such crises have
States will continue to back . not been eased by the con-
the Alliance for Progress Ilusion inherent in the reor-
g.anization of the State Depart-
vigorously. ! me ti Vs administrative s true-
,
' President Johnson's meet- I lure under a new regime.
'I Even More important has
been the salient fact that the;
'Alliance, inthe .eyes of many'
?.Latin ,Arnericans, was em-
!:bodied in the person of Presi-
dent Kennedy. His death thus'
'left a psychological vaccuum '
that no ,man or. government
'could easily fill:
, .
President Johnson will meet
Lopez Mateo S under/ highly
Ifavorable circumstances. For
'tho.United States and Mexico.
today hav.e.,aphieved a level of,
understanding that both, coun-
tries, etinSider the ,highest in
loit S modern history, , , '-??,.
'Since .- 'President it Kennedy l
vitited'..MexieO 'PRY iii. 1962,4.
.
to be greeted>, by huge, ..:cheerl
? idk":1.; Witat,%:elatilig, 1lave4
;.ings with MeXican President.
Adolfo Lopez :Mateos Friday
i and Saturday in Palm Springs,
Calif., will provide the Admin-
istration with its first forum
in this campaign to underscore
:this country's close ties with
Latin America.'
This first step may be 101-
;lowed up in mid-March -,with
what is hoped will be a dra-
matic manifestation of Wash-
ington's unflagging support of
the. Alliance.. The ? White
H o u se diselOsed. yesterday
.that President Johnson is
'considering a conference here
of all U.S. Arnbasasdors
, tinned ? in Latin America to
coincide with the third anni-
'versary' of' ,President Ken-
nedy's history making an-
nouncernent of the Alliance's'
creation.
These. preliminary moves to
reassure Latin 'America that
the United States' has not lost
interest in the Alliance will
serve, it is hoped, te. dispel
doubts expressed by , some
Latins that the Johnson Ad-,
eministration backs the pre;
gram as strongly as bis .ked
iiii$W144441idatti
dispute over the Chamizal
territory on the Texas border
temporary solutions have
been reached since President
long claimed by the Mexicans. Kennedy's visit to Meiico.
No important decisions of a Nor is Lopez Mateos expect-
substantive nature are likely cd to miss the opportunity to
to be reached at'. the Palm
appeal to President Johnson
to use his influence in pre-
Springs' meetings. ,For ' one
thing, there are few!outstand-
ing problems between the two
countries to be solved. For
another, 'Lopez Mateos's term
of office will end later this
year.
The .future of the Alliance,
however, will be fully dis-
cussed. Lopez.-,Mateos is ex-
pected to stress that the Al-
liance eti d. be improved
throughgreater concentration
of aid ,on the grass-roots level.
He is- :known to feel that
more LatiSN. peasants -shouldl
benefit diore directly from the;
Alliance4nd that this could;
be made 'possible through
more extensive use of the
multi-nation Inter-American
Development Bank.
Cuba will also probably be
discussed, with both Presi-
dents agreeing to respect each
other's positio n. President
Johnson is not likely to press
very hard,' if at all, for a sev-
erance of Mexican diplomatic'
relations with Cuba. Mexico
supported the U.S. blockade of
Cuba during the 1962 missile
crisis, but has generally not:
taken a hard line toward that
country. ?
Lopez. Mateos is certain tos
ask ? for new U.S. assurancesi
that Some permanent Solution
will be'. iotind soon to ?,thej
toblern. of the crop-kith:4
?;:11.?,,,L7-.4:4-,.,,?:....y,;;AL?,;?..41ii
venting the imposition 'of new
pending trade restrictions on
Mexican goods.
"Otk 4
? Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/12/30 : CIA-RDP73-00475R000100400020-1i