OAS MEETING GIVEN NEW SIGNIFICANCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000400130040-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 29, 2004
• Sequence Number: 40
• Publication Date: January 29, 1965
• Content Type: NSPR

WASrflNGTON OAS
Approved For Release 20D5/0'1T1rG~~`'ASRDP88-01 15 Op 0130 3
JAN 2 9 1965ti~ ?U 4~`'
t)S v~-l~itMl2ti-~~ s /
PtL 2-61
Comment:
AS Meefhg
Ivan New
S-
i
By VIRGINIA PREWETT
The new U.S. determination
to "go as far as the Latin
Americans will go" to end dic-
tatorship in the. New World
lends crucial importance to the
Organization of American States
.meeting to start in Brazil on
May 20. Action to strenghten
hemisphere democracy is on
that meeting's agenda.
Between now and the final
act of the May meeting, the
U.S. will make a serious ef-
fort to "get off the dime" over
the problem of Latin Ameri-
can dictatorship.
"The dime" is this situation:
The U.S. unilaterally cannot
end Latin American dictator-
ship. Treaties and moral com-
mitments restrain us. Yet Latin
Americans consistently blame
the U.S. for the rise and reign
of their tyrants.
PRACTICAL RESULTS
If Latin American leader-
ship can get the Latin Ameri-
can governments to formulate
and agree on effective m e a s-
ures to end dictatorship, the
,May meeting can bring practi-
cal results.
On the U.S. side, there was
never a better chance for ac-
tion. First of all, the dete-
riorating situations in Africa
,and Southeast Asia are giving
new urgency to the need for
the U.S. to m e n d its Latin
American fences. -
More important, President
Johnson and his right-hand man
for Latin America., Assistant
,Secretary of State Thomas C.
'Mann, have largely corrected
,the great weakness that has
.hamstrung our effectiveness in
Latin America.
Traditionally, our L a t i n
American policy has been kept
secondary to European policy.
This was partly became t h e
Approve t eA a b0JJ
down in the State Department
-hierarchy Lo-~ contt?ol our policy.
Higher -officials mainly inter-
ested in Europe and Asia
crowded him out. President
Johnson has patched over this
weakness by making Mr. Mann
also a Special White House
Assistant.
STRONG POSITION
Mr. Mann's position today is
reinforced by the White House
tie. With change's in the air for
many State Department offi-
cials above him. Mr. Mann in
fact today has perhaps the
firmest position among the up-
per ranks.
Another important element Is
the bankruptcy of the policy-
long pushed by many State De-
partment career officers -
which would throw Latin,
America into the boiling pot of
the (old war and see the battle.
fought out country by country.
Th{,~ major objective of this
group of professional diplomats
has been simehow to make
progress on their favorite
project: That of bringing the
U.S. and Russia closer to-
gether in readiness for a fu-
ture upsurge of R e d China's
powec. -
What has teen proved is that
if the: U.S. triss to reduce ten-
lion with Russia by letting
down our 1, a tin American
fences to Ifussian advances
there, there is no way to keep
the 'led Chinese from thrust-
ing ia. ton.
So the U.S. appears ready at
last to g E t. behind Latin
America's great potential for
democracy. We shall now dis-
cover how far the L a t i n
Americans themselves are
ready to go.