Snub

Intense was the relief of Argentine citizens last week when their President, Senor Hipolito Irigoyen, an arch individualist who fears neither God, Man nor the Devil, decided that he would merely snub President Herbert Hoover, by refusing to speak to him on the telephone.

It had been feared that incorrigible Irigoyen would talk, would scandalize two hemispheres by saying exactly what he thinks of the U. S. Instead, Senor Irigoyen merely announced himself "too ill" to talk to Mr. Hoover, an announcement which meant only one thing to Argentines, who knew that the President was quite well enough to talk,* but also an announcement at which U. S. citizens need not take offense.

Year after year Argentina, guided by President Irigoyen who is in fact more of a dictator, continues to give the diplomatic cut direct to the U. S. by refusing to send an Ambassador to Washington. In this way Senor Irigoyen keeps before Administration after Administration his permanent protest against:

1) The total embargo against frozen meat which keeps Argentine chops and steaks off U. S. platters.

2) The "prohibitive" U. S. duties on corn and flaxseed, major Argentine exports.

3) The "threat to world wheat prices" which Senor Irigoyen believes to exist in the operations of the U. S. Farm Board, which he expects at any time to throw a price-depressing surplus of wheat on the European market.

When Mr. Hoover as President-Elect was feted in Buenos Aires (TIME, Dec. 24. 1928), he roused tremendous popular enthusiasm by calling Argentina "the world's bread basket," a remark which Argentines misunderstood to mean that Mr. Hoover favored the introduction of bread made from Argentine flour into U. S. bread baskets.

*Epoca, personal organ of Senor Irigoyen, declared, "We are in a position categorically to deny that the President is ill."

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