Parade to Moscow

Bald, rumpled Foreign Minister Alberto Guani of Uruguay, en route for a visit to the U.S., paused last week in Rio de Janeiro's swank Copacabana Hotel to give a tip on a new trend in South America foreign policies. Over ham, potato salad and agua mineral he told reporters:

"Uruguay broke diplomatic and commercial relations with the Soviet Union in 1936. . . . Now, however, the situation is completely different. The Soviet Union is playing a preponderant role in the battle against Nazi Germany. . . . Uruguayan people do not understand why we do not maintain diplomatic relations with this country. I cannot see any inconvenience in the reestablishment of relations with the Soviet Union."

With these intriguing words, Falstaffian Dr. Guani pushed on to Washington, where he conferred with State Secretary Hull and other U.S. officials on problems of Uruguayan economy (principally the question of a $10,000,000 loan to finance Uruguayan public works). He left behind him in South America much speculation. The week before, Foreign Minister Gabriel Turbay of Colombia, likewise visiting Washington, had confirmed a report that his nation was negotiating with Russia for an exchange of diplomatic representatives. Venezuela and Ecuador were also considering the step. Russia, unrecognized in Latin America until last autumn (when Cuba and Mexico took the plunge), was becoming known south of the Rio Grande.

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