Weakened Unity?

Probably no living U.S. citizen is more widely known and esteemed throughout Latin America than Nelson Rockefeller. During Rockefeller's tenure as wartime Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs and as Assistant Secretary of State, the Good Neighbor Policy hit its peak of effectiveness. Since then, he has actively interested himself through his International Basic Economy Corporation in Latin American economic development, and has kept himself closely informed of the Latin American point of view.

Last week, before the Women's National Republican Club in New York, Nelson Rockefeller charged that the U.S. is now "ignoring, neglecting and underestimating" its "fundamental ties with the governments and peoples of other American republics." Said he: "InterAmerican unity has lost much of its vitality, momentum and direction. Disunity and unrest in many parts of Latin America are far more widespread and serious than most people in the U.S. realize. The U.S. has dealt with hemispheric problems on a spot basis, only after they have reached crisis proportions."

Since Rockefeller specifically praised Edward G. Miller, Assistant Secretary of State for Latin American Affairs, his criticism presumably was aimed straight at Secretary Dean Acheson. The New York Times's comment was that perhaps Acheson was just too busy to take care of the job. The way out, suggested the Times, might be to give full cabinet rank to a special Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, to guide U.S. policy within the hemisphere.

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