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During last October's missile crisis, every Latin American nation lined up solidly behind the U.S. in demanding the immediate removal of Russian rockets from Cuba. Now that the missiles are no longer in evidence and Castro is singing a coexistence tune, there is no solidarity in Latin America on what to do about his Communist regime. Last week the OAS was asked to approve a series of moves designed to minimize Castro's infiltration and subversion around the hemisphere. Among the recommendations was a formal ban on all travel to and from Cuba. Only 14 nations voted aye. Brazil, Mexico, Haiti and Venezuela abstained. Chile was firmly against.

As an expression of Latin American sentiment, the vote was a bitter disappointment to the U.S. While Latins are well aware of Castro's troublemaking (Mexico, for example, takes mug shots of every Cubana Airlines passenger), many nations are still reluctant to go on record in favor of anything that suggests intervention in the affairs of a sovereign state. Even embattled Venezuela, long Castro's No. 1 target, refused to go along, arguing that a travel ban and other moves to tighten internal security were police state tactics. "My government, " said Venezuela's OAS delegate, "cannot accept fighting Communist subversion with measures that are not in strictest conformity with democratic principles." U.S. citizens in Caracas, subjected to harassment and bombings in recent weeks, think this excess of scrupulosity helps explain Venezuela's poor security protection.

In the face of so much opposition, the U.S. last week withdrew a second measure against Castro that it had planned to put before the OAS: a call for an OAS economic embargo on Cuba, restricting all trade and commercial relations. The trade is small in any event --only about $ 1 3 million last year between Castro and the rest of Latin America --and to press ahead now on a ban might cause more divisiveness within the OAS than trouble for Castro.

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