BRAZIL: The Answer-Back Man

Brazil and the U.S. are historic friends and close partners in trade. But to hear Brazil’s xenophobes and leftists tell it, the U.S. is stealing atomic minerals, interfering with the coffee market, sucking out exorbitant profits, monopolizing Brazilian industry (or, on the other hand, refusing to invest in Brazil). Career Diplomat John Moors Cabot, who built a reputation in Sweden from 1954 to 1957 as an ambassador willing to speak up anywhere any time for the U.S., was appalled at such complaints when he arrived in July to be U.S. ambassador. Last week, in a speech, he ticked off 19 major U.S. contributions to Brazil’s welfare and prosperity. Among them:

¶In the public field, 15% of all the loans ever made by the U.S. Export-Import

Bank have gone to Brazil—$1.3 billion worth. The U.S. has trained more than 1,000 doctors, nurses and technicians, has helped to eradicate malaria, and to build Brazil’s greatest steel plant. ¶In the private field, the U.S. buys 58% of Brazil’s coffee exports, has invested more than $1.3 billion to employ 94,000 Brazilians, do $427 million worth of local business with Brazilian suppliers, pay $77 million in taxes. U.S. capital is helping Brazil develop by making trucks, tires, electricity and electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, business machines. ¶In the defense field, the U.S. has provided two cruisers, four destroyers, eight destroyer escorts, two submarines, with more destroyers to be delivered.

In effect, Ambassador Cabot asked the critics of the U.S. to inform themselves and reconsider. “Brazil could adopt a new political orientation,” warned Cabot, “only at the cost of endangering her own security as well as that of the U.S.” Brazil’s press threw open its columns, gave Cabot’s blunt talk big and generally favorable play.