Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene register-guard. (Eugene, Or.) 1930-1983 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 1962)
Pig 4A EUGENE REGISTER-GUARD, Sunday. Jan. 21. 1962 In Spite of Fiascos and Criticism From Allies U.S. World Prestige Apparently Rising Once More By JULES LOH .T Of Uia AtsocUttd Preii . Dunng Istanbul's annual Re public Day ceremonies last May, a holiday crowd of Turks watched with silent curiosity as delegations of foreign diplomats ' arrived at the reviewing stand, : flags fluttering from the fend ers of each gleaming sedan. When the car bearing the .t, American flag drove up, the ' crowd spontaneously waved and cheered. A small thing, perhaps. But like other seemingly insignifi cant manifestations of friendli ness a photograph of Presi dent Kennedy above a Venezu elan official's desk, the silenc ing of a group of anti-U.S. row dies at an Argentine labor rally they enter, on the positive side, into the picture of cur rent attitudes abroad toward the United States. The balance sheet, as brought out in an Associated Press sur vey of key world capitals, in cludes debits as well as credits. Virtually Unanimous Criticism America's racial difficulties are distressing to many foreign- ers. A number of Frenchmen and Britons feel America somehow fails to stand by her old allies. The conception of Americans as money bags is still wide spread abroad to the point where some Brazilians, for ex ample, can't understand why touring U. S. school teachers are so tight with a buck. The Cuban invasion met with virtually unanimous foreign criticism, though in Italy it seemed directed less at the a 7 jlaL IW. ;. mi Bett Pictu WW (AP Newsfeatures photo) Causes of ups and downs of United States prestige around the world during the past year are suggested here: Clockwise, starting at upper left: The Peace corps; united Nations forces in the Congo, with an American plane as a symbol of U. S. aid; the Cuban invasion; the Negro Droblem: President Kennedy receiving a friendly welcome. Reactions vphave included criticism, applause, and a mixture of both; for instance, uriuuisiu iui uie isuuaii juva&iuii, applause xur jjersuiiauy jjupuiar rrew dent Kennedy. But the general feeling abroad is that United States prestige seems higher than it was a year ago. er launching of the attack than at the fact of its failure. How people feel toward the nation is part of its prestige abroad, a term impossible to measure with scientific preci sion. At any rate, the survey on popular feelings and moods today shows many credits on the ledger often attributed to the personal appeal of Presi dent Kennedy. Flags Still Flew "An Egyptian," reports AP's Cairo correspondent George Mc- Artnur, "could feel safe in shouting 'Down with the United States' and following with 'Long live Kennedy'. Privately, Egyp tians are friendly toward Amer icans, tourist are avidly courted, and an American passport as sures you of favorable consideration." The United States plainly benefited from the President's trips to France and Venezuela. Three weeks after the Ken nedys left," reports Caracas cor respondent Richard Massock, some of the U.S. flags dis played for the occasion still fluttered from lampposts. Not even the Communists bothered to tear them down." The spirit of friendliness President and Mrs. Kennedy generated in France likewise has long outlasted their visit. Left Little Bitterness "The French public appears to like Kennedy's style," says cor respondent Joseph E. Dynan, who has observed opinion trends in France since World War II. "The feeling is that America has a strong hand at the wheel." Even in India, New Delhi cor respondent Henry Bradsher re ports, "the stiff criticism by Adlai Stevenson in the U.N. Se curity Council of India's action in Goa has left little bitterness after Prime Minister Nehru went out of his way to praise America's efforts to find a peaceful solution to the dis pute." Bradsher says Stevenson's speech did cause a "brief flurry of great hostility." The press de nounced him "as a hypocrite for having condemned the Goan ac tion." Elsewhere in Asia popular at titudes are on somewhat of a see-saw. African Popularity Helped For example, Pakistan s re gard for the United States has increased because of military and economic aid and because of the cordial reception given in Washington latf July to Presi dent Mohammad Ayub Khan. In Afghanistan, on the other hand, esteem of the United States has declined because the Afghans arc at odds with the Pakistanis and think the Amer icans should have pressured Pakistan into taking their side. The average Afghan, according to Bradsher, feels America doesn't care much about him. Strong U.S. support of United Nations efforts to unify the Con go has helped American popu larity in independent Africa, ac cording to AP correspondent R. N. Lindsay at Lagos, Nigeria. "If President Kennedy came to Nigeria now he would get as cordial a welcome as he s had anywhere in the world," Lind say said. Still 'the Greatest' The incident involving the widely publicized postcard by a Peace Corps girl who spoke of primitive conditions in Nigeria was quickly forgotten, Lindsay reports. Not so easily forgotten, he notes, are accounts of discrimi nation against Negroes in Amer ica, especially when they in volve an African diplomat, "Such episodes are splashed in the press and radio, the cor respondent says, "and the pub lic always reacts angrily. In the Philippines, corres. pondent Henry Hartzenbusch reports America still is regard ed as the worlds greatest de mocracy "always ready to help out whenever the Philippines are in a jam." Hartzenbusch says U. S. pres tige reached its low point after the Cuban affair but "has risen since then, especially with Ken nedy's stand on Berlin." The bad effects of the Cuban disaster likewise have been counterbalanced in Latin Amer ica by subsequent events, espe cially the administration's Alli ance for Progress program. Gradually Climbing Back In Mexico where Castro trained his revolutionary army there were a number of anti American demonstrations fol lowing the Cuban invasion in Morelia, Puebla. Guadalajara and other places. Nothing of the sort has happeneed in months, and the last disturbance by uni versity students ended wilh Castro being burned in effigy. "America's popular prestige in Mexico," reports the AP's Jack Rutledge, "soared with the election of President Kennedy and is gradually climbing back to about what it was in early 1961." Correspondents in Venezuela and Argentina also report an in crease in public favor for the United States. Dr. Cesar Eduar do Vares, Argentine chairman of a private organization work ing toward a sort of Latin Amer ican common market the In- teramerican Institute for Eco nomic Unity says he believes this holds true for the hemis phere. America 'Swerves' Sometimes In Brazil, however, AP corre spondent Tom Masterson notes Brazilians tend to blame Amer ica for their internal troubles inflation, devaluation of cur rency, even a drop in world coffee prices. But "if Brazilians were asked to choose between playing on the U.S. team or any other team," Masterson adds, "90 per cent would choose the United States." What about Western Europe? London's Eddy Gilmore re calls that Bismarck once said, "The supreme fact of the 19th century was that Britain and the United States spoke the same language," to which Win ston Churchill added, "Let us make sure that the supreme fact of the 20th century is that they tread the same path. Some Britons, however feel that America sometimes swerves from the straight path in dealing with old friends. In a letter to the Daily Tele graph recently, Brigadier J. 0. Thurburn wrote that "America constantly confounds her allies, notably Britain and France at Suez, Belgium in the Congo, Portugal in Angola" Immeasurably Improved' Other Britons, says Gilmore, "are firmly convinced the Unit ed States is still suffering from a conviction that Britain is to day a colonial Power." The British, as others, looked upon the Cuban invasion "as one of the worst American dis asters for a long time. How ever," Gilmore reports, "they've forgotten it, or forgiven. Also changing is the long-held British notion that every Ameri can is a millionaire. More and more middle and lower income Americans are visiting the coun try and "have immeasurably im proved in their personal con duct. Italy Favorably Impressed In Rome, a source high in the Italian government commented "The Kennedy administration which started off like a rocket. seems to be orbiting erratical ly." Other Italians complain of what they call America s "politi cal immaturity," and the Peace Corps is sometimes cited as an example. It has been the butt of scores of newspaper cartoons. The same government official, however, said Italians were fa. vorably impressed by America's defense of the United Nations, its policy toward underdevel oped countries and its general efforts for peace. B1W t F-85 ... by OLDS of course. Compact thrift with big car comfort. 1 1 cot.-. t.j m 1 w A : t list HUM RAIL TOUR of UROPE w special mm Tulip time In Holland! Eas ter in Paris! A Rhine steamer trio! The Vien na ooera! Venice in a condole! These are just a lew of the hightlljhts of what will be the most memorable trip) of your lifetime! It's history's first spe cial train tour el Europe! You'll sail from New York City on the Queen Elizabeth on April 11 or jet across the Atlantic! By sleeper train, you'll visit Francs, Spain, Monaco, Italy, Austria. Switter. land, Germany, Denmark, Holland, Bel gium, and England! You'll never change trains while on-the Continent! Set Europe's most famous cities stay, in deluxe hotels dine at the Lido and other world-famous restaurants! ' Kenrvations are limited Maka y.w plans now. Complete tojr prices start at$1525fiomNewYofkCity, r . . Call or Write for Brocburt LEWIS TRAVEL 812 Olive DI 2-1221 JOHNSON'S JANUARY SPECIAl r5F SPINDLE BUNK BEDS So versatile for children's rooms $7095 Id WAGON WHEEL BUNKS BOOKCASE BUNK BEDS 2'2" Sturdy Maple Stock Use as Twins or Bunks $1 1 095 8 piece set complete with 2 cotton mottresses 8 piece set complete with 2 cotton mattresses 8 piece set complete with 2 innerspring mattresses I Lacquered finish I s449 I For the Best Values in town shop . . . MEN SON Open Daily 8 30 to 5 30. Friday 'til 9. 649 Willamette Customer parking rear of store off 6th Avenue. DI 4-2281 I Eugene', only j furnirurt Sfore BUNK E SETS ith 40 lb. heavy cotton mattress Si .95
