THE PRESIDENCY: Operation Amigo

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As the President landed back on U.S. territory he brought home with him still another remarkable diplomatic triumph for the nation. His grueling ten-day journey through four free Latin American republics had turned out to be, with rare exception, a carnation-strewn show of affection for Dwight Eisenhower and the people he represents. Somehow—with flashing smile that never faded, with dignity that never truckled, with simple words that went down as well in Argentina as they do in Abilene—the President got across the message of creative friendship and collective responsibility in the name of the long-misunderstood "Colossus of the North."

In Argentina, the press made much out of reporting that the enthusiastic reception at seaside Mar del Plata had moved the President of the U.S. to a public display of warm and very human tears. In Brazil, acting Foreign Minister Fernando Ramos de Alencar reflected that "to us who shook hands with him, it was like being visited by Santa Claus." In Chile, lanky, Lincolnesque President Jorge Alessandri toasted Eisenhower: "You have conquered our hearts." In Uruguay, Eduardo Victor Haedo, a federal councilman who will rotate into the council presidency next year, said: "Eisenhower's personal history and the policy of his Government, which rectified many errors of previous Administrations that I personally denounced many times, contribute to the strengthening of the Uruguayan people's confidence, which Eisenhower has won."

The Most Successful. What were the secrets of the President's personal diplomacy? How had he managed to communicate what a whole nation stands for — communicate it to the peoples of Latin America, just a few months after he had accomplished the same in Europe and Asia? There were no secrets—but plenty of reasons. Some of them showed that Eisenhower has more than a sparkling personality; in the era of personal diplomacy, he is the world's most successful international politician. Items:

¶ During his many motor parades, the President cast his blue eyes and directed outspread arms not only left and right but also up high and around, sweeping in the welcomers perched atop roofs and on balconies, acknowledging the cheers of even the smallest groups. Days after he left, streetcleaners and cops, housewives and bartenders were still chattering about El Viejito Sonriente (The Smiling Old Man) and insisting that he had personally waved to each one of them.

¶ He addressed his fellow Latin American Presidents as co-partners. He conspicuously sought their advice on world problems, e.g., disarmament, so that he could-go to the forthcoming summit conference "with a clear understanding of the views of our friends in this region." (Editorialized Rio's Journal do Brasil: "This is the first time that we talk to the U.S. on equal standing.") He also endorsed some of the Presidents' pet projects. Example: in Chile, he laid the groundwork for President Alessandri's plan for hemisphere disarmament by promising immediate U.S. military aid if any hemisphere nation is attacked. And behind the scenes, hand-picked U.S. experts mapped follow-up actions with Latin leaders (see THE HEMISPHERE).