The Americas: Charting the Alliance

On the tip of a narrow Uruguayan peninsula separating the mouth of the River Plate from the Atlantic Ocean lies Punta del Este. a resort town that comes to life only in the South American summer. Last week the temperature hovered at 52° in the South American winter, but Punta del Este was hardly deserted. Platoons of security agents swarmed through the town, and squads of workmen were everywhere, repairing streets, painting walls, planting flowers.

Cause of the activity was a special meeting of the economic ministers of the Latin American nations, called by the U.S. to hammer into...