National Affairs: Hoover Progress

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(See front cover)

Publicity is a prime requisite of any Goodwill trip. When the Hoover-bearing battleship Maryland passed down South America's west coast, it was found that the high Andes were an obstacle to telling the world by ship's radio what the traveller was saying and doing. The Navy Department therefore obligingly ordered the cruiser Rochester to steam westward from Panama to the vicinity of Galapagos and thence relay the Maryland's rebounding messages to the big naval radio station at Balboa.* Notwithstanding this assistance, the Maryland found Andean ether conditions so bad that no messages could be sent for six hours one day. George Barr Baker, the chief Hoover censor and publicist, explained matters to the world's press when he could. The broadcast of Goodwill dropped from 16,000 words per day to about 10,000.

Antofagasta. Down out of the mountains which are Bolivia went 70 dignitaries and notables (including many ladies) from La Paz, across the nitrate plain which is Chile and so aboard the Maryland in the harbor of Antofagasta. Mr. & Mrs. Hoover lunched them all on the quarterdeck. In his speech, Mr. Hoover stated that the history of Bolivia and its hero, Simon Bolivar, are as familiar to U. S. schoolchildren as to Bolivian schoolchildren.

It had been explained that Mr. Hoover longed to visit La Paz but did not like to step on Chilean soil, as would have been necessary, before paying his respects to Chile's highest officials at Santiago. The Bolivians had come to him after requesting permission from Chile to travel through what used to be Bolivia's corridor to the sea, the long-disputed Tacna-Arica district at the juncture of Bolivia, Chile & Peru.

President Hernando Siles of Bolivia was sorry not to be able to join the goodwill party. He was occupied at La Paz by an impending war with Paraguay (see page 13).

Reasons making the Antofagasta stop worthwhile for all concerned: 1) More U. S. capital is invested in Bolivia (tin, oil) than in any other S. A. country; 2) the U. S. holds all Bolivia's external debt bonds. 3) the Tacna-Arica dispute might be settled some day by letting Bolivia buy back her road-to-the-sea, as suggested by Secretary Kellogg in 1925.

Chile. Through the cool, north-rushing Humboldt current the Maryland plowed on towards Valparaiso.

The usual squad of resplendent officials was at the harbor. The Hoovers said goodbye to the Maryland and a state train sped them 110 miles inland from Valparaiso to Santiago, where President Carlos Ibañiez of Chile in a generalissimo's regalia was waiting with an open carriage and four spanking bay horses. While Mr. Hoover visited the U. S. Embassy, President Ibañiez went on to the National Palace. There Mr. Hoover visited him after lunch, the first of a two-day series of meetings, partings and re-meetings.