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U.S.A IN SOUTH AMERICA                              JAGAN
Europe, but also to cement the chains of neocolonialism in the Caribbean and at the same time to displace their British, French and Dutch competitors.
That no fundamental change is intended in the Caribbean was clearly pointed out by the Incorporated Commonwealth Chambers of Industry and Commerce after their delegation met the Prime Minister and other Trinidad experts and advisers. Throwing in the red-herring of communism, the delegation wrote: 
Communist infiltration: It was felt that the danger of communist infiltration in the area should not be regarded lightly and the earlier situation in Guyana was referred to. The delegation was asked to bear the problem in mind and to emphasize in their talks the importance of preserving the traditional system of free enterprise. 
Neither the kind of Caribbean unity nor the OAS will cure the ills of Caribbean society or bring salvation to the people of this region.
Latin American countries which are members of the OAS and served by the Alliance for Progress and the Inter-American Bank are in continuous trouble.
As long ago as 1961, at the Punta del Este Conference, when the Alliance for Progress was inaugurated, the objective was to eradicate poverty, illiteracy and backwardness. An economic growth rate of 2.6 per cent was projected, at a time when the average figure for Western Europe was 3 to 5 per cent while the socialist bloc 7 to 9 per cent.
But even the limited expectations have not materialized. In fact, there has been a steady decline. The average figure for 1960 to 1965 was 1.6 per cent as compared with 1.7 per cent for the period 1955-1960 and 2.2 per cent for the period of 1950 to 1955. Argentina, one of the most developed countries in Latin America, suffered a decline of 2.7 per cent in the gross product for 1966.
Little wonder that Dom Helder Camara, Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, said some time ago that the Alliance was dead.
Even in the fields of housing, health and education in which the Alliance was supposed to concentrate, there has been failure. In 1961, the housing deficiency was estimated to be 15 million houses. According to the Inter-American Bank of Development, the need in 1966 was 19 million houses, four million more than at the start of the plan. 
There are also balances of payment problems, runaway inflation
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---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-02-12 16:20:17