No decision respecting Latin America is taken without some weighing of good neighbor considerations against cold war ones. Because of the different natures of the policy criteria. ambiguity in our Latin American policy decisions is inevitable. Is a leading Latin American intellectual to be invited to the United States and encouraged to meet with North Americans. or is he to be denied a visa because of his failure to pass a stringent political test administered by a cautious consular officer? Is military assistance to a despotic regime to be curtailed because it is known that the regime maintains itself in power only through the use or threat of force. or is such assistance to be continued because the despot and his armed henchmen have been ferocious. if freA3426 quently overzealous and unsophisticated. battlers against the Communists? Is economic aid to be given to a country because of the countrys desire to develop and our recognition of the crying needs of its people. or is it to be withheld because of doubts about the depths of commitment of the countrys political leaders to our side in the cold war? " Although both kinds of criteria continue to be employed. it seems evident that during recent times cold war considerations have weighed ever more heavily in the scales of j4idgment.