The Great Arms Race

The cry for disarmament that has so long echoed through the world's major corridors of power was suddenly being taken up last week in, of all places, Latin America--where there has been only one major war in the past 50 years. Ironically, it came from Chile's President Eduardo Frei less than two weeks after his government signed a new $20 million deal for 21 British Hawker

Hunter fighters. Still, Frei had a point

if one not universally shared by Latin American generals.

Last year Argentina bought 25 subsonic Douglas A-4B fighters from the U.S. Chile promptly dashed out for more planes and was soon negotiating for the Hawker Hunters. Not to be outdone, Peru last week was discussing purchase of 16 Mach-2.1 English Electric Lightnings and a flock of advanced-model Hawker Hunters. Meantime, Venezuela was suddenly losing its love for its F-86 Sabre jets, which it bought from the U.S. five years ago. So it, too, was dickering--with Sweden for 20 Saab

Draken fighters, a Mach-2.2 all-weather interceptor.

Shoot Now, Pay Later. Actually, Latin American nations spend only $1.7 billion a year, or about 12% of their total government budgets on arms, compared with 55% for the U.S. and 25.6% for the European NATO countries. But in an area of the world where the necessity for social reform so far outweighs military needs, even that small percentage appears excessive. And because of that, Washington, which supplies $1.2 billion a year in Latin American aid, is discouraging unnecessary arms purchases among its southern neighbors. As President Johnson warned in a recent Alliance for Progress address, such purchases "take clothes off the backs and food away from the stomachs and education away from the minds of our children." Hauling out its own heavy artillery last summer, Congress underscored Washington's concern by cutting U.S. military aid to Latin America 9% in the current fiscal year, to $85 million.

Undaunted, Latin Americans simply take their escalations elsewhere. "If the U.S. is not willing to sell us the planes we need," shrugged Peru's President Fernando Balaunde Terry, "we will buy them from any other country willing to sell to us." And possibly cheaper, since Europe is hungry for the business. The Swedes are offering the Saab Draken fighter for some $700,000, compared with $900,000 for Northrop's slower (Mach-1.3) F-5 Freedom Fighter (see U.S. BUSINESS). Brazil claims that five-year terms are the best it can get in the U.S.; the British are offering ten years. As a result, the Brazilians ordered ten Avro-748s from Britain last month, and took an option for more.

Ultimate Deterrent. The fancy new war machines, however, are often more trouble than they are worth--and that, in the end, may be the ultimate deterrent. Argentina is desperately short of parts for its now-obsolete Douglas A-4Bs; so the planes are flown only 15 hours a month, which is not even enough time for pilots to maintain proficiency. Then there is poor Brazil. It no sooner laid out $35 million for a reconditioned aircraft carrier in 1956 than the navy and air force went to war over which service should get the use of the carrier. In time, the battle triggered major crises for four Brazilian Presidents, the resignations of ten admirals and navy and air force ministers, and several actual shooting scrapes between the navy and air force; not until last year did the two sides finally reach a compromise, agreeing that the navy should man the carrier, and the air force the planes.

In the end, Frei's call for disarmament last week seemed destined for the same sad fate that always seems to greet causes that tamper with national egos. As one Peruvian general summed it up: "If Chile buys arms, we must buy arms too. But we Peruvians are not militaristic. Let our neighbors agree to stop buying armament, and we will join them." Though maybe a little later.

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