Latin American hostility to the United States is motivated chiefly by a personal dislike of vice-President Richard Nixon, asserted J. K. Galbrath, professor of Economics, in a letter published by the New York Times yesterday.

Galbraith, who recently returned from a two and one-half month trip through Latin America, discounted claims that the problems in Nixon's "unhappy journey of last spring" were the result of a deeper resentment of the United States. "We do ourselves serious injustice if we seek to explain away a strong popular dislike for Mr. Nixon by saying it applies to the country as a whole."

"Most people, at least in the university communities, have read about Mr. Nixon's early campaigns in California, his attacks, real or implied, on the patriotism of President Truman, and the indiscriminate tone of his intervention in other election contests," Galbraith explained.

"As a result, Mr. Nixon is widely regarded in Latin America as an anti-democratic figure, and this is very damaging at a time when tides of popular democratic sentiment are running strong," he concluded.

Galbraith, who is well-known both as a globe-trotter and as a scathing critic of the Administration, is the author of "The Afflluent Society," a best-selling work in contemporary economic theory.