HE glittering Euro-
pean tour of Eva

Duarte Peron, the ex-
chorus’ girl wife of Argen-
tine’s dictator, has forced
many European statesmen to
declare their attitude towards
the rich beef empire. This has
eaused no little embarrassment
in several European capitals.

In Spain there was no prob-
lem. Eva _ received with open
arms and embraces by her cous-
in fascist Franco and given the
highest state decorations. Time
unconsciously characterized the
whole tour when it wrote, “Not
since the welcome to Heinrich

Himmler in 1940 had the Franco -

regime tuned up a reception as
_ thunderous as the one it handed
the dashing blonde wife of Ar-
gentina’s President Juan Peron.”
Eva Peron gave the fascist sa-
lute and praised the “true dis-
tributive democracy” of Spain
and Argentina, contrasting it
with the “false, deceptive de-
mocracy” of other nations.

_In Italy the problems of di-

_ plomacy and protocol began to

mount. Eva was officially greet-
ed by the Italian foreign minis-
ter, Count Sforza, and stepped to
the embassy balcony to receive
the applause. Below the crowd
‘chanted rhythmically “Peron,
Peron, Peron.” Then others took
up the rhythm, chanting ‘Duce,
Duce, Duce.” In a moment there
were counter-shouts, “Down with
Franco, down with Peron, down
with fascism,” and the welcom-
ing crowd. became hostile and
angry. Eva was insulted, and
there was one more embarass-
ing incident for the De Gasperi
government to explain.

_. The Pope received Eva with
great ceremony, expressing

kind words for her husband’s

concern for the Argentine under-
privileged and his aid to the
war-torn countries of Europe.”

But in Northern Italy, where
people have had bitter experi-
ences of fascism, the crowds dis-
played their contempt and _ hos-
tility.

Eva decided: to call-the Euro-
pean tour off, including the pro-
posed trip to Britain. “I am
tired,” she said.

In Britain the press was hos-

tile. “We have had enough of
fascists. We too are tired,” wrote
the Daily Worker.

- Nevertheless, various titled
Britons continued with their ar-
rangements for garden parties,
banquets, balls and an entire so-
_ ¢Cial season. But Eva would not
be tempted. Queen Elizabeth in-
-vited her to come,

ace. This was not good enough

for the exalted livestock queen,.

-who insisted she should live at
Buckingham Palace during her
stay in Britain. Her visit to Bri-
_ tain did not materialize. © ,

In France it was decided to

: SS give Madame Peron no official

_ welcome, but she was neverthe-

less entertained “privately” by the
highest state officials, including
President Auriol. Wherever she
went she caused embarrassment
to the timid governments, which
in spite of supporting numerous
resolutions condemning Argentine
fascism, refuse to make even a
gesture in support of these reso-
lutions.

; e

_ YS the bowing and hand-kissing
_ shown everywhere to Madame
Peron merely out of a desire to
_cbtain Argentine meat and
_ wheat? Is it simply the courtesy
Shown to a travelling salesman
carrying a popular line? There
is more to it than that. Argen-
tine is obliged to sell its food
products, just as other count:-:s
must buy them. There is more
than mere trade behind Eva’s

tour. Wherever she has gone re-

actionaries and fascists have
come ovt in full force to wel-
come her, .

_ The fact that Argentine has
emerged from the war as a rich,
_ powerful state playing an im-

_ FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1947

offering to -

receive her at Buckingham Pal- ~ jess - ones,”

.

portant role in the crusade
against socialism and the Soviet
Union is the.reason for the great
receptions she has been given.

Let us take a look at Argen-

tine and examine the state of :

affairs which prevail there. Ar-
_gentine under ;
called “El Lider,” has been
ealled a dictatorship, but it is
not realized how closely it is
modelled on the German pat-
tern.

All the high-powered stream-
lined methods of public coer-
cion and “enlightenment” are
used—mass meetings, . political
rallies, military displays, infen-
sive radio propaganda, street
broadcasts, fanatic youth organ-
izations as well as a controlled
press, trade union setup and
so on. °

All the familiar tricks of dem-
agogy. popularized by Hitler and
Mussolini have been adopted
by Peron. Although he grants
fantastic concessions to ~- Ar-
gentine millionaires he speaks
from balconies to the crowds
about his concern for the “shirt-
, the name“he has
given to the impoverished mass-
es of farm and city workers.
All his propaganda is built up
around the ‘shirtless ones.”

The Fuehrer principle is in
full swing. “Our leader has
shown us the way, join him,” say
massive posters all over Buenos
Aires. I :
Eva Peron sobs tears over the
radio about ‘how the troubles of
the poor keep her husband awake
at night (to such an extent, in
fact, that he is now threaten-

ing to cut their low wages). Her —

supposed unbounded love for the
masses has earned her the title
of “First’ Samaritan.” *

rT assist Peron to run his state
along German lines there are
several men once prominent in
Hitler’s government.

His financial adviser is Hein-
rich Doerge, an  ex-pupil of
Hjalmar Schacht, Hitler’s bank-
ing wizard. Two other German-
born men, Ricardo Staudt and
Ludwig Freude, who during the
war acted as liaison officials be-
tween Argentine and the Third
Reich, are among Peron’s top
advisers on politics and eco-~
nomics. Both the latter have
been listed as major Nazis by
the U.S. State Department.

In addition Argentine is a

n for ex-Nazis, of whom

,

General Peron,

100,000 are living in this South
American sanctuary. Sixty
thousand of them are known to
have belonged to the Nazi Party.

There are at. least 100 well-
known German spies still living
in Argentine, for whom the
Allied countries have attempted
to obtain extradition proceed-
ings. Only 30 of these spies have
been deported.

German investments in the Ar-
gentine, which receive full rec-
ognition, are in the region of
400 million dollars.

Members of the Alianza Liber-
tadora Nacionalista, a fascist
youth organization, are Peron’s

most yocal supporters. They not |

only whitewash pro-Peron slog-
ans on the walls but also “Heil
Hitler the Martyr” and “Déath to

Jews.”

[pe the European countries,

Argentina has plan, a five-

year plan. But there the simi-°

larity stops, for it is a plan for
military training covering the
entire male population between
the ages of 12 and 50. In addi-
tion, vast sums are spent on
atomic research. ua

Over 5,000 miles of highwa:
and some of the world’s largest
air fields are at present* under
construction—for military pur-
poses.’ /

Argentine fascism even has an
ideology. They give it the name
of “Peronism,” and it consists

of a vague mumbo-jumbo of pi-

ous philanthropy for the “shirt-
less ones” and a vast build-up
of the person of General Peron.

Its economic policy as outlin-
ed in a recent book is that
“people must be led into a so-
ciety where there is no struggle
between capital and labor, but
in which the state controls, rules
and guides all activity of both.”

‘

The world has had some experi-
ence of what this formuia brings
in its train. :

Its foreign policy is to estab-
lish an Austral bloc, that is, an
Argentine dominated league of
South American: nations. It is
this Austral bloc policy which
has caused Peron to be receiy-
ed wtih such mixed feelings in
the United States. The Ameri-
cans are only too glad to have
& powerful neighbor who feels
as they do about socialism, the
Soviet Union and the new demo-
cracies of Europe. But they
don’t like the idea of this neigh-
bor taking a slice of the busi-
ness from what they believe to
be their own backyard.

Peron has taken all the reins
of control into his own hands.
He.has purged the courts, re-
cently dismissed three Supreme
Court judges whom he felt to
be opposed to him, and he got

_vid of hundreds of lower court

justices. His control of political
parties is exercised through a
decree passed by ex-President
Ramirez dissolving all — parties
and outlawing their activities,

and through the Political Party |
the ©

Statute, which authorizes
government to intervene in all
political party organizations
through a special tribunal.

: @ }
ONTROL of the Confederation
General de Trabajo, Argen-
tine’s central trade union organ-
ization, has been effected by

the simple method of dismissing

independent union leaders and

replacing them with Peron men.

The right to strike has been
taken away, and a whole set of
new unions has replaced estab-
lished ones for textile workers,
shoeworkers, lumber > workers,
railroad men and others,

For the last 30 years students

eee

~ unions,

have had the right to choose the
university authorities, but now
only Peron may do so, He has
already replaced over 1,300 col-

-lege professors with army offi-

cers, stooges, ex-policemen and
others unsuited for academic —
careers. 5

In the 1946 elections students
resisted the Peronist putsch, and
a number were murdered by Pe-
ronist police and many girl stu-
dents were. taken to prostitute, —
prisons. , i

Catholicism has been brought —
back into the school curriculum
and made compulsory. “Liberty
of Conscience” as provided in the
constitution has been swept
aside. i

Special laws have been framed

to curb the press. Newspapers
which commit the crime of “d@ —
sacato,” meaning irrevérence OF

disrespect, receive heavy fines:
There are yery few anti-Pero?
papers functioning in Argentine —
today. : ee

To ensure that Peronism is 0b
served by all the people com —
plete authority has been vested

in the executive council, whi

is ruled by Peron. The slog@?
is “El Lider knows what is best oe

: Opposition to Peronism is ge ee

garded as treason, and wher
opposition is found in labor
universities, etc. it
broken by intervention. Peronis™
must be taught in schools ah&
church. « :
The resemblances to Germa>
or Italian fascism go on and 0 |
But, those listed here give
idea of the kind of regime ih
Peron represents. They emp} %
ize how disgraceful it is as
such obsequious attention shoul@
have been given to this oun
dressed, over-painted fascist Mm”
by the heads of several HuroP
states. oon aie