Evening star., 1941-01-12

OpullOll VI oOulll lCduC1 D
Menaced by Nazi Infiltration.
This week a conference is to be
held at Montevideo, the Uruguayan
capital, which may have results OF
hemisphere and possibly of world
importance. Certainly the United
States is keenly interested, and its
hemisphere defense plans may be
largely affected by the outcome OF
this conference. The conference
powers are, in addition to Uruguay
the neiehboring republics of Argen-
tina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay
These five nations are directly inter-
ested in the Plate River system,
which is the great trade outlet for
the southern third of South America.
The importance Of UruguayS ad-
herence to the hemisphere defense
plan is out of all proportion to the
size of that country. Its location,
however, gives it control, jointly
with Argentina. of the mouth of
the Plate; and Uruguay, moreover,
has been more seriously menaced by
Nazi infiltration than any other
American nation. 1t is sandwiched
between strong German colonies In
Southern Brazil and Northeastern
Argentina which have supported
the sapping tactics of the Uru-
guayan Nazis.
Plot to Seize Country Exposed.
Despite a recognition of the dan
ger of totalitarian infiltration which
has precipitated several national
crises since the outbreak of the
German drive for world power, how
ever, Uruguay's position as one Of
the strongest and earliest outright
supporters of a joint hemisphere
defense plan has been taken only
after hard and bitter struggle.
Full realization of the Nazi men
ace came to Uruguayans last June,
when authorities exposed a plot to
seize the country as German COL
ony. Ten Nazi leaders were appre-
hended but at that time both
Uruguay and its big neighbor, Ar
gentina, were seeking to avoid
deliberate offense to the Berlin
government and Nazi leaders within
their borders and the prisoners soon
were liberated, repeatedly in re-
sponse to heavy diplomatic pressure
from Berlin. The affair resulted in
the resignation of the first of several
Uruguayan cabinet members.
60 Per Cent Volunteers.
The disclosures were not without
benefit to Uruguay and the pam
American cause. The nation put
into effect prompt military meas
ures, involving expenditure of
100000 pesos for rearmament.
Alarmed and indignant. the Uru-
guayan people f1ocked to recruiting
stations to volunteer for military
service, despite the fact that only
four months earlier the Minister of
Defense had been forced to resign
because of opposition to his proposal
to institute compulsory military
training. The Uruguayan Congress
undertook an investigation of Nazi
activities which resulted in senSa-
tional disclosures. Within a short
time, more than 60 per cent of
Uruguayan manpower had qualified
Tor military service voluntarily,
more than 10000 enrolling in Monte
Video alone.
The government, however, was not
vet sufficiently welded to the hemi-
sphere defense plan to make its
Nazi findings available to other
American governments, despite pro-
posals that it do so as a basis for
hnti-German investigations through
out Latin America. The Uruguayan
Congress, however, passed an emer-
gency law permitting the govern
ment to break up organizations en-
gagged in anti-democratic activities.
U. S. Sends Mission.
The congressional investigation
showed that members of the Nazi
party were occupying key posts
in government offices, electric light
and telephone plants and other pub
lie service organizations, where they
could control transportation, light,
power and other facilities when the
time came for their planned up
rising.
On the heels of the exposures,
however, the United States last June
sent Capt. w. o. Speers, U. S. N,
and Col. Ralph Wooten, Army Air
Corps, to MonteVideo to confer with
the Uruguayan governmental leaders
on proposals to cede continental de-
fense bases in that country to the
United States. The United States
cruisers Wichita and Quincy also
were sent to Montevideo to support
the government in its stand against
the Nazis.
The Uruguayan government ap-
pointed a special military commits
sion to meet with Capt. Speers and
Col. Wooten. Uruguay was asked
what assistance would be required
from the United States to stand off
a possible European invasion and
what facilities would be made avail
able to United States forces which
might be sent to help fight off such
States bases, it is understood, was
raised specifically and the govern
ment was sounded out as to its will
ingness to grant the United States
permission to establish a naval
patrol in Uruguayan waters. Uru-
guayan leaders, however, took the po-
sition that the matter of bases should
be considered from a pan-American
viewpoint and proposed joint con-
sultations with Argentina and Brazil.
Nazi Threat Backfires.
Uruguayan Nazis, however. had
not been subdued. During the latter
part of September they threatened
to bring libel action against DR.
Hugo Fernandez Artucio, professor
of philosophy at the University of
the Republic in Montevideo, whose
book. "Nazis in Uruguay" was re-
sponsible for the congressional in
vestigation. Their threat back
fired and resulted in rearrest OF
Arnulf Fuhrmann, Nazi leader in
Uruguay, and seven of his followers
The government gave an unexpected
pan n-American twist to the trial
when it announced officially thai