Evening star., 1943-06-09
Argentine DEVELOPMENTS

Argentine Developments
Despite confusion In details, the
course of the political overturn In
Argentina evolves as might have been
expected from its basic character.
The first thing to realize, If we are
to understand what Is going on at
Buenos Aires, is that this is not a
revolution" in the classic sense of
the word. which implies a popular
uprising against a discredited ruling
class resulting in a genuinely differ
ent regime. Nothing like that has
happened in Argentina.
What did happen occurred as the
result of split within the ranks of
the conservative elements who run
Argentina. These are the big land
owners, the big bankers and export
ers, and the aristocratic officers corps
OF the Army and Navy. The real
opposition forces to this ruling con-
servative bloc are confined mostly to
the working and middle classes of
Buenos Aires and its metropolitan
district, which is the only urban part
OF a country predominantly rural
and conservative in outlook. But the
urban opposition is split between
socialist-minded urban workers and
liberal-minded urban middle class
which calls itself radical. Neither
has had any real share in the over
throw Of the Castillo government.
The so-called revolution" was, in
fact, an inside job" carefully plan
ned by conservative elements which
had become dissatisfied with the
foreign policy of President Castillo
and his immediate clique of advisers,
especially his Foreign Minister, Ruiz
Guinazu.
This dissatisfaction was not due to
any basic difference in ideals or even
methods. The deposed President is
typical Argentine conservative, and
he would never have been ousted if
his policy Of isolationist neutrality
had not increasingly hit the vested
interests of all the leading conserva-
tive elements. Castillo's covertly pro-
Axis policy offended Great Britain,
Argentina's best customer and source
of investment capital. That injured
both the landowners and big busi-
ness, whose very existence is bound
up with foreign trade. It likewise
offended the United States, which
left Argentina out of its lease-lend
program that is building up the eco
nomic life of the other Latin Ameri-
can countries who support Pam
American cooperation against the
Axis. Lastly, the Army and Navy
were alarmed when they could not
buy arms and equipment from us,
though neighbors were getting all
they needed. Argentina thus saw it.
self automatically isolated, economi-
cally depressed and militarily weak
ened.
The upshot was that the powers
that be behind the political scene
quietly put their heads together and
decided that the stubborn Castillo
must go. Their action was undoubt-
edly hastened by the fact that the
President was on the eve of nominat-
ing a faithful henchman as his can
didate for the elections slated for
next September, which might have
perpetuated Castillo's foreign policy
Indeed, the head of the conspiracy
was none other than General Pedro
Ramirez, who was Minister of War in
the Castillo government, and who
has now assumed formal control of
the new regime, apparently discard
ing General Arturo Rawson, a pro-
fessional army officer who seems to
have been induced to lead the revolt
as useful momentary front"
The new provisional government
is frankly military in character and
methods, ruling by martial law after
having dissolved Congress and muz-
zled the press as drastically as Cas-
tillo had done. It will probably
modify Argentina's foreign policy,
first by Transforming its neutrality
to one of benevolence toward the
United Nations instead of toward the
Axis, and later by breaking diplo-
matte relations with the Axis. But
this will be done with the strictly
realistic aims of making a better
economic deal with Britain, of get
ting in on lease lend and obtaining
a share of the military equipment
going to it's neighbors.