Evening star., 1947-03-16

lively intensity 10 carry OUT an
aggressive and expanding program
of peso diplomacy"
There are two parts of the f1ve-
year plan: One advertised and
the other not. The first Is largely
taken up with economic develop
ment, cultural control, and reorgani-
zation of the government structure.
The cost of it is broken down so
that you can read it in the two
volume affairs, entitled plan de
Gobierno" The sum of $500 ,000,-
900 pesos, is to be expended in the
five-year period. The other part,
national Defense" is described as
"confdential' no figures are given
as to manpower involved or the
costs of the military plant.
What is clear, however, Is that
this country's 14,500000 people have
been given an agenda for the next
five years. 1t includes everything
from folk dancing to hydroelectric
dams, from compulsory Catholic
religious instruction to a social Sc
curity system, from votes for women
to- the intensive exploration and
mining of critical metals and radio
active materials.
A Springboard for Peron.
The architect in chief of this plan
Is a Catalan, Jose Figuerola, who
fed his native Spain in 1881 in the
same automobile as his leader, Pri-
mo de Rivera, Spanish dictator, who
had just been ousted. One of its
energetic promoters is Heinrich
Doerge, disciple of Hjalmar Schacht.
One of it's technicians is Lauchlin
Currie,' recently of Washington.
Whether you call the plan prospec-
tus, an omnium gatherum, full
employment program or no plan
at all-there's disagreement about
how precise a mechanism it is
undoubtedly it has become spring.
board for high-vaulted institutional
advertising to enhance the regime
of the President-ruler of Argentina,
Juan Domingo Peron. Everything
built in the next five years will be
a part of the plan, everything i'm
ported or exported contributes to it
and every newborn child is hailed
as evidence of its progress.
Peron leans heavily on one man
for the basic job of economic stimu-
lation and organization within and
economic expansion abroad. He is
Miguel Miranda, president of the
government-owne Banco Central
He combines in himself the func-
tions of a Reconstruction Finance
Corp, an Export Import Bank, the
Federal Reserve System and many
functions of ordinary commercial
banking Moreover, he is the chief
negotiator for the purchase of for
eign-owned holdings in Argentina
and the man who is throwing wide
network of foreign credits to coun-
tries round about the republic of the
River Plate, and bangles attractive
offers to republics as far north as
Central America.
Rounds Up Businessmen.
Miranda is a large, tough canning
impresario who was one of the first
converts to the military regime.
Just as Peron had certain key labor
leaders bring others into the gov
ernment corral, Miranda has also
the job of cajoling businessmen into
the Peron orbit of control,
= Though Miranda is not member
Of the cabinet, officially, his activity
transcends and embraces many of
the formal government departments.
When the government departments
are to be reorganized under the
f1ve-year plan, Miranda Is sched-
uled to become Minister of Eco
nomic Affairs.
Miranda has his own strong con-
nections. Rolando Lagomarsino,
Secretary of Industry and Com
merce. is relative as well as a CO.
worker. Together they organized
the Confederation of Industry,
Commerce and Production as the