Evening star., 1948-07-25

1t is strange commentary
countries that their governments
campaign in the United States, re.
sulting in barely polite" govern
mental relations.
On July President Peron, speak
ing to a group of Brazilian students
visiting Buenos Aires, stated cate
gorically that if war broke out
between the United States ano
Russia. Argentina unhesitatlngly
would take her place by the side oi
the great North American Republic
Target of L. S. Attacks
On the same day the Argentine
Ambassador to Brazil, Juan Isaac
Cooke. held press conference al
the Embassy in Rio de Janeiro and
declared that in the event OF an
American-Russ war my nation
will fight on the side of the United
States, because the defense OF the
American continent will be at
stake"
President Peron has been the
target of violent attacks in this
country, not only from the so-called
liberal" press and commentators
but also from the State Department
some of whose people-imbued with
ideologies emanating from Moscow
at one time did their utmost to bring
about a break between the two
American republics.
The official reason for the ire OF
high State Department officials, sup
ported by some White House ad-
visers, was that Gen. Peron had beer
pro-Nazi since Argentina had re-
fused to join the other western
nations in declaring war on Ger.
many.
Behind this argument, which wa:
bound to be popular while thl!
country was at war, was a powerful
Soviet intrigue to confuse our Sltua,
ton in South America. Only re-
Gently did this objective of the U. S
S. R. become evident, after the
attempt to break up the Bogots
Conference by provoking revolu'
tionary, outbreak in Colombia.
Men in high position in the STATE
Department put this country fal
out on a limb when Gen. Peron wa!
running for President by interfering
in the Argentine election campaign
A Blue Book lambasting Gen. Peror
WIS published a few weeks before
t.. Argentine people went to the
polls. This effort to defeat the
Argentine strong man boomeranged
Peron Not a Liberal
Until the United States Govern
ment interfered so obviously in the
politics of the great South American
republic there was a chance that
Gen. Peron would be defeated. But
as soon as the American Govern
ment issued the Blue Book the
Argentine people-proud Latins-
elected the man who had been made
the target of attacks by American
Government officials.
Moreover the ArgentinianS knew
what only very few people in Wash
ington knew, that the man who was
behind our anti-Peron policies was
a Spaniard who had served as chief
of the Republican Armys intelli-
gence in the civil war. He was dis
covered by his own SuperlorS to be
in fact, a Russian agent and was
removed, but the Soviet representa-
tive in Madrid forced his reinState-
ment under the threat that Russia
woulo withdraw its support from
the hard-pressed Republican armies
All these things were known IN
Buenos Aires and the fact that he
had a hand in American policy to-
ward Gen. Peron caused surprise
Gen. Peron was villified in many
American newspapers and on the
radio and frequently was slapped
down by our own Government. But
now, when the situation has become
dramatically critical, Gen. Peron has
emerged as the first Latin American
leader to pledge his country's full
support to the United States Gov
ernment and it's people.
Gen. Peron is by no means s
liberal. We have described him a.
a dictator. He is just that, in th'
old sense of the word. But not i
we compare him with the moderr
dictators, such as Joseph Stain
Marshal Tito and the other Ret
Chieftains behind the iron curtain
The title of dictator was bestowed
on Gen. Peron by the Soviet Uniol
and its sympathizers in this country
in the same way that Moscow
labeled as Fascists such men as Sen
sIor Vandenberg, John Foster Dulles
Admiral William F. Halsey ant
many other Americans.
Important Talk With Franco
In May of this year Gen, Franc
received Myron Taylor, Presiden
Truman's special representative t
the Vatican, in a two-hour audience
While nothing was published abou
this important interview, beyond tn
fact that it was held, it is known +
some highly placed Washington Off
cials that the possibility of an arme
conflict between Russia and tn
western nations was discussed.
Gen. Franco, whose chief crime i
the eyes of the western nations wa
to have been a consistent Commun
ist-hater, is reported to have sal
that he was convinced that wa
between east and west was in
evitable.
Believing that this was no SimpI
struggle for power, but a crusade b
the east to replace western civil