Evening star., 1949-01-23
Brazil Has Jitters as Election Nears

Communists Seize|
Chance to Play =
for Power
exists between the peoples of the
two countries. Yet, responsible
Brazilians allege that Vargas is
flirting with Argentine President
Juan Domingo Peron. Vargas makes
his home in the little town of Sac
Horga, near the Brazilian-Argentine
frontier. In recent months Peron's
representatives are said to have Wis
tied him. 1t has been made known
in the Argentine Congress that Ar
gentire telephone lines were extend
ed northward across the frontier to
Sac Borga for the special conven-
ience of Vargas, Brazilians say.
Just what Peron's friendship
would mean in a Brazilian election
is not too clear, but Vargas enemies
insist that Argentine economic sup
portland Argentine economic domi-
nance-Would be forthcoming If
Vargas should attempt to return to
power.
Many Still Admire Him
Vargas still has many admirers
among Brazilian business and in
dustrial leaders who have not for
gotten that for Is years thcy pros
pered directly or indirectly from his
regime. 1t is not uncommon to hear
them say, I'VE never faced such
problems under Vargas" One of
the outstanding businessmen of this
city has assured me that If Vargas
we're in power we would not be fac
ing such economic chaos today
Getulio Vargas will be the most
powerful single factor in the coming
electoral campaign and that will
be true whether he himself becomes
"a candidate or throws his support
to some one else
Herein lies the danger to consti-
tutional government in Brazil. The
military are determined that Vargas
shall not again become the head of
the government. or even the power
behind the throne. In the opinion
of many Brazilians, the only way he
can be prevented from becoming one
or the other is to call the elections
of altogether. The trend seems to
be in that direction. In highly re-
sponSible circles there are rumors
that there may be no election after
all, and they have been growing
faster in recent weeks, following SO
many military coups in other Latin
American countries. The success Of
those coups has left democraticaly-
minded Brazilians with a strong case
of the jitters as they contemplate
what strong man might do in their
own country. If given half chance
May Call Off Elections
Talk of postponed or Cancelled
elections is so prevalent that in a
recent press conference newspaper
men asked Gen. Coles Monteiro, who
commanded the Brazilian Expedi-
tionary Force in Italy during the
war, whether there was possibility
that the armed forces might be
contemplating a repetition of their
l945 performance. Gen. Monteiro,
then chief of staff, was the man
who actually drove Vargas from
Office. He is still said to be-as one
newspaper described him-"the real
director Of the Brazilian political
orchestra" and the real mentor of
President Dutra. He assured the
newspapermen that the armed
forces would be immune to any such
political temptation" but the belief
persists in political and newspaper
circles that military intervention is
a very definite possibility.
If the military were to force q
cancellation of elections, or take
over altogether, they would hardly
justify their action as a means OF
preventing Vargas from returning
to power. They are determined to
keep him out of ofhce, but they
have a much handler, more valid
and more acceptable excuse for act
ing in the threat of the Commu-
nists to create confusion and chaos
in the nation. The strong fear
of communism in Brazilian military
thinking was summed up by high
officer of the Brazilian general staff
when he told me, the Communists
are the greatest threat and danger
to peace and tranquility in our
country at this moment"
With Brazil between the devil
and the deep blue sea, cynical
Brazilian Senator summed up the
situation in this wise: In order
to avoid the return Of Vargas,
the army may find it necessary to
save us from the Reds