Evening star., 1949-01-23

and his followers could disrupt the
party and SOW serious confusion in
its ranks if it failed to bow to his
wishes.
Communist propagandists are
playing up economic difficulties for
all they are worth, and with such
success that mass disturbances have
become a definite possibility. The
Communists are also riding Brazifs
growing nationalism for what they
can get out of it. No one could &C
cuse Brig. Comes of being Com
munist felloW-traveler. To the con-
trary, he is a devout and almost
mystical Catholic whose patriotism
has never been questioned. Yet the
Communists are using his name as
a rallying cry. His nationalism
plays directly into their hands.
Vargas an Enigma
But the great political enigma OF
Brazil is still Getulio Vargas His
bitterest enemies admit that his
strength and influence in the elec-
tions will be enormous. Vargas still
had enough followers, six months
after he was overthrown, to be
elected national Senator from Rio
Grande do Sui. He continues to
have large and loyal following III
the various labor organizations
which, more than any other groups,
benefited under his dictatorship.
Vargas continues to play both
ends against the middle. There is
no love lost between Vargas and
the Communists, even though the
latter openly supported him before
it was outlawed, but today Vargas
shows signs of courting the COM
radeS. They can be useful to him,
if need be, by embarrassing the
government party and the National
Democratic Union in an election
campaign. Both of these parties
were united in outlawing the Com
munist Party and separating Com
munists from public Office.
Vargas is also seeking the support
of the strong political organization
built up by Adhemar de Barros, pic
turesque governor of the state of
Sac Paulo. De Barros has been
unpopular with President Dutra and
the government party, and on sew
eral occasions has had open tilts
with them. Although himself ambi-
tious to become a national figure,
De Barros probably would make a
political deal with Vargas if he
thought that the former strong man
had a chance to return to power.
Vargas never trusted Brig. Comes
and does not trust him now, but
kept Comes in positions of respon-
sibility during the Vargas Dictator
ship. Both men today share COM
mon feeling of intense nationalism
and antipathy to the. United States.
Blames u. S. for Fall
1t must not be forgotten that
although Brazilian cooperation with
the United States reached its peak
under Vargas during the war. the
dictator always kept a restraining
hand on United States private en-
terprise in Brazil. He blames the
United States for the actual over
throw of his regime. He has not
forgotten that in the months before
his downfall, while he was wavering
between having himself elected
President, thereby removing the
stigma of dictator, and suspending
elections altogether, as he had once
done before, Adolf Berle, our Am
bassador to Brazil, delivered an adj
dress which was an invitation to
Vargas to step down. At least, Am
bassador Berle's speech gave con-
siderable courage to anti-Vargas
elements.
Brazil and Argentina are great
rivals in extending their influence
over the rest of South America, and
a. traditional and hearty dislike