Evening star., 1951-05-13


mics and his most ardent supporters
forgotten man." In the manner
lof Franklin D., he has also taken
Ito the radio in periodic "fireside
talks" broadcasts to build UP sup
'lport for his ideas and administra-
ltion."
Since he took Office three months
Iago he has delivered series Of
addresses direct to the nation re-
porting the day-to-day activities
and progress of his government.
His enemies express the greatest
fears for the country because he
has launched an all-out attack on
the high cost Of living and de-
manded that wages be raised not
less than SO per cent across the
board
Encouraging Words
But while he has emphasized
his determination to raise wages
and lower prices he has not con-
demned the business community
as such. In his latest speech he
declared that neither the honest
merchant. the honorable and fair
minded industrialist, nor the
farmer (meaning the plantation
owner. none of these has any
reason to harbor any fear from
this administration" In fact, one
of his first acts was to offer f1nan-
cial assistance to livestock pro-
ducers in an effort to increase the
meat supply of the country. He
has also moved to provide farm
ers with better credit facilities and
help to get new machinery.
So far businessmen in this 'coun-
try, who may have entertained
any uneasiness about his attitude
toward United States investments
or his friendly cooperation with
us, have little or no reason to be
worried. North Americans have
already received a cordial welcome
to discuss conditions for the in
vestment of new capital and the
joint development Of the great
natural resources Of the country.
The nationalistic and hostile
attitude toward any outside par
Iticipation in the development OF
the nations oil resources, heard
on all sides in recent years. has
been noticeably absent. Ofdcials
of United States oil companies,
whom the local press calls men
of the highest prestige In the in
dustry," are now in Rio discussing
possibilities looking to the joint
drilling and exploration of Bra
lillian petroleum.
Only last week Eugene Grace.
chairman of the Bethlehem Steel
Corp, spoke enthusiastically of the
promising prospects Of his COM
lpany's new manganese properties"
in Brazil and declared that the
United States Is no longer de-
pendent upon Russia as a source
of this metal. Brazilian deposits
are known to be among the largest
in the hemisphere.
During and since the last war,
great progress has been made by
Goodyear, the United Fruit and
other North American companies
in several of the Caribbean coun-
tries, such as Costa Rica, Panama
and others. toward the develop
ment of a new high-yielding
species of domesticated rubber.
So far practically all rubber in
Brazil has come from the wild.
comparatively low-yielding trees
of the Amazonian forests. A group
iof United States technicians in
this field are now discussing with
Brazilians the possibility Of pro-
ducing plantation rubber within
the country.
While Brazil during the former
regime of President Vargas CO.
Operated with us whole -heartedly
in the prosecution of World War
II, there ha6 been considerable
popular opposition, much of it
fostered by Communist propa-
ganda, to any participation in the
present world emergency. During
the recent Washington Foreign
ministers Conference, the Bra
lillian delegation gave every indi-
cation OF warm support of our
present campaign against com.
munism. BraZil's Minister of De-
tense, Gen. Estillac Leal, is now
in this country as a guest of our
Government.
Cool Toward Peron
Originally, Gen. Estillac's ap-
pointment not only raised storm
of criticism among the more con-
servative elements, as well as a
great portion of the press in Brazil,
but caused many raised eyebrows
in Washington. For years the Gen
eral had been known as an ultra
liberal. if not an outright leftist.
Previous to his appointment to
the Vargas cabinet he was the
president of the powerful Brazilian
Military Club, and had become in
volved in an incident in which a
group of leftist editors Of the
military Review. official organ of
its resistance to the Communists in
Korea. The General had defended
the editors on the grounds Of
their right to free speech
But now that the Defense Minis
ter has accepted an invitation to
come to this country the same
Communist organ has denounced
him as "a traitor to Brazil" and
Igoes on to say this visit is only
a forerunner of the blood pact
which Vargas has sealed with
Truman"
Those who had predicted that
Vargas would play with Argen-
Itina's dictator, Peron. in opposi-
IT.. YT~;4%A y~oou