Evening star., 1951-10-07
Perons May Cash In on Uprising
By Edword TomIinson

The diplomatic experts have
changed their minds about the ma
ture Of last weeks coup against the
Argentine government of President
Juan Peron.
Some usually we'll Informed per-
sons here at first suspected that the
coup had been staged by pro-Peron
forces to serve election purposes.
Now, however. they are convinced
that the uprising was a genuine at
tempt to unseat the handsome cham
plon OF Argentina'S "shirtleSS ones"
This fact is borne out. not by
rumors or information leaking
through the Buenos Aires censor
ship. but by the actual landing in
Uruguay Of six Argentine military
planes and about ~ refugee officers
and men under the command of
Navy Capt. Vicente Baroja. 1t has
also been confirmed in an announce
ment by the Uruguayan government
that it has interned the officers and
men and agreed to repatriate the air
craft to Argentina.
Intervention and revolution by the
military is an old story in the Latin
American countries. Ironically
enough, Peron was a colonel when
he made his power bid.
Still Some Mysteries
There still seem to be several un-
solved mysteries connected with the
incident. 1t is strange that two
retired army generals. Arturo Raw
son and Benjamin Menendez, should
have been Immediately charged with
complete responsibility for the revolt.
Actually, it was led by several briga-
der generals. along with numbers of
younger officers Of the navy and
air corps. The government itself has
since denied that Gen. Rawson was
involved.
Furthermore, if Gen. Peron knew in
advance of the plot, as he now claims.
why was nothing done to forestall it?
Government House, where he is
known to begin work early every
morning, might easily have been
bombed from the air. But the chief
question asked by observers is why
the attempt against the Government
should have been made with the cleo
ton campaign in its final stages. and
Just~after Peron's wife had withdrawn
her candidacy for the vice presidency.
While these and other questions
puzzle nearly everyone who attempts
to follow day-to-day Argentine de-
Velopments there can be no mystery
or question about the fact that the
whole affair has played directly into
the hands OF the Argentine strong
man. Everyone now predicts that
the November II elections will result
IN overwhelming victory for Peron
and that he will now slam down, with
IRON fist. on every individual and &C
tlVlty in the nation.
Excuse for Shokeup
The incident has already served as
an excuse for the President to shake
up the armed forces and to weed out
all who recently opposed Evita's vice
presidential ambitions Not only did
the Navy Minister step down, but
the Minister of Air has been forced
TO resign. 1t is reliably reported that
several other cabinet members are
scheduled to give up their posts, if
they have not already done so. Ac-
coroing to an official announcement,
33 Key air force officers have been
ousted, while number of the ring
leaders are awaiting trial and possible
death.
The army and navy have long
oeen question marks in the Argentine
political setup. Many have believed
that the army constituted the chief
stumbling block to the ambitious Eva
Peron. The present wholesale shake
up and the replacement of the older
conservative officers by young Peron-
lstas removes that formidable i'm
pedlment from her pathway to power.
The abortive plot has also made it
possible for the Government to deal
effectively with all anti-Peron politi-
cal leaders. In recent weeks the op-
position parties had become bolder
and more active. Their candidates
had dared openly to criticize the ad-
mlnlstration, in spite of Government
restrictions and police abuses. Their
ooldness was probably due to the
feeling that since military resistance
mad compelled the Presidents wife
TO give up her attempt to gain the
second highest office in the land, the
regime had been seriously weakened.
Most Opponents JoiIed
At any rate. practically all of the
prominent leaders of the opposition
nave now been rounded up nd jailed.
DR.. Noises Lebensohn, PRESIDENT of