Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-05-18
HEADLINE PERSONALITY
Solozor Stresses
Value of Colonies


(AP).-At the gate half a
dozen policemen wave at you
like old friends. You enter the
walled garden leading to the
white stone house of the die
tator of Portugal, Antonio de
Oliveira. Salazar.
The garden is rich and or
nate, with palms and pines
growing side by side. Inside,
the reception room is like a
museum. Fine pieces of furni-
ture crowd together as in a
storage room. The wall are
hung with heavy tapestries.
But upstairs, where lives the
man who holds the purse and
political strings of Portugal, the
private apartment is austere
and furnished in his own taste.
President Eisenhower will
find something in common with
this one-time economics pro-
fesSor. Both are nearing the
end of their decisive political
days. Both are firm believers
in maintaining sound currency.
First Met in 1851
Since Mr.. Salazar speaks
English the two men will be
able to converse without inter-
prefers. They met in 1881
when Gen. Eisenhower was on
a survey tour setting up the
supreme headquarters for the
North Atlantic Treaty Or
ganization.
At that time Mr.. Salazar's
face seemed crisply outlined,
his cheeks fiat and his eyes
sharp. In his initial exchange
with Gen. Eisenhower hel
seemed as cold as his reputa-
ton had painted him.
He now is past 70, and his
face is fuller, his glance softer, !
his whole attitude that of a
man who already has made
most. if not all, of the great
decisions Of his life.
He dresses simply in a blue
serge suit, white shirt, dark |
tie, and old-fashioned high |
shoes with hooks for the laces.
Works in Vineyard
He walks erectly, has a full
head Of gray hair, talks clearly |
and apparently keeps in good |
trim by working occasionally |
in the small vineyard he in
herited from his parents in
Vimieiro. He has never mar
ried.
Born April %. 1889, he was
80 when he took over the
Finance Ministry. In 1893 he
also became Premier and has
been Portugal's strongman ever
since.
He has lived in this house
since about 1887. Prior to that
he lived in various small apart
ments around town, always
austerely, declining to let the
government pick up the tab for
his household expenses. But
in 1887 somebody exploded a
bomb near him and the police
insisted that he move into the
present house, inside q walled
garden. !
1t is within easy walking
distance Of the Santa Bento
Palace, seat of the government,
sitting on a high point in the
city.
Uncertain on America
Mr.. Salazar will have much
to tell Mr.. Eisenhower, for he
has never been pleased with
the American attitude on colo
MES. He believes that the
American public has allowed an
obsession for freedom of peo-
Piles to be carried to an ex-
IRENE. He feels that leading
United States officials have
bowed to that idea without
teaching the American public
what Western control of large
areas of world territory could
mean in the long struggle with
communism.
In a speech he once de-
clared: I'VE have never tired
of saying that Africa is the
natural complement of Europe,
essential for her life, her de-
tense and her subsistence" He
added that if the West loses
control of Africa, Russia could
right away dictate to the West
the terms under which she
would allow it to live"
To Mr.. Salazar, Portugal is
important not because it is Eu-
rope, but because its two huge |