Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1961-10-25

Shl114 ully IIuIlB dlOllB ullUSCO
tram tracks.
The government claims that
Paraguay is on the verge of
breaking out of its perennial
backwardness. The new jet air
port Quilt with United States
money is to make Asuncion the
natural stopping off place for
travellers crossing between San
tiago. Chile, and Sac Paulo,
Brazil.
In the central square the So
cial Security Institute has
built a skyscraper hotel which
rises above the city like a
beacon to tourism. Meanwhile
the capital awaits its first sew
age system.
Seek Alliance Aid
President Stroessner and his
subordinates have fastened on
to the Alliance for Progress
with great enthusiasm. In the
course of a long interview in
Asuncion. Gonzalez AlSina-I
chief Paraguayan delegate to
the Inter-American Conference
at Punta del Este. Uruguay.
last Summer-was interrupted
by a telephone call from the
President.
! With smiles and gestures, Mr..
AlSina told President Stress
Sner that the final Charter of
Punta del Este met the Para
guayan position point by
point" One whole Charter-par-
agraph, he said-the paragraph
on guaranteeing the peasant his
land-had been taken verbatim
out of their official party organ,
which Mr.. Alsina also edits. |
Later he produced the parti-
cular editorial for proof.
Mr.. Alsina said plans for
great new development were !
only in the formative stage. !
But he already had ideas for
using about SIS million in
American loans. His main |
theme was completing main !
roads to Brazil and Argentina |
which would open the country
to the outside world.
Other roads he had in mind .
we're so-called feeder" roads
for colonizing peasants on vast
tracks of state land in the
isolated countryside. Another
road to the swampy Chaco
country in the unpopulated |
north - about so per cent of |
the country - would open great
new cattle lands.
Cattle from that region now
has so far to go south to market
over desolate trails that they
are good for little more than
corned beef when they arrive.
The road would allow cattle !
shipment by truck.
Charges Fly
The political opposition an
swers these expansive plans
with cries of fraud" They !
exaggerate dement's Of the |
schemes as much as the Gov
eminent exaggerates their mer-
! its. The outsider has a hard |
time threading his way through |
the morass of charges and
counter-charges.
Opposition to The ruling !
Colorado Party opposes any
kind Of North American aid to
Paraguay. They say you can
not separate economics from
politics. Even the most basic |
economic aid would strengthen
the regimes hold on the coun-
try, is their argument.
Some 100000 Paraguayans-I
about one-quarter of the popu-
lation-are now in political
exile in neighboring countries. !
Many are the cream of the in
telligentsia who have chosen, or
been forced, to flee the country. |
ExiIes Fear Castroism
Leaders such as Carlos Pas
tore. president of the opposi-
ton Liberal Party, believe that |
"Castroism" is Just around the !
corner. In his office in Monte
video, Uruguay, he explained:
IF the democracies of Amer
lea help Stroessner while the
Communists oppose him, the
Paraguayans will soon turn
from the democratic opposition
to the Communists. Don't for
get: Castro grew out of the
Batista tyranny supported by
the United States"
Mr.. Pastore and other oppo-
sition leaders are frankly dis
enchanted with the Kennedy
administration. The reason:
Secretary Of Treasury Dillon's
refusal to tie any strings to eco
nomic aid when asked point
blank about aid to Paraguay at
the Punta del Este Conference.
Back in Asuncion United