Evening star., 1962-03-31
ALLIANCE
BroziI Seen Sinkinq'
Into Deeper Crisis

zilianS this man has a kind of
meSmeric quality foreign OBJ
servers find hard to compre-
hend, He also has a puritani-
cal streak completely alien to
most Brazilian characters. But
he has a drive for power and
an honest compulSion for social
reform which obviously appeal
to people who thirst for strong
leadership.
The steady drift toward
chaos during his absence from
power has obviously worked in
Mr.. QuadroS' favor. Home
from a quiet siX-month tour
around the world after his
resignation, he has announced
he will again run for governor
OF the powerful industrial State
OF Sac Paulo. Whether his po-
lltlcal ambition stops there.
and what his attitude is toward
the new parliamentary system
these questions remain to be
answered.
1t is certain Mr.. QuadroS has
lost substantial support among
professional and business peo-
pie who were once his Staunch-
est supporters. His sudden
resignation and the deep crisis
it precipitated left them olsen
chanted On the other hand,
subsequent months of drifting
government has dulled the first
establishment of others. And
Mr.. QuadroS' dark inSinuationS
that he was victim of re
dictionary forces" domestic
and foreign have an appeal
ing ring for nationalist groups
and the downtrodden masses.
Emphasis on Alliance
In the midst of this turmoil,
United States diplomats are
literally holding their breaths.
One Of their chief preoccupa-
tionS is to aboid accusations
OF "meddling" in Brazilian pol
iticS. The great emphasis now
is on starting Alliance for
Progress projects which will
have the most psychological
impact on the country before
the elections.
Such projects exist in the
poverty stricken states on the
northeastern tip of Brazil. Re
volt is fostering among the 25
million people who inhabit
some half-million square miles
in this underdeveloped area.
Large numbers of peasants who
Scrape a living from small
plots rented" from large land
lords face starvation.
Only last week Prime Minis
ter NeveS ordered air force and
navy transports to rush emer-
gency supplies of beans and
rice there to prevent food riots.
Failure of the bean crop
through drought had more
than doubled the price of this
staple. Before the food lift"
beans we're costing more than
the average daily wage. Con-
dltions such as these have be-
come the breeding ground for
aggressive peasant leagues"
; which take Fidel Castro as their
idol. rtt
Awake to Challenge
Fortunately the northeast is
one area where the Brazilian
government has awakened to
the challenge of misery. After
much arm-tWiSting and many
threats, Congress gave spe-
cial agency - SUDENE - $50
Hllllon 1Of ltS development
plans in the northeast during
1862. At the moment the
United States and Brazilian
governments are on the verge
! of announcing a joint long
range program which may to-
tai $3.50 million over the next
four years.
This program is full of i'm
pact" projects like irrigation
machinery, dams and roads
which can have an immediate
effect on local living stand
ards. But it is only a be-
ginning. Such CO operation
may we'll save the northeast,
but it can hardly prevent the
severe trials which lie ahead
for United States Brazilian re-
lationS.