Cold Comfort

It was freezing in Buenos Aires last week, but no colder than the chances that Argentina would act against the Axis: > Liberal, hemisphere-minded President Roberto Marcelino Ortiz, after two years of increasing blindness from diabetes, at last resigned his office. This left the job to conservative Acting President Ramon S (for nothing) Castillo, whose neutrality quivers with Axis-sounding overtones.

> Germany blundered into torpedoing another Argentine freighter. But it was almost a foregone conclusion that the Nazis would get off with little more than the "profound regret" they had expressed for the Victoria, sunk last April.

The 4,800-ton single-stacker Rio Tercero had been churning homeward 120 miles off New York. She was torpedoed without warning, her name, home port and Argentina's colors plainly visible in the early-morning light. Four sailors were killed; another drowned later. The Rio Tercero's captain said the submarine had had the name Innsbruck and a porcupine painted on its conning tower.

Salute Wanted. A Buenos Aires theater quickly postponed a showing of the new Nazi film U-Boats on the Western Track. There were street fights; German and Italian business houses were stoned. Germany's blunder clearly did not help such German propaganda as that reported by the captain of the freighter Rio Gallegos, just back in port. He told how a Nazi submarine commander had stopped him north of Bermuda, presented him with a Nazi decoration (from the commander's own breast) and a bottle of champagne.

Buenos Aires circles reported that Argentina's note to Germany on the Rio Tercero was stiff enough to save face, but in no way antagonistic. The Government was said to have demanded: 1) a German salute to the Argentine flag; 2) full damages and indemnities; 3) guarantees against repetition.

Leader Wanted. At week's end, when the Argentine Senate, predominantly conservative, accepted President Ortiz' resignation, Argentine liberals knew that he could have given them at best only a very sick man's leadership. The New York eye specialist, Dr. Ramon Castroviejo, had flown home, explaining that, while he had been willing to operate, the President's own doctors had advised against it.

On resigning, President Ortiz said: "Now I am returning to private life. This .. . will permit me to speak about the others as the others have spoken about me." His great liberal following of the Anti-personalists and Radical Parties had one general hope: if the sick Ortiz was not there to lean on, some equally capable and healthier leader might rise.

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