Forced Break

A small crowd gathered in the rain last week in front of Buenos Aires Casa Rosada (Pink House), heard President Ramirez announce that Argentina had broken diplomatic relations with Germany and Japan. The last and most reluctant nation of Latin America had put a tentative foot in the United Nations camp.

The action followed weeks of pressure brought against" Argentina's militaristic, Nazi-tainted Government by the U.S. and Britain. German espionage in Argentina had been newly exposed; there was audible talk of an Anglo-American embargo (TIME, Jan. 31). Obviously, the Ramirez Government saw that the last hour had come; Argentina had to choose between the Allies and the Axis. Precisely because so many friends of the Axis were powerful in the real government behind Ramirez, the choice was not easy.

At 6:30 p.m. of the day before the break, 90 officers of the GOU (Gobierno, Orden, Unidad), the Army clique which has bossed the Government of President Ramirez, were called to a meeting in the Municipal Building. Foreign Minister Alberto Gilbert, hitherto no friend of the U.S., but no fool either, made a brief and urgent speech. The officers listened in frigid silence. Then Gilbert left for the Foreign Office, where he moaned: "I am in the battle of my life."

The GOUmen wrangled until 1:30 a.m. One by one they bowed to the inevitable. Finally even Colonel Juan Domingo Peron, dominant GOUman, agreed to break relations. That settled it. Next day came the announcement, with much loud indignation against Germany for abusing Argentine neutrality by using her territory as a spy base--something all Argentines knew about already.

The final reason for the break lay in British diplomacy. The British have been reluctant to embargo Argentina. Not only do they need Argentine beef, but they have large investments in handling it. Nevertheless, they may well have outbluffed the Argentines. Or the British may have made the most of Nazi connections with high Argentine officials (rumor mentioned even Peron himself). In any case, the sudden break of relations was a welcome relief for the British, since it made an embargo unthinkable, left British interests intact.

Small Victory. The United Nations, gained by Argentina's action, but the present Argentine Government also gained. Washed clean of official ties with Nazi Germany, it retains its recognition by the U.S. Thus bolstered, the Ramirez Government might even keep its native authoritarian nationalism and continue to be the infection center of an anti-U.S. bloc in South America.*

So far there are few signs that the Argentine Government is swinging toward democracy. Three notoriously pro-Nazi Ministers have left the Cabinet, and there is talk of further housecleaning. On the other hand, Arturo Rawson, pro-Ally Ambassador to Brazil, who sent a congratulatory message to President Ramirez, was answered with a stinging rebuke and quit his job. Unless there is a radical change in Buenos Aires, the U.S. and Britain will find themselves in bed with still another technically friendly, fascist-type regime.

* An unsuccessful revolution in Paraguay last week may have been the latest result of the encouragement which Argentina's nationalists have given to military rebellions in neighboring countries.

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