Messersmith Arrives

Almost every flight into Buenos Aires had been canceled, but George Messersmith's plane bulled through the wintry rain and made Moron airfield on schedule. The new U.S. ambassador was a man in a hurry. He had come to negotiate with Juan Peron. To the Army major and Navy lieutenant who brought the President-elect's wishes for "a pleasant stay in Argentina" he rasped: "Tell the Colonel I appreciate his saludos and hope to see him soon."*

Next day the ambassador rode through the fashionable Calle Florida with his staff in three open horse-drawn coaches, to present his credentials to retiring President Edelmiro Farrell. As he strode into the Casa Rosada a band tooted the Star-Spangled Banner. At the President's annual dinner on the eve of Argentina's Independence Day, Messersmith had a chance to meet Peron and start talking. He expected the talks to continue, frankly said they would be without publicity.

Cold, professionally efficient George Messersmith, first ambassador in B.A. since Spruille Braden left last September to become Assistant Secretary of State for Latin American affairs, had his work cut out for him. He not only had to repair neighborly relations. He had to get the jaunty Strong Man to abolish Nazi influence in Argentina, and to give real guarantees of good faith before the U.S. signs any inter-American defense treaty with him. But Messersmith sniffed success: the Argentine Government had finally got round to raising the state of siege and restoring the civil liberties that had been in suspension--with two brief exceptions--since right after Pearl Harbor.

Six other ambassadors presented themselves last week to Argentina's no-longer-isolated Government. Britain's Sir Reginald Leeper docked in the fog to report "great interest [in Britain] in the Argentine market." When Brazil's Joao Baptista Luzardo arrived at B.A.'s Lacroze railway station, he was met and embraced by Peron himself and cheered by thousands of descamisados (shirtless ones) specially summoned by the Strong Man to make a fraternal greeting to "the representative of Brazil's marmiteiros [dinner-pail carriers]." Luzardo responded by grabbing and kissing Argentine and Brazilian flags.

*For another Messersmith remark, see PEOPLE.

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