Somber Inaugural

Juan Peron's second inauguration for a six-year presidential term should have been one of the gaudiest occasions of his career. Instead, the pampas dictator ordered all ceremonies severely curtailed, and did not even make a speech. Though economy was given as the reason for such unwonted austerity, few doubted that Peron's real reason was the failing health of his wife Evita.

The Vacant Chair. Wan, drawn, and wearing an ankle-length mink coat, Evita attended the main act of the brief inaugural. Riding in the presidential limousine to the Congress building, she sat at her husband's side in the vice president's traditional place--the place she would have occupied in her own right had army opposition not forced withdrawal of her nomination last year. Last week she sat there only because the place was vacant; Vice President Hortensio Quijano had died since November's elections.

At the Congress building, Peron helped his faltering wife into the vice president's chair, then quickly, one hand on the Bible, swore to defend the constitution. Outside, thousands of members of the Peronista Women's Party chanted: "Viva Evita, the vice president!" But Evita slipped away to return to the presidential estate in suburban Olivos. Peron swore in his new cabinet, reviewed a parade of cavalry and foot soldiers (mechanized forces were left in barracks to save gasoline), waved briefly from his balcony to 100,000 cheering descamisados, and hurried to Olivos to be at his wife's side.

The Empty Larder. As Peron began his second term in office, Argentina was faced with a mounting economic crisis. As a result of drought and government mismanagement, prices are shooting up at the rate of 3% a month. Peron also seems to be heading for trouble with the church. Last month, when the church protested that a new Argentine movie called Barbara Atomica was immoral (TIME, June 2), the government not only refused to ban the film but sent police to make sure that it was shown. Last week, in a new move almost certain to provoke a showdown, some of the new Peronista Women's Party congressional deputies announced a plan to introduce a bill to give Argentina its first divorce law.

There is no way to gauge how much popular support Peron has lost from any of these setbacks. Presumably, he could not match his 70% majority of last November in anything like a free election today. But Peron still runs a tightly controlled police state backed up by a controlled press. His 5,000,000-man General Confederation of Labor (C.G.T.) is now organized on the lines of a civilian militia, ready to fight any anti-Peron uprising. Since 1946, Peron has increased his police fivefold; Buenos Aires alone now has more than 35,000 cops. Since last September's abortive army revolt, Peron has purged the army of more than 1,000 suspected officers.

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