Monday, Oct. 10, 1960

The Lesser Evil

South America's two biggest democracies, Argentina and Brazil, last week were courting South America's last dictator--General Alfredo Stroessner of cattle-raising Paraguay (pop. 1,700,000). In Stroessner's capital of Asuncion, Argentine delegations promised to expedite Paraguay shipping to Argentine ports on the lower Parana River, and planned joint harnessing of a waterfall. Brazil had a military, economic and cultural cooperation drive going. Its Foreign Minister, Horacio Lafer, calls Stroessner's regime "one of peace and progress."

The cordiality was not for love of Stroessner. It came, rather, from 1) the historic tug of influence by Argentina and Brazil over the landlocked neighbor between them, arid 2) a hardheaded decision by both against helping Fidel Castro-style rebels seize power in Paraguay.

German-descended Artillery Officer Stroessner, 47, grabbed power in Paraguay six years ago and has ruled since by blackjack and gun butt. With his powerful neighbors, his policy has been the historic Paraguayan strategy of playing one against the other. At first, Paraguay favored Brazil, but when Argentine Dictator Juan Peron in 1953 offered an "economic integration" treaty, Stroessner (then all-powerful army chief) gave preference to Argentina. Peron was toppled in 1955 (he took exile in Paraguay at first), and Argentina's succeeding revolutionary regime turned on a cold war. Stroessner promptly let himself be lured into Brazil's sphere.

Fast-moving Brazil has since built a bridge across the upper Parana, the border river, at the great Iguagu Falls, thus giving Paraguay its first direct highway route to the Atlantic. It has financed highways inside Paraguay and has given Stroessner free port facilities on the ocean.' Brazil's army has trained some of Stroessner's army officers, supplied him with castoff arms and 14 trainers converted to fighter planes that are permitted to fly from Brazilian bases if there is revolution in Paraguay. In turn, Brazilians got from Paraguay a bank branch, a 10-million-acre oil concession, a 780,000-acre coffee plantation that grows a full one-third of Paraguay's crop, plus other valuable concessions.

Until August, Argentina, where 230,000 anti-Stroessner exiles live, opposed Paraguay. Violently anti-Peron Argentine army officers armed exiles who in the last two years have repeatedly crossed the river in bloody attempts to topple Stroessner. But two months ago Argentine officers were shown intelligence reports that Cubans and Russians were financing some factions of the 20,000-man Argentine-based exile army. Army Commander General Carlos Toranzo Montero ordered a halt in aid and comfort to them. In an about-face, the Argentine army snatched back guns and planes from guerrillas, and last week Argentina signed a document pledging "harmonious relations in border areas."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.