Travel Ban

Chile's Christian Democrat Eduardo Frei and Castro-loving Marxist Salvador Allende were the best of friends until two years ago--when they both ran for the presidency. After a bitter campaign, Frei rolled up the biggest electoral plurality in his country's history (56%). Since then, the two have been the best of enemies. Last month Allende managed to win election as head of the Chilean Senate. Quietly, he organized a strong Senate opposition of Communists, socialists and middle-roading Radicals, all of whom had managed to stall most of Frei's legislative requests. Last week Allende savored his revenge and in the process made Chile the laughingstock of Latin America. Acting on an obscure 1833 law requiring congressional approval for all presidential trips abroad, the Senate voted to deny Frei permission to make his first state visit to Washington, scheduled for early February.

The vote, the first of its kind in Chilean history, hit Frei where it hurt most--in his foreign relations. He has been assiduously strengthening ties with both East and West. Two weeks ago, Chile signed $55 million worth of credit and technical assistance agreements with Russia, making Chile Latin America's second-largest recipient of Soviet aid (after Cuba). On his trip to Washington, Frei was scheduled to have two meetings with President Johnson. Frei has been a prime organizer and spirit behind the hemisphere-wide summit conference scheduled for early April in Punta del Este, Uruguay, which Johnson plans to attend.

At week's end Frei refused to cancel the Washington trip; instead, he returned his original travel request to the Chamber of Deputies, where a majority vote would send it on to the Senate for a second try. By then, Frei hopes to persuade the opposition to reconsider. As part of the pressure he is applying, Frei sent to Congress a bill that would empower the President to dissolve Congress once during his six-year term and call new elections.

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