ARGENTINA: Long Federal Arm

Argentina’s Minister of Interior summoned newsmen to his office last week and officially confirmed a red-hot rumor. It was true, said Minister Angel Gabriel Borlenghi, that the government of President Juan Perón had “intervened,” i.e., taken over the governments of the provinces of Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero and Tucuman. Perón had summarily dismissed the governors, legislatures and all municipal authorities in the three provinces, and appointed three “interventors” with dictatorial powers, including authority to supervise the provincial courts.

Federal intervention of cities and provinces is an old Argentine custom, practiced by several Presidents before Perón, and recognized by the nation’s constitution. But Perón had not intervened an entire province for seven years, and Argentines assumed that he must have urgent reasons for the crackdown. According to stories floating about Buenos Aires, Perónista officials in the three provinces had gone in heavily for nepotism and graft, but last week Minister Borlenghi tried to dispel such unpleasant talk. “I want to make it clear,” he said, “that none of the charges have to do with the honesty of the governments intervened.” The trouble, Borlenghi explained in phrases worthy of authoritarian doubletalk, was that the three provincial governments showed “a lack of interest in public service,” and failed to seek “the cooperation and advice of people’s organizations.”

In Argentina’s political vocabulary “people’s organizations” means the Perón-manipulated General Labor Confederation (C.G.T.) and the various Perónista associations of businessmen, professional men and students. In some cities and provinces, “people’s organizations” meddle in government affairs, and local authorities sometimes resist the meddling. At Perón’s closed-door meeting with provincial governors last month, spokesmen for the Perónista associations rapped several provincial officials for failing to pay “people’s organizations” due heed. Aware that more than three provincial governments took verbal stonings at the meeting, newsmen asked Minister Borlenghi last week whether there would be more intervening in the near future. Replied Borlenghi evasively, but no doubt accurately: “The federal government is keeping close watch.”