CHILE: Irish Bull

Colonels, captains, generals, admirals scratched their heads. The Army, Navy, Air Force and the carabineers tried to make up their minds who should be Head of the State in Chile. Already there had been two Heads since the coup d’etat of June 4. Last week there was a third, and a fourth might follow. But two out of Chile’s three new heads of State thus far had been the selfsame brainy little cranium of Don Carlos Guillermo Davila, onetime Chilean Ambassador at Washington. Thus the situation at Santiago was comparatively stable last week. Censorship had been clamped down tighter than ever and a state of siege declared. Outgoing telephone calls in English were censored by William Murray, Negro, onetime U. S. boxer. Negro Murray, owner of a gymnasium, enjoys the confidence of Santiago’s elite and is not identified with “Yankee Imperialism.”

Again “Up Davila!” Dapper Don Carlos Davila began the week down but not out. He had resigned as Provisional President from the original revolutionary Cabinet when forced out by Col. Marmaduke Grove who became the new Head of the State (TIME, June 20). Lying low as a leopard, Don Carlos did not contradict rumors that he would let Col. Grove send him to Moscow as Chilean Ambassador. In Moscow his job would be to barter Chilean nitrates for Soviet petroleum. But instead of leaving for Moscow, Don Carlos circulated among army officers of his acquaintance.

Soon these officers began to reproach Col. Grove with “leanings toward Communism.” Next day he personally handed out to the troops manifestoes which Chile’s regular Communists approved with parades and mass meetings. When his brother officers again protested, Col. Grove roared: “If I can’t get my ideas across to generals and colonels I’ll talk to the sergeants. Dammit, I’ll talk to privates!”

Col. Marmaduke Grove (Gro-vay) is part Irish. His show of Irish temper to 100% Chilean officers cost him Power. Aristocrats, they were shocked to their military marrow by his notion of ‘talking to privates.” Promptly they began to plot against “Red” Grove. In 48 hours soldiers under General Augustin Moreno were marching on the Presidential Palace.

No fool but a practical soldier of for tune, Col. Grove had had machine guns mounted on the Palace roof and had mobilized the carabineers. They faced the soldiers. General Moreno left to brave Col. Bravo the work of telling Col. Grove, “You must surrender by 11:30 p. m. or we bombard the Palace.”

“Rather than surrender,” cried Col. Grove, “I will die.”

Shortly after midnight Col. Arriagada, Commander of the carabineers, an nounced: “True to their glorious tradition of protecting Chilean lives & property, the carabineers see no reason why they should engage in civil war.”

After that the Army and carabineers joined in arresting Col. Grove and 500 Communist demonstrators on whom they pounced in the streets of Santiago. But what about the Air Force? When a bomb ing plane bore down on the Presidential Palace, General Moreno and his officers looked anxious. Suddenly the plane zoomed in salute. “Hurrah!” exulted brave Col. Bravo. “Take your partners — the dance begins!”

Before dawn General Moreno. Col. Bravo and the rest of the Army officers had called upon their good friend Don Carlos Davila to assume the Presidency of a “purely civilian junta” which he prompt ly did.

“The Army wishes,” declared General Moreno, “to return to its usual duties, silently preparing for the defense of the nation. It rose because it could not re main unmoved in the face of bold citizens who, forgetting patriotism, were exploiting Communistic ideas that were an kisult to the national flag.”

“Sane” Socialism. Once more sitting in the seat of Power which he first reached June 4 on a program of Socialism, Don Carlos Davila promptly announced that he now stands for “Sane” Socialism.

What this may be remains to be seen, but Standard Oil Co. at once ordered a tanker to dock at Santiago and discharge its cargo. While Col. Grove was in power this tanker hovered off shore, refusing to dock though there was an acute gasoline shortage at Santiago. In a word the rich U. S. citizens who used to have every confidence in rich Ambassador Davila, had confidence last week that his “Sane” Socialism will not hurt the billion-dollar foreign interests in Chile.

Ruthless Davila. Though genial by nature, President Davila realized that if he is not to fall a second time stern measures must be taken. When railway and other strikes broke out in sympathy with Col. Grove the new Davila Government sent soldiers to run some of the trains, suspended other service. Despatches smuggled past the censor purporting to tell of counterrevolutions in various parts of Chile were firmly, officially denied, and that was that.

“We have back of us,” announced President Davila, hard-eyed, poker-faced, “the united country with everyone cooperating. . . . The entire world will soon see how an industrious people, as the Chileans are, can put their country back on its feet through our Socialistic program that has the support of all classes. . . . Peoples of all foreign nations can depend on us!”

Col. Grove and his principal aides, the Government announced, were carried by a destroyer to Chile’s Mas-a-Tierra (“Robinson Crusoe”) Island and there imprisoned. In 1930 Col. Grove, after making a hash of the revolution his friends attempted then, was exiled to this same island, escaped.