CHILE: Documented Coup

To most Chileans dynamic, blue-eyed, stocky, 70-year-old President Arturo Alessandri, “Lion of Tarapaca,” has represented a political stability of sorts. During his last six years of the Presidency he has nipped all incipient revolts in the bud. Fortnight ago, however, this record was rudely broken when Chilean Nazis, members of the storm-trooping Nacista (Nazi) Party, staged a revolt. It lasted four hours. When the shooting stopped, 62 persons were dead. Arrested were Führer Jorge Gonzalez von Marees and popular old General Carlos Ibáñez, a former dictator, who was the Nazis’ Presidential candidate.

The “Lion” quickly obtained from the Chilean Congress a four-month grant of extraordinary powers to handle the extremists. All Cabinet members resigned to give the President a free hand, but were later persuaded to hold on to their jobs. By last week, President Alessandri’s police investigators had dug up enough evidence to make the abortive coup d’état one of the best documented revolts in Latin-American history. Revealed was a list of 12,000 alleged financial contributors to the rising. Among them were Santiago’s Ford dealer, Carlos Orrego, and a University student named Mario Perez who had planned to study engineering in the U. S., had spent his money on guns instead of books. Listed for assassination were Lion Alessandri, his family, Gustavo Ross, rightist candidate for President in next October’s election (he is supported by the President who cannot by Chilean law succeed himself), many another rightist leader and editor.

The police also reported that their investigations indicated a second uprising was planned by the Nazis, whose real leader, a mysterious Chief “X,” was still at large. While police hunted Chief X and numerous missing Nazi members, the Chilean Congress decided to increase the size of the army, buy modern military equipment.