D'ETAT TOPPLES ILLIA REGIME
On June 28 a three-man military junta ousted the civilian government:.of President Arturo U.; Illia in Argentina. The junta, consisting of commander in chief of the army, Lieut. Gen. Pascual Angel Pistarini, Admiral of the Fleet Benigno Ignacio Varela and the air force’ chief, Brig. Gen.: Adalfo Teodoro Alvarez, selected a retired army: commander, Lieut. Gen. Juan Carlos Ongania to serve as provisional: president of the country:
The coup Was: not unexpected, "Rumors that it was impending. had. mounted in: recent weeks. As. long ago as March, La Verdad, the.weekly newspaper of the Partido Revolucionario de los Trabajadores ~ [Workers Revolutionary party], in a close analysis of the political situation, came to the:.conclusion that a coup "is possible, although we do not believe it iS the: most probable variant." [See World. Outlook May:20.] In the: following weeks, La Verdad , opposing the reactionary moves, noted: the rising danger.
While the Argentine ‘coup d'état is different from the Brazilian coup of:1964 in a number of respects, the military men who undertook it clearly drew inspiration from Branco's seizure of | power, particularly Johnson's role in that reactionary: event.
Juan de Onis, special correspondent of the New York | Times , noted. this’ in a dispatch from Rio. de Janeiro the day of the coup:
"But: ‘the military movement ‘that really stirred ‘the thinking of the Argentine armed forces was the Brazilian coup that toppled President Joao Goulart in April, 1964.
"Brazil's example -- of a regime that has adopted strong powers to reorganize the public administration, to fight inflation through increased taxes and control of wages and to banish political opposition -- has had a strong impact on the Argentine military.
"The fact that the United States has given moral support and generous material backing to the Brazilian Government of President | Humberto Castelo Branco, the former Army Chief of Staff, has been ~~ cited in Argentina by supporters of the military as_ indication that United States opposition to a coup in Argentina ‘was. ‘window | dressing.'" ;
As- Minister of Economics, the junta appointed Nestor Salimei. A manufacturer of vegetable oil, he is a director of several big banks and insurance companies. He directly represents the business ~ and industrial leaders behind the coup d'état. These circles, ae according to H.J.Maidenberg, Buenos Aires correspondent of the New York Times, were "generally highly pleased" with the coup.
The price of the peso went up and the Buenos Aires stock exchange had its best rise in more than a year.
The junta announced that it would "legislate" laws and that the president they appointed would exercise the powers granted by the constitution to Congress.
They dissolved all political parties, the supreme court and Congress.
The New York “Times predicted editorially June 29 that "The junta will no doubt now try the impossible task of crushing Peron-: ism." While this appears to be .a basic aim of the junta, they were proceeding cautiously, perhaps hoping to deepen the already existing divisions in the Peronist movement or at least to avoid frightening it into closing ranks ‘and advancing a ‘militant, “independent political progran.. .
On June 30 the junta staged nationwide raids on. Communist party headquarters. Thirty arrests were made. The police chief in - Misiones Province announced. July 6 that 70 "Communists" had been. arrested in his jurisdiction. He declared that they may have beentrying to get into contact with "the notorious Che Guevara."
The junta also organized arrests of Jewish shopkeepers on July 1. It was learned July:?3 that six directors of a Jewish-led. credit-union cooperative had also been arrested. Twelve more were arrested July 4.
The shopkeepers were released July 4, the credit officials the following day. The police gave no explanation for either the arrests or the releases. Certain figures of the Illia regime, including Illia's brother Ricardo, were also arrested and then. released.
A BONAPARTIST