GOVERNMENT OF ARGENTINA

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23969, 9 June 1943, Page 3

GOVERNMENT OF ARGENTINA

General Ramirez Issues Decree NEUTRAL POLICY AFFIRMED (N.2. Press Association—Copyright.) (Rec. 10.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, June 8. General Pedro Ramirez, who succeeds General Arturo Rawson as President of Argentina under the new military regime, has issued the following decree: — . “Argentina affirms its traditional policy of friendship and loyal cooperation with the American nations, in accordance with existing pacts, and its neutrality towards the rest of the world. The Government further believes that it is necessary to express adherence to the principle of the absolute autonomy of States to rule themselves, for which reason it will not tolerate foreign interference because Argentinians maintain, and will continue to maintain through any vicissitudes, a republican form of government in conformity with their Constitution.” The correspondent of the United Press of America in Montevideo says that even before the decree was issued authoritative sources warned that although General Ramirez was believed to be more sympathetic to the Allies than General Rawson, he was an Argentine nationalist, and no major change in Argentine foreign policy was within immediate sight. “The international situation was the fundamental cause -of the military uprising, which was indispensable to rectify the isolationist position in which we so unjustly find ourselves,” said General Rawson, in an interview with the Associated Press of America. He also tacitly acknowledged that an unfavourable reaction among Liberal partisans of the revolution towards some of his proposed Cabinet Ministers, who were known for their Rightist sympathies, might have been a factor in the latest crisis. He said: ‘I resigned because I think that to govern one must have absolute- freedom of action. I therefore considered it necessary-to terminate my mission once the triumph of the armed forces was assured.” General Ramirez is generally regarded as having even more pronounced Rightist tendencies than General Rawson, but the new shakeups are full of significance and the effect on Argentina’s foreign policy is not immediately clear. The United Press of America says that three other resignations of Mmis-ters-designate are reliably reported. General Rawson had previously dissolved the Argentine Congress and suppressed the Communist newspaper “La Hora,” which published a plea for the restoration of constitutional rights and of diplomatic relations between Argentina and Russia, and a pledge that Argentina would join the United Nations. • . All the posts in the Ramirez Ministry have been filled by army and navy officers, including the Foreign Minister (Rear-Admiral Storni), the Minister of War (General Farrell), and the Minister of the Navy (Rear-Admiral Sueyro). ' . - The Buenos Aires correspondent of the United Press of states that the new Cabinet is believed to be much more favourably disposed towards the democracies than General Rawson’s. , . . Riieter says that unofficial private reports reaching London suggest that General Rawson’s resignation arose from a split in the new Government on the question of whether Argentina should break with the Axis. CHILEAN CABINET RESIGNS NEW YORK, June 7. A message from Santiago says that the Chilean Cabinet, headed by the President (Sr. Juan Rios), has resigned. . . fr The reason given for the resignation is the persistent hostility to the Government of the Right wing elements. R.A.F. FIGHTERS OVER BRITTANY LOCOMOTIVES DAMAGED (8.0. W.) RUGBY. June 7. An Air Ministry communique says: “In offensive operations to-day, Spitfires attacked and damaged locomotives in Brittany, Four of our fighters are missing but one of the pilots is An Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security communique says: “In daylight to-day there was nothing to report. It is now known that seven more enemy aircraft have been destroyed by anti-aircraft guns in daylight raids on this country in the last eight days. Six of these'were destroyed on May 30, making a total of nine shot down by anti-aircraft gunfire on that day, and one other was destroyed on June 1. BRITAIN’S BOMBER STRENGTH FIGURES GIVEN IN AUSTRALIA MELBOURNE. June 8. In the first quarter of 1943 Britain had 3.7 times as many bombers as she had in the same quarter of 1942 and 13 times as many as in 1941. In the first three months of this year Britain’s aggregate weight of heavy aircraft was 35 per cent, more than in 1942 and 128 per cent, more than in 1941. This indication of the growth of British air power has been given by the British Controller of Repairs and Overseas Supplies (Lord Burghlcy), now visiting Australia. Lord Burghley told interviewers that the war against Japan was just as important as the European war. However, because it was bad strategy to dissipate energy against a number of opponents, Britain had not been able to do all she would have liked for Australia and New Zealand. But with Germany out of the way Britain and the United States would dispatch an avalanche of munitions with the men to use them, so that Japan would be sent scuttling back into its kennel. . BREACHING OF RUHR DAMS CASUALTIES SAID TO TOTAL 30-000 LONDON, June 7. Reliable reports from travellers arriving in Sweden from Germany say that the casualties after the breaching of the Mohne and Eder dams totalled 30,000. The Stockholm correspondent of the British United Press says that travellers who recently passed through Essen say that the city is completely dead. Only a few firemen and railwaymen remain there. The Royal Air Force has also disrupted Goering’s newspaper, the ‘‘Esse, ner National Zeitung,” which is now being printed elsewhere in the west. Copies received in Stockholm do jiot contain any local Essen news and no advertisements.