VENEZUELAN REVOLT

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 October 1945, Page 5

VENEZUELAN REVOLT

GOVERNMENT OVERTHROWN MORE ÜBERTIES ANNOUNCED PANAMA, Oct. 22. The armed revolt in Venezuela has overthrown the Government; According to a proclamation broadcast by the revolutionary junta from the capital, Caracas, the junta controls nearly all of Venezuela, including the’ huge oilfields area. ' ' Senor Romolo Betancourt, the 37-year-old'newspaper columnist and leader of the revolutionary junta, told interviewers that the Venezuelans wanted to be governed like the United States and that the new Government would oppose all forms of dictatorships wherever found. He attributed Venezuela’s lack of democracy to fraudulent elections by Congross. ' Senor Betancourt' pledged that the junta would respect"' the rights of foreigners' and their investments and would keep Venezuela' active in the Pan-American Union. The junta would provide free; direct, universal suffrage by secret ballot. (Under the Venezuelan constitution the President is elected by the direct vote of Congress.) “Our orincmal immediate object is the deyelopment of a truly democractic Government;” said Senor Betancourt. “We must raise the standard and lower the cost of living. I am not a Communist, but I will not act against the Communists. However, I do not believe that the Communists can help the western hemisphere achieve unity of .purpose.” The junta has announced the formation of.a Cabinet of 10 members. Senor Betancourt is Minister of the Interior in addition to being President. Other posts are held by five prominent members of the Leftistinclined Democratic Action Party, two Independents, and one Army and one naval officer.

The secretary of the revolutionary junta (Dr. Ruiz Pineda)- told the Press that the junta desired the most cordial relations with other’ LatinAmerican countries and the world Powers, especially Great Britain, the United States, and Russia. He said the Venezuelan civil service would be unchanged and that the departments would begin to operate to-day under the interim Ministry. The Venezuelan Press, for the first time in modern history, was uncensored. The junta would shortly begin to study the preparation of new electoral laws, and a democratic election would be held. PRESIDENT ARRESTED

Earlier it was reported that the deposed President (General Medina) and the Presidential candidate (General Lopez) had been-taken into custody. It was stated that they would be tried for the alleged misuse of public funds. Senor Betancourt promised that General Medina and General Lopez would receive fair and speedy trials conducted in a truly democratic spirit. The Panama “Star-Herald,” in a leading article on the Venezuelan revolt, points out that another fratricidal war is being fought with lendlease weapons by men trained by United States military missions because of recent war exigencies. Many countries procured lend-lease material from the United States,” says the newspaper. “Undoubtedly this is being’used, and will be used in the future, not against foreign aggression, but to frustrate or nullify the claims which the people may make that their sovereign rights be recognised.” .» ■

“La Estralla de Panama” claims that the armies of Latin-American States have become, political parties, enjoying socialb privileges and posessing arms which are denied to other parties. The newspaper* warns that the danger of revolt exists potentially in every Latin-American Republic boasting an army. The Associated Press states that the junta had previously announced that it would respect all contracts made with foreign oil companies.

ARGENTINA’S CAPITAL “UNEASY QUIET.” BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 20. General Juan Pistarini has been appointed Vice-President of Argentina in place of Colonel J. D. Peron, who is a candidate for the Presidency. The task of reconstituting the Government has been completed with the appointment of three Ministers who are remarked as supporters of Colonel Peron. The new Cabinet is composed of nine Army, Navy, and Air Force officers, and .three civilians. “Uneasy quiet returned to Buenos Aires as the general strike ended normal business activity,” says the Buenos Aires correspondent of the “New; York Times.” “Transportation has resumed, but in spite of a surface calm there are many indications that the Argentine political pot is □oiling. The police are taking unusual precautions, and mounted police in some central streets are holding carbines. The police are reported to be making many arrests, including students released last week. “Anti-Peronites have gone into hiding, some in foreign embassies. Colonel Peron is out of the Government, but he continues to dominate it. The Cabinet is composed exclusively of his supporters, and his chief henchman, Colonel Velasco, has been reinstated as chief of police. “An anti-semitic campaign began as celebrating bands- of Colonel Peron’s supporters stoned individuals and homes in the Jewish quarter of Buenos Aires with tacit police approval. Crowds carried portraits of Colonel Peron and shouted, ‘Death to the Jews Viva Peron!’ The police broke into a synagogue and arrested 20 youths who were preparing to defend the building against attack.” The Argentine Government has issued a decree? restoring all political parties dissolved in 1943, but political activity is still subject to the state of siege proclaimed last month.