UNREST IN ARGENTINA

Southland Times, Issue 25795, 5 October 1945, Page 5

UNREST IN ARGENTINA

30,000 STUDENTS ON STRIKE STRUGGLE TO REGAIN FREEDOM (Rec. 11.30 p.m.) BUENOS AIRES, October 4. More than 30,000 students in Argentina’s six national universities have gone on strike, thus taking a lead in the Argentine people’s struggle to regain freedom. Completely disregarding efforts under way to reach a compromise between the Government and the University Councils, the students boldly took matters into their own hands and began a movement they hope will develop into a vast campaign of civil disobedience, says the correspondent of The New York Times. Hundreds of students and professors barricaded themselves in the Buenos Aires universities. A large group of policemen today besieged the buildings and cut off the light and water supply. (The Associated Press reports that the police were later withdrawn in order to avoid possible violence.) Yesterday the engineering building was attacked by a group of armed men who fired about 30 shots at the students inside. Two students were wounded. The engineering building is located directly across the street from the Secretariat of Labour, of which Colonel Juan Peron, Minister of War, is secretary. Therefore most Argentinians have no doubts where the attack originated. The Government instituted a censorship on outgoing Press dispatches relating to the strike, but lifted the ban after a protest by the American Charge d’Affaires. INTER-AMERICAN TALKS AMERICA RECOMMENDS POSTPONEMENT

(Rec. 8.15 p.m.) WASHINGTON, October 4.

The Acting United States Secretary of State, Mr Dean Acheson, announced that the United States had recommended the postponement of the InterAmerican Conference scheduled to open in Rio de Janeiro on October 20 because Argentina had repudiated her hemisphere obligations. He added that the United States Government felt it would not properly negotiate or sign with the present Argentine regime the treaty of military assistance for which the conference called.

In a Note to Brazil suggesting the postponement, the United States had emphasized, in view of the great importance attached to the treaty, that the negotiations should proceed as rapidly as possible. Mr Acheson revealed that the United States was consulting other American Governments regarding Argentina’s position. A Brazilian Foreign Office spokesman said that Brazil agreed to the postponement of the conference.