Blood in La Paz

"The army rules Bolivia," and until recently Dictator Hernando Siles ruled the army through his stiff-necked, unpopular, efficient General Hans Kundt, German Major-General lent to Bolivia by the Kaiser in 1910, naturalized Bolivian in 1919.*

Two years ago Dr. Siles made the dangerous mistake of forcing Standard Oil Co. and other large foreign firms to underwrite jointly a $5,000,000 loan. He has had trouble ever since. Month ago he resigned as President, appointed a subservient Cabinet to rule in his place. He appeared to think that by this subterfuge he had evaded the constitutional provision that a Bolivian President may not be elected to succeed himself though he may seek election to succeed his successor.

Last week the trouble started. Students in the capital city of La Paz held a huge open-air demonstration against the Siles-Kundt regime. General Kundt met this in the only way he knew. Police blocked every exit from the square, machine guns wheeled into position. Under their hideous rattle 100 screaming boys fell never to rise again. As many more were wounded. The Government did its best to suppress news of the riot but Bolivians had seen the bodies in the streets. The country was aroused. General Kundt posted loyal troops on the hills above the capital, threatened to bombard the city. Police were ordered to shoot any man, woman or child who appeared on the streets. Wrote United Pressman A. L. Bradford:

"As I looked out of a window of the La Paz club I saw fleeing men and women picked off by rifle fire. ... A friend who had called on me ... tried to leave for his own hotel on Thursday, but every time his head appeared in the doorway police fired. . . . Victims were dragged back out of sight.

"At the height of the revolution armed citizens attacked the home of former President Siles. It was occupied by Senora Siles, his mother-in-law, children, and a sister of charity. The sister of charity was killed when a Revolutionist's bullet pierced her body."

The Bolivian air force joined the revolution and the fortunes of Siles & Kundt were doomed. By week's end peace was restored and a military government under a General Carlos Blanco Galindo (the army still rules Bolivia) was in power. Ex-President Siles and family were enroute to the Chilean border under escort. General Kundt hid in shelter of the German Legation in La Paz.

Tranquillity restored, 500 dead buried. General Galindo's military junta proceeded to promulgate its first decree. The decree provided for the election of a Constitutional Assembly: a new Parliament, full separation of the judiciary and (to honor the massacred students) of the educational system.

*By provision of the Treaty of Versailles IK German citizen may act as an instructor ir foreign armies.

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