Trojan-Horse Farm

Last week as Allied troops moved in to The Netherlands West Indies to guard the Aruba and Curasao oil refineries, South America became very quisling-conscious. Uruguay set up a "Dies" committee to ferret out wide-flung Nazi activities. Argentine police seized secret Nazi radio stations and broke up street demonstrations while Government officials warned Argentines that Hitler rule would destroy the civilization of centuries. Newspapers in Bolivia and Chile clamored for suppression of blatant Nazi activities. Colombia became jittery over the possibility of sabotage to her oil lines. Latin Americans suddenly realized what Germans have long known, namely that nowhere else in the world is the ground more fertile for sprouting fifth columns, and nowhere has Nazi infiltration been more assiduously fostered.

Chief equerry of Nazi Trojan horses in Latin America is General Wilhelm Faupel, square-headed, lantern-jawed, vociferous pressure man who persuaded Hitler to intervene in the Spanish War and was first Nazi Ambassador to Nationalist Spain. As President of the Ibero-American Institute in Berlin, he directs "cultural" relations, but also arranges contacts between aspiring Latin American generals and the Reichswehr. Speaking before the German Academy on the occasion of the Lima Pan-American Conference, he declared: "There is but one danger to Latin America. That is the United States."

In Argentina his able henchman is Alfred Muller, aggressive leader of the local

Nazi Party, at whose instigation Jew-baiting and terrorization of non-Nazi Germans attained national proportions and Argentina's 203 German schools were made to toe the ideological mark. Sample of in struction in the Goethe School: Teacher:

"Whom have we to thank for everything?"

Children: "Our leader, Adolf Hitler." A native colleague of Muller, one Ramon Garria de Zuniga, confessed last March that, inspired by the Reichstag fire and Munich beer-hall explosion, he had bombed the Nazi headquarters in Montevideo in an attempt to arouse public sentiment against Jews and Communists.

Brazilian fifth-column ace is Herr H. H.

von Cossel, who as trainer of the Integralistas, skipped following their abortive coup against the Government, but immediately returned as a "Cultural Attache " of the German Embassy. He has disseminated aggressive culture among Brazil's 750,000 Germans, formed storm battalions to beat up those who would not go Nazi, smuggled arms and ammunition, distributed the usual films and literature.

Further cultural activities of Cossel include obtaining German decorations for War Minister Enrico Caspar Dutra and Army Chief of Staff General Pedro Aurelio de Goes Monteiro. Visiting Berlin last year, General Goes Monteiro toasted "the beautiful principles" of Naziism.

Chile's Nads deny German relationship but until the 1938 abortive coup wore brown uniforms, saluted with upraised hand, drilled, obeyed German-Chilean leaders. Fifth columnists are made early in Chile, where German schools are numerous and cheaper than native ones, and teachers are recruited from Germany.

Colombia has a Ribbentrop as fifth-column leader. He is Erich, nephew of the Foreign Minister. Grown from 500 in 1933 to 2,000 at the present time, his organization works in ten towns and cities, the two principal groups in Bogota and Cali being in uniform. Not only Colombia, but the U. S. as well became disturbed over the Nazi practice of sending commercial pilots in relays for the German-controlled Scadta Airlines, leaving them in Colombia only long enough to become familiar with the terrain.

Bolivia. Heralded by Hitler's official organ Volkischer Beobachter as "the only real totalitarian country in South America," Bolivia, which gave hospitality to Hitler's late friend Ernst Roehm, was reported in June 1939 to have ceded Germany an air base at the town of Trinidad, Bolivia, in return for arms. Under an exchange agreement, 25 young Bolivians enter the German Army each year for training and 60 study aviation in Italy.

Uruguay. Traditionally the most socially advanced of the Latin American countries, Uruguay was selected as the main headquarters for German propaganda in South America. Fuhrer and Propaganda Chief Felix Schmidt has installed the usual Nazi setup: Labor Front, Hitler Youth, Women's League, and Ortsgruppe (local party cell). Centre of fifth-column activity is believed to be the German firm Siemens Bauerunion, which has imported a large force of Germans to erect a hydroelectric plant at Rio Negro. Fuhrer Schmidt had an able co-worker-Sera-fino Mazzolini, Italian officer who first trained Brazilian Integralistas, then appeared in Uruguay as Minister, is now Minister to Egypt. Axis collaboration soon resulted in the National Socialist Dante Alighieri Society.

Last week Latin America set about sifting her German population, realizing as did The Netherlands that many who came to visit may remain to conquer.

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