Naval Bargain

Chile's President Gabriel Gonzalez Videla seemed in an unusually expansive mood. Wrapped in a borrowed admiral's cape, he watched his small but well-trained fleet in combat maneuvers at Quintero naval air base. Later he announced: "We just bought two cruisers . . . Thanks to the good will and the facilities granted by the U.S. Government, we will soon add . . . the U.S.S. Brooklyn and Savannah* to our fleet."

Washington confirmed that a deal to sell Chile two light cruisers was just about closed. The U.S. has offered surplus warships to several Latin American countries at about 10% of their original price, plus the cost of reconditioning. Others in the line for warships bargains: Brazil (two heavy cruisers and some destroyer escorts), Argentine (two heavy cruisers), Peru (three destroyer escorts), Venezuela and Colombia (lighter craft).

* Commissioned, respectively, in 1936 and 1937, the Brooklyn and Savannah are up-to-date war vessels, each carrying eight 5-inch and 15 6-inch guns.

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