A Spell of Unemployment

Porfirio Rubirosa has held his job at the Dominican Republic's Paris embassy long enough to fray many a pair of striped pants, and the job has been good to him. In a typical workday (lately as minister counselor), he might play polo at Deauville, or catch the races at Auteuil. Evenings, unless he happened to be spreading joy in Cannes or Monte Carlo, he usually liked to start early at Maxim's.

"Rubi" launched his career back in 1933 with a brief marriage to the spectacular Flor de Oro Trujillo, daughter of Dominican Dictator Rafael ("El Benefactor") Trujillo. Despite their divorce he was named charge d'affaires in Paris in 1939, and went on to marry, successively, Actress Danielle Darrieux, sometimes called "the most beautiful woman in the world," and Doris Duke Cromwell, "the richest woman in the world." His job also led him to seeming affluence far beyond his official salary of $600 a month. Last week it came to a halt: Rubi got fired.

Said the Dominican Foreign Office's announcement: "Complaints received in connection with the personal conduct of Senor Porfirio Rubirosa have led to the cancellation of his appointment." Since his divorce from Doris in 1948, Rubi has become, in the words of his friend and chronicler, Hearst Columnist Cholly Knickerbocker, the "most famous foreign corespondent of the year." Tobacco Heir Richard Reynolds Jr. accused Rubi of "indiscretions" with Mrs. Marianne O'Brien Reynolds (who denied she was "ever in a hotel room" with Rubi, and got a hefty settlement). Socialite Golfer Robert Sweeny, suing 1948's dazzling Debutante

Joanne Connelley Sweeny on grounds of adultery, named Rubi, and won the suit. Lately Rubi has been romancing Hungarian Beauty Zsa Zsa Gabor, whose husband, Cinemactor George Sanders, is suing on the ground of mental cruelty.

Did Dictator Trujillo, a man of the world, really take umbrage at Rubi's conduct? A likelier explanation might be that Trujillo was simply reminding Rubi that the Benefactor is still the one & only boss. Any public official under Trujillo may suffer an occasional, penitential spell of unemployment; Rubi's turn has obviously come. For a while, he will have to get along without the magic diplomatic passport, will have to let the customs officers of New York, Cherbourg and other way stations muss his socks and shirts. Then, his cafe-society pals confidently believe, he will be restored to diplomacy and the work for which he is so well fitted.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.