PARAGUAY-BOLIVIA: Gran Chaco

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History. U. S. citizens who do not remember what Paraguay did in the War, should. To Paraguayans, the War was 1865-70. Paraguay's Dictator Francisco Solano Lopez declared war on Brazil and marched through Argentine territory to invade her. This resulted in an alliance between Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina against little Paraguay. It took the allies five years to defeat her in one of the bloodiest campaigns of modern history. Almost every male Paraguayan was enlisted. Boys of 12 and young women fought in the ranks. Old women turned themselves into pack animals and were left to die by the roadside. When the war ended Dictator Lopez was dead, and so was nearly every male in Paraguay. Her population had dropped in five years from 1,337,000 to 221,000, of which 86,000 were children under 15.

Hysteria. Paraguayans were more than willing last week to try it again. First detachment to leave for the front were 500 soldiers loaded on a river steamer. So many volunteers attempted to go with them that they nearly swamped the ship, had to be driven off at the bayonet point. At Conception hundreds of women assembled in the market place, swore to use no powder, paint or perfume on their determined faces until the last Bolivian had left the Chaco. Volunteers piled into Asuncion, the capital, day & night. All night long hysterical crowds tramped up & down the streets chanting "PARA-GUIA! PARA-GUIA! PARA-GUIA!" at the news, none too well substantiated, that a regiment of 600 Bolivian mountaineers had deserted, broken by Chaco heat and fevers, that three truckloads of Bolivian reinforcements had fallen in a ravine.

Note. The rest of the Americas took Paraguay's preparations with great seriousness. At the State Department in Washington representatives of 19 nations assembled and signed a joint protest which some correspondents rated with the Mon roe Doctrine in importance. Paraphrasing the Kellogg Pact (which Bolivia did not sign) they warned both Bolivia and Para guay that they would never recognize the acquisition of any territory seized by force of arms. Bolivia continued to mobilize. In London, a large number of British Fascists decided to join in.