CHILE: Flying Start

The first Popular Front Government, organized as such, in the history of the Americas was inaugurated fortnight ago in a simple, one-minute ceremony when Chile's President-elect Pedro Aguirre Cerda put on a tricolored sash, symbol of his office. No heart-&-soul revolutionary like Mexico's President Lazaro Cardenas, President Aguirre is a top-flight lawyer, a member of the Radical Party and a millionaire landowner.

Unlike most Chilean landowners, who have controlled Chile for decades, he is bent on improving the lot of the country's underpaid, overworked rotos. To do this he lined up his Radicals with the Socialists, Radical Socialists and Communists, took the field against the landlordly Rightists. Infuriated with Rightist President Arturo Alessandri for suppressing their Putsch last September, 15,000 Nacistas (Nazis) on the eve of the election joined the Popular Front's political hodgepodge, helped Lawyer Aguirre win by a slim 3,000 majority.

Despite this puree of parties and conflicting internal programs, the winning ticket last week got off to an effective start. In rapid succession it: 1) pardoned all Nacistas arrested for their abortive Putsch; 2) demanded and got the resignations of seven top-rank army leaders, among them the commander-in-chief as well as the head of the civil guards responsible for the bloody suppression of the Nacistas; 3) received the routine resignations of 15 ambassadors; 4) submitted to the Chamber of Deputies a decree permitting former President Alessandri to leave Chile for "a rest" in Europe, despite a Constitutional requirement that the old President remain in Chile until six months after termination of office; 5) considered recognition of the Soviet Union; 6) put into effect a nationwide reduction in bread prices; 7) raised hours of employment of Federal workers to eight a day; 8) ruled that Cabinet Ministers must spend three hours each day receiving the public in order "to keep in touch with the masses"; 9) gave tacit approval to the appointment of a Communist as Mayor of Valparaiso, a Socialist as Mayor of Vina del Mar.

Despite the new Government's business-like self-confidence, beneath the surface Chile was jittery. No one knew just how far the Popular Front would go with a revolutionary program of social reform. Popular Frontists, 80,000 strong, jammed Santiago's new National Stadium to demonstrate for Loyalist Spain and greet Indaledo Prieto, former Loyalist defense minister who had made a special trip to be at the Aguirre Cerda inaugural. But reports of a Rightist Putsch to regain control lost in the close election continued to buzz through the country.

It was known that the defeated Rightist candidate, on his way to Europe, stopped off in Buenos Aires to confer with General Carlos Ibáñez, onetime Strongman of Chile, who was implicated in the Nacista uprising and is regarded by some Rightists as their white hope for another revolt. At week's end, back to Chile flew General Ibanez, presumably with President Aguirre's permission. He was welcomed by several thousand cheering Nacistas in their green shirts and military caps.