ARGENTINA: Comeback?

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After several jittery weeks, Juan and Eva Perón seemed more like their old selves again. In fact, they were operating so smoothly last week that it was hard to believe that only three weeks ago Peron was wobbling under army pressure while Evita was in danger of being eased out of public life.

Both turned out in Buenos Aires' Retiro Park for a mammoth show marking the first anniversary of the purchase of the national railways from their British owners. It was a full-blown Peronista rally, and the speeches had all the flavor of the old oligarch-baiting times. Without bothering to offer proof, Perón's Transport Minister proclaimed that the railways (reported last month to be losing money at the rate of $100 million a year) were now in the black. The boss of the railway unions rose to shout: "If at any time it becomes necessary, the workers will rise and fight in the streets in defense of General Perón and Comrade Evita!"

Unwanted Workers. A few days before that, Comrade Evita broke the printers' strike that had kept the capital without newspapers for three weeks. This was accomplished by importing 58 printers from the provinces. She personally handed each man $210, promised $20 a day and free meals at the fancy midtown El Ciervo restaurant, then packed all of them off to plants where they were needed most. One by one, the newspapers reappeared. By week's end the strikers were back at work —except for 40%, who had lost their jobs in the shuffle.

Next, Eva's longtime personal press-agent and boss of her newspaper Democracia was moved in as chief of the Sub-secretariat of Information, controlling 90% of the nation's press, 100% of its radio. Even the dollar famine was turned to Eva's ends; the National Economic Council decreed that during the shortage of foreign exchange, all newspapers would have to pool their newsprint stocks. This meant that the independent La, Prensa and La Nación would have to hand over much of their reserve stock to Peronista newspapers. Eva's man took charge of the divvying-up.

Unwanted Task. Just how long this new parade of personal triumphs would continue depended on whether Perón could lick Argentina's still unsolved economic crisis. His army critics seemed perfectly willing to leave that task to him for the present. Meanwhile, the high-flying Señora was reported setting her sights to bring down the boss of the army, whose criticisms had caused her so much recent embarrassment. When this news was conveyed to Defense Minister José Humberto Sosa Molina, at his big army base outside the capital, the general's comment was blunt & brief: "If she wants me out, let her come to Campo de Mayo and get me."