Dear Editor
DEAR EDITOR The New Leader welcomes comment and criticism on any of its features, but letters should not exceed 300 words. BRAZIL This is merely a fan letter in response to Robert J. Alexander's...
...and South America...
...Thank you for breaking that rule...
...It must gain a deeper understanding of the urgent need for reforms in the social and political structures of these countries...
...I must compliment Robert J. Alexander for his accurate, objective report on Brazil...
...policy in South America is largely in the hands of the "lobbies...
...A few years ago, he signed an appeal calling for the release of a Paraguayan political prisoner who was a Communist...
...Right now, however, Brazil's Vice President Joao (Jango) Goulart is coming to the U.S...
...His invitation was extended by Vice President Nixon...
...The oligarchy of negocistas will not give up their position in Brazil...
...Carlos Lacerda...
...During my residence here, I have learned that U.S...
...They control the sources of political power, and they have money and various other techniques at their disposal to stymie the automatic development of political progress...
...I am not so certain about the automatic nature of progress, particularly when it refers to political progress toward democracy...
...This assumption, as far as I can see, is the only weak point in Alexander's brilliant analysis of Brazil today...
...No one is able to rule the country, certainly not the people...
...This auda cious and fruitful alliance, incidentally, is by no means the least interesting feature of the Brazilian situation...
...May I point out that the great Brazilian novelist, Jose Lins do Rego, a democrat who has consistently opposed fascism and Communism, was not allowed into the U.S...
...In other words, Brazil has a President but it does not have a government...
...public dependent upon vested interests which disseminate whatever information serves their purposes...
...Unrest will prevail in Brazil so long as the present forces are in power...
...I do not think that we are naive or impatient For 25 years, we tried to change our dicta torial, oligarchic regime by simply calling elections...
...He seems to think that the development of democracy in Brazil is only a matter of time, that it will come automatically as a result of mechanical progress...
...Indeed, if the U.S...
...It came at a time when the correspondent of a great newspaper like the New York Times was presenting Brazilian democrats as "rightist" and those who have for years been accused of "selling out to American imperialism" as "ultra-nationalist...
...A revolutionary cycle transformed Brazil and is largely responsible for the progress Alexander observed...
...Despite their position, of course, they frequently have to use force, which explains the putsches of November 11 and 21...
...It is easily the best thing I have seen on Brazil in a long time...
...Now we realize that we will always be confronted by the controlling oligarchs of negocismo, combined with the worst demagogy —now in alliance with Communism...
...Norwalk, Conn...
...to see a grandson who was born here...
...I would like to point out, however, that Alexander made one incorrect assumption...
...Supporting corruption and financing inflation, the present trend in Washington will prove bad for both the U.S...
...as an official guest of the State Department, even though he was elected as the result of an alliance with the Communists...
...Finally, I would like to note that the American people are handicapped by a lack of accurate information about Latin America...
...BRAZIL This is merely a fan letter in response to Robert J. Alexander's article "Inside Brazil," which appeared in the April 23 issue of The New Leader...
...Consequently, he feels that those of us who feel it is useless to try to win phony, rigged "elections" every five years, and who urge a drastic reform of Brazil's political and social institutions, are naive and impatient...
...They control the presentation of issues to the people as far as South American realities are concerned...
...do not try try comprehend this, they will never understand many of the burning questions affecting region like Latin America and the Middle East...
...This has resulted in ?poorly informed U.S...
...There is no reason to believe that democracy will come out of material progress...
...certainly material progress does not always come out of democracy...
...New York City Adolf A. Berle Jr...
...Now, for the maturity of democracy, for these preliminary steps to be meaningful, the revolutionary cycle must b completed...
...is to have an intelligent policy for this area, it must know the issues involved and analyze them as Alexander did...
...This naturally leads to unrest and confusion...
...I realize that it is difficult for United States citizen, after so many yean experience with government under law, to real ize that a revolutionary step may be indis pensable to the establishment of democracy But if the people in the U.S...
Vol. 39 • April 1956 • No. 18
