A group of 283 veterans of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, who fought against the Nazis on the Italian front during World War II, returned their medals and citations to the Government today in protest against the appointment by President Castella Branca of Raimundo Padilha, a former Fascist leader, as Government spokesman in the Chamber of Deputies.
Deploring the appointment in an address to the Chamber, Deputy Jamil Amiden, who is chairman of the veterans’ group, said that the president, as a military man himself, would realize the significance of the action by the veterans in returning their medals. Mr. Amiden noted that Padilha was on record in United States State Department documents as having been a member of the Brazilian integralista, a Fascist group which was involved in espionage activities for the Nazis during the Second World War.
President Castella Branca said last week that an investigation had shown that there was no foundation to the charges of espionage against Padilha, It is known, however, that the latter was one of the leaders of the Brazilian Fascists who supported Hitler. Deputy Abel Rafael, another former Fascist, defended the appointment, and told the Chamber that there was no point in charging Padilha with membership in the Integralista, since one-third of the deputies were members of that group.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
