President Juan Carlos Ongania, leader of Argentina’s new military regime, tried to calm uneasiness among the Jews in this country during a press conference he held this weekend to explain the general policies which guide his new government.
Asserting that his regime would respect all minorities and curb extremism, Gen. Ongania said: “The Argentine revolution condemns all extremism. Our objective is to neutralize all types of extremism, particularly Communism, which are opposed to the spiritual union of the population and would dissociate from our historical and cultural heritage as well as our occidental and Christian system of life.”
Asked about his government’s attitude to the credit cooperatives, which had been curbed during the first days of the regime, he said: “There are already cooperatives functioning according to legal norms.” Most of this country’s Jewish businessmen are interested in the fate of the cooperatives which had been launched by Jewish immigrants in Argentina.
The news conference statement was the second time President Ongania had addressed himself to Argentina’s 500,000 Jews. Two weeks after seizing power he received a delegation of DAIA, the central representative body of Argentine Jewry. At that time General Ongania assured the DAIA leaders that his regime opposed extremist groups and sought to protect minority rights.
Jewish leaders here said that they were pleased by the President’s remarks but they were puzzled over the meaning of General Ongania’s statement that his regime would “implement a system of selective immigration to Argentina from countries which have constituted the present reality of our population by its races and religions.”
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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.
