Latin American Jewish Leaders to Hold Two-day Parley on Security

The anti-Jewish acts of terrorism in Argentina and Uruguay-for which no one has as yet been punished — have prompted the South American executive of the World Jewish Congress to convoke an extraordinary two-day conference of Jewish community leaders from the entire South American continent, it was announced here today. The conference will open in Buenos Aires on August 18. (See page 3 for U.S. action.)

The anti-Jewish violence in Argentina and Uruguay brought reactions from Chile and Brazil today. Chilean Minister of Interior Sotero Del Rio told Jewish leaders in Santiago that his government cannot imagine even for a minute that such “barbaric” acts against Jews should take place in Chile as are now occurring in the other South American countries. He made this statement at a reception tendered by the Central Committee of the Jewish Community of Chile in honor of Prof. Boris Chain, the Jewish Nobel Prize winner, who is now touring Latin American countries.

The Minister of Interior said that the Chilean Government appreciates the contributions which the Jews are making to the development of the country. He assured the audience that, in Chile, there can be no such a situation where the authorities would not check the activities of irresponsible, terroristic elements.

In Brazil, Afonso Arinos, Jr., one of the most prominent among the deputies in the Legislative Assembly of the State of Guanabara, delivered a sharp protest on the floor of the Assembly today against the waves of anti-Semitism in Argentina and Uruguay. He demanded that the Governments of both countries take immediate and energetic steps to “halt the activities of the Nazis and fascists” in those lands. The deputy is the son of Afonso Arinos, Sr., Foreign Minister of Brazil.