The Paraguayan Consulate, it was learned today, is seeking to enlist a Jewish “Foreign Legion” to be settled in Paraguayan colonies and to be prepared to bear arms against Bolivia should the Chaco dispute break out anew.
According to a consular spokesman, applications involving 15,000 souls have already been filed and enquiries are coming in at the rate of 150 a day.
Under the plan, which was conceived by Captain Karl Kaiser, Austrian cavalry officer and Paraguayan Honorary Consul General, farmers, manual workers of many types and a limited number of doctors will be admitted to Paraguay provided they can pay their passage and show the equivalent of $35 in “landing money.” The Paraguayan Government would provide each colonist with ten hectares (about 25 acres) of land rent-free, to become his property after four years if he succeeded in raising crops on three hectares. Capitalists will be admitted if they are prepared to invest 500 gold pesetas in business, unless they desire to settle in Asuncion, where it will be necessary for them to invest 1,500 gold pesetas. Mass immigration, however, is still in the distant future.
Capt. Kaiser is reported ready to visit Paraguay soon, possibly accompanied by Jewish representatives to discuss the scheme with the President and other Government officials.
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.
