Argentine Primer, 1940

jwes and Miriam Booker assembled this material I want to show you these pictures because I believe that Argentina is a vital importance to you and to me and to every other American citizen for Argentina is outstanding in wealth and progress in South America a leader on her own continent and a Ral of the United States in the Affairs of the Western Hemisphere whether this rivalry becomes friendly or bitter may depend upon how well we understand the reasons for it Argentina has the Towering Andes on her western border and Rocky arid Hills in the South a long vulnerable Coastline on the East and running from the broad center of the country north toward Paraguay nearly 100,000 square miles of natural pasture land the [Music] tampus the people of Argentina are much like us more perhaps than any other people in South America spirited aggressive energetic proud of their Heritage and their personal accomplishments but there are underlying differences between us and these people for their roots are deep in the old world culture of Spain and France and Italy more than that the Spaniards who settled here Were Soldiers and adventurers seeking gold while New England was colonized by farmers and Tradesmen seeking Freedom Argentina covers a big area as large as the United States east of the Mississippi but for every human being in Argentina there are 10 in the United States the Spaniards who came here first did not stay because they found no gold only a few hostile Indians not for many years did the Spaniards and after them the English Italians and Germans realiz the riches that lay in the earth of Argentina the first permanent settlement was in 1580 but even in 1800 there were only a million people in the entire country [Music] in 195 buenos Iris had only 1 million people but today it is the third largest city in the Western Hemisphere far from the traditional picture of a lazy Latin American Capital it is brisk modern and magnificent it's crowded traffic leftand drive as in England its handsome streets and business buildings combined to give the Casual visitor the impression of a great European Capital residents of buis are proud of their three Subways they are short lines compared to the New York System but they are clean efficient and colorfully decorated buenos Iris has smart shops as fine as those of London and New York and expensive [Music] too North American Motion Pictures are enormously popular even though some of the bitterest complaints about Hollywood's lack of taste and accuracy in portraying Latin Americans have come from Argentina but they want their own Motion Pictures in their own language and are capable of making them in small but efficient Studios they are turning out good films using Argentine actors directors and writers [Music] all of buos iris is not fine and modern this is the boka an old and gudy but picturesque Waterfront s ction lined with cheap shops and cafes and dance halls Tabares is Uptown but Gody too and more popular with gay young argentines than with their conservative [Music] Elders more important to the cultural life of the country is the theatro cologne where great singers and musicians have come from all over the world here the aristocracy lives well in houses which are a constant surprise to those North Americans who suspect that all South Americans live [Music] primitively but the old families of the nation live conservatively and graciously they attend a church like this one where they are steeped in The Devout traditions of their Spanish ancestors who were buried with pop in the picturesque Cemetery of recollect [Music] [Applause] Argentina's government is modeled on that of the United States with a president a congress powerful provincial Governors and a Constitution which with few exceptions during 80 years has protected the rights of free speech Free Press and free [Music] assembly the newspapers of Buenos Iris are famous throughout the world they truly speak for their people with strength and eloquence papers like laena and L nasion print more foreign news than the New York Times La prena has done distinguished work in offering free medical and legal consultations well equipped Consulting rooms and a capable staff of doctors and lawyers are employed in this humanitarian service Argentina has long tried to steer clear of Europe's troubles but she is wise enough to know that she may not always succeed so she looks to her defenses trains her men and prepares with the largest and strongest military force in South America to defend her land [Music] Argentina and above all buenos ciris might be poor indeed if it were not for World Trade more than most countries she depends upon intercourse with foreign Nations through these docks they are far from the docks of the other great world markets nevertheless Argentina has become a leader of world Commerce but War and the blockade have seriously hurt her economy one of this country's most pressing problems is her lack of Natural Resources but to her credit she makes the most of what she has a government oil company is working feverishly to develop its small oil resources but still there is no iron or coal or copper and for these Argentina is reluctantly dependent upon other nations having few Rich mineral resources of her own she is naturally confined to Light Industry like shoes and textiles but even this Machinery must be imported and her assembly plants for cars and refrigerators must get their parts from abroad [Music] a nation custom is the barbecue here called an assado a glorified meal in the GAO Manor where 1,500 lb of meat are being consumed by 500 people with only Bread and Wine dietitians might disapprove but argentines thrive on it [Music] though the wealthy City dwellers have always looked to Europe for cultural guidance many intellectuals are now becoming interested in their own colorful Traditions such as the songs and dances of the GAO Argentina's artists like the great caricaturist Molina campus are turning toward the land for inspiration toward the hard riding funloving gouto Indian and Spanish the half wild nomadic cowboy who first settled on the land and herded the wild [Music] cattle even his sports are affectionately pictured by campus like his hunting of the wild ostrich with the bolo a kind of Sling made of two balls tied together on a leather Thorn this when thrown winds around the bird's legs and trips it up but ostrich hunting is only a game and the greatest stania is a working proposition here is a ranch of 10,000 acres 6 M long and three miles wide the sort of minor Kingdom the landowning aristocracy is fighting to preserve for it is the very heart of Argentina this is an agricultural country without an agricultural population as we know it they do not need many Farm Workers because a single GAO can take care of 1,000 cows a sort of feudal system has been preserved here the wealth of the owners is great the life of the peons is hard and bleak despite the fertility of the land for the land is fertile almost unbelievably so the soil is 10 ft thick rich and black the deposited silt of thousands of years but in our country the average time soil is only 1T thick Argentina is one of the world's great granaries raising each year more than a million tons of corn and wheat the climate is so mild and even that alala grows five crops a year and the men who her livestock can sleep Outdoors the year round there are four four sheep for every human being in Argentina lamb and mutton and wool enough for half the world brought here originally by canny sheep herders from Scotland each season thousands of yearlings are broken in horses whose ancestors once ran Wild on the great pamper [Music] here are the owners at lunch big heart men eating a heavy meal of meat bread wine and fruit at this Ranch unlike some others the owners supervise the work themselves after lunch they sit mate the herb tea which Argentina drinks in such great quantities mate is Si from a hollow gourd through a silver tube called a [Music] bomia they are concerned with Argentina's greatest problem her cattle in the early days the scrubby cattle ran Wild by the millions and the land owners had no vision of their great future then in 1857 came the railroads and this meant an outlet for the Lush fields of Wheat and corn of the Fertile pampus and in 1877 another miracle happened the first refrigerated ship came to Argentina as North American life was developed and transformed first by the railroads and then the automobile so the railroads and the refrigerated ship transformed the life of Argentina this new kind of shipping meant that For the First Time Fresh Argentine beef could be shipped to all the world soon the argentines began to take their cattle seriously they imported the best and most expensive breeds shorn Angus and Herford over a billion dollars in British Capital was invested in the railroads to carry the beef and the grain to shipping centers [Music] for all these cattle must eventually arrive at the market and the great markets are in the city like this Mercado near buenus [Music] Iris here come buyers from the great pack houses or frigorificos to buy cattle at auction many are native argentines representing local firms others are Texans Canadians or British representing firms like Swift armor Wilson or Ango with many millions of foreign Capital invested here and although American Capital is here plus American management and Machinery none of this chilled or frozen beef can be so in the United States the sanitary regulations of our government make it impossible for any country where foot and mouth disease of cattle exists to ship fresh meat here because the spread of the disease would destroy our herds on the other hand Argentina is a large country and certain sections such as Southern Patagonia have never had this disease so the whole nation is angered at our refusal to import fresh meat even from Patagonia BAS basically it is a story of economic rivalry the difficult problem of two great Nations who produce the same food stuffs who could together Feed the World canning meat requires Clean Hands So these girls get a manicure before beginning work here they are packing cooked meat the only form in which it may be imported into the United States there are two sides to the meat question with good arguments on each side when it is examine thoroughly without animosity it may be settled to everyone's satisfaction but until it is we can never be truly good neighbor meanwhile the government has turned to other solutions for her growing economic problems smaller specialized farms and Clearing Houses for their products are being established like this modern Dairy which buys milk from neighboring estancias and Bottles it for sale in the city here is dried milk being prepared for export eggs are also being shipped [Music] abroad Vineyards are producing grapes for Argentina's excellent wines and all of this specialization in farming and food processing is receiving attention and aid from the government slowly but surely the greatest stanas are breaking up because like the huge acendas of Mexico they best serve the needs of only a privileged few in the final analysis it is the needs of the Common Man which South America must serve her own underprivileged of the country and city and she is slowly turning her eyes away from Europe back to her own hemisphere in this critical period when a new price has been put upon Earth and the food it yields Argentina is re-evaluating her own land and the people are [Applause]