Sometimes tough times call for a strong leader. In South America that often means a claudillo. What to do though when your military leader is bland and ineffectual. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
This is my favorite stamp issue from Paraguay. There was a Presidential summit of the anti communist, military Presidents of Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, and todays stamp Argentina. Decked out formally with serious expressions and being South America, a flag sash. I did the Brazil President issue here, https://the-philatelist.com/2017/10/19/a-friend-and-ally-who-wears-a-sash/, The failed lefties of the time are so much better remembered today, but the chaos that comes with them less so. So a stamp issue showing a coalition of the forgotten is interesting, and very different stylistically.
Todays stamp is issue A250, a 75 Centimo stamp issued by Paraguay on November 18th, 1972. It was a four stamp issue that was also available as a souvenir sheet. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents whether it is mint or used. Even the souvenir sheet is only worth $2.50. must not be much of a demand for a souviner like this but I love them. A stamp issue will portray them as they saw themselves.
Anti communism was a big agreement of the people at the summit. They were all close to the then in power Nixon administration. In Argentina’s case this unity was short lived. General and de facto President Alejandro Lanusse was scheduling the first election in a long while with the hope of increasing legitimacy. Argentina was on it’s third junta government since 1966. Peron was still in exile but his stand in was running. His stand in represented the left wing side of Peron’s support. As such he was able to retain Peron’s support and also tear away votes from the far left. His inauguration saw Chile’s Allende and Cuba’s Castro there to cheer but the fellows on this stamp issue were nowhere to be seen and glum. They need not have worried Peron would soon be back in power, and prove to be more right than left.
In Argentina there was a fairly strange group of centrist in power after Peron was overthrown. Peronists were banned from participating in elections, so the people elected proved weak and unappealing to both left and right. In 1966, the last elected President was deposed. The military hoped to install a public government similar to Brazil that was stronger but less ideological. However the left is only going to be upset by the uniforms and these type armies had many generals that thought they were the one to make it work, of at least get rich trying. So under the generals, left wing violence increases, and yet there was little progress in stamping it out. Guns and butter centrism also had the old South American problem of runaway inflation.
In the mid 1990s as an old man, President Lanusse released his autobiography where he criticized later General leaders for their excesses during the late 70s dirty war. He also criticized then President Menem a member of the Peronist party. The old fellow who himself lacked achievement thinks everyone else does it wrong. I suppose I should be sympathetic to an old man claiming people should have listened to him. However instead I think President Menem did the right thing by putting the old fool in house arrest. Hopefuly his home poccessed a lot of mirrors. Strong and wrong beats weak and right according to Bill Clinton.
Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast the Paraguay stamp designers of 1972 for offering such a visually striking alternative to the 68er visuals. Come again for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting. First published in 2019.