◆ SpookStack

The administration has now announced that it will take over the entire 1943 rice crop at fixed prices, the southern provinces excepted. A working class reaction to this was: “Prices will go up if the Banco Popular (controlled by Prado) obtains a monopoly.“ In other words, if this opinion is typical, the administration seems to be headed for trouble, and any move it makes is suspected. There is a good deal of justification for this, because the friends and family of President Prado have been permitted to establish food monopolies, especially in meat, fish, and rice, until they have become scarcer and more expensive probably than in the United States. The price of fish is obviously unjustified in view of the great supply available. Further information was received from No{ —_|tnat on the night b7D of April 14th, 1943, the Berlin radio announced the fact that Vice-President WALLACE had made an unescorted tour of Lima in the early morning of that date. Intornant[ | whose identity is knovm_to the Bureau, discussed this broadcast with Informant Informant stated that it was a smart job getting this information to Germany so quickly, and he added that the Germans in Peru are too scared at the moment to take any risks, so he was certain the Spanish Embassy sent the news. The American Society of Peru, the British Commonwealth Socioty, the Phoenix Club, and numerous other organizations in Lima expressed to the U. S. Embassy their desire to assist in the entertainment of Mr. WALLACE during his visit to Lima. Owing to the brevity of his visit, however, it was not possible to take advantage of these offers. COMMENTS During the stay of Vice-President WALLACE in Peru, he was almost constantly surrounded by a crowd of enthusiastic people. These were not only the diplomatic and military persons of Peru but likewise the common man on the street, of the working class. It is the feeling of this office that Vice-President WALLACE was received enthusiastically without exception. ~-l3a-