VENEZUELA: Meritorious Dictator

Citizens of Caracas do not see much of their President. He dislikes public functions, spends as much of his time as possible at Maracay, 77 miles away, where, beside a lake on his great model farm, he sits in a rocking chair under a giant rubber tree and holds court. But Caracas saw him last week, when in full uniform General Juan Vicente Gomez celebrated the 25th anniversary of his seizure of the government. Ceremonies were simple. He stalked to the Casa Amarilla, the presi dential palace where he first took office, then...

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