In World War II, Brazil transported two armies. One sailed to Italy and fought, returned to a heroes' acclaim. Another, an 18,000-strong labor army, went north to the Amazon to gather rubber for a needy Ally—and never came back. By last week, its disappearance was a major national scandal.
The story began in 1942, when the U.S., shut off from the East Indies, wanted natural rubber at any cost.*Brazil was a possible source. Contracts were signed with the Brazilian Government, which, for $100 a head, agreed to round up and carry workers to the Amazon. Glowing advertisements brought in many a...
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