ARGENTINA: Carnival Candidate

During Buenos Aires’ annual carnival last week, police arrested twelve men for violating carnival rules by wearing masks. One of the twelve turned out to be the man whom the eleven others were impersonating: ebullient, ambitious, undersized Dr. Genaro Giacobini had induced them to go around, as he himself was doing, and chalk up “Giacobini For President” on Buenos Aires walls and houses. He was released.

Dr. Giacobini heads the Partido Salud Publica, 34 members strong. In black undertaker suit, wing collar and black tie, black gloves and derby, he appears at football games, swimming pools, public markets and parks, unstraps his portable platform and harangues for votes in Argentina’s forthcoming Presidential elections. Onetime member of the Buenos Aires Municipal Council, he introduced some 4,000 projects, never missed talking at least one hour at every session.

His program calls for, among other things, the immediate end of the war, improvement of the municipal zoo, cleansing of the air in Buenos Aires, women’s suffrage, more lights and benches in his neighborhood park. He also proposes to solve both the financial situation and the fuel shortage, by burning the country’s garbage to make electricity.

Last month Dr. Giacobini wrote to the Pope, asking him “in my capacity as founder and president of the Partido Salud Publica” to end the war. He has not received an answer, but he is convinced that Archbishop Spellman’s visit to the Vatican (TIME, Feb. 22) was closely related to his letter. Elated by this success, Dr. Giacobini decided last week to address similar epistles to President Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, offering himself as Mediator for World War II.