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Threshold of an Era. One of the President's first official acts was to decree an end to the despised press censorship imposed by the interim administration last November. A few days later he asked Congress to lift the state of siege as of Feb. 15, ten days ahead of schedule. As a gesture to show that he expects no violence, Kubitschek plans to send back to other duties the plainclothes detail assigned to guard him. "I rely on this more than any bodyguard." he told a friend, patting a German-made .25-caliber automatic hidden beneath his well-tailored jacket.
An early riser, the President held his first Cabinet meeting at 7 a.m. on the day after the inauguration, reminded his ministers that he firmly intends to push ahead with his economic program and maintain "a high standard of administrative morality." That night he spoke at a sumptuous banquet (caviar, lobster, pheasant) for the 59 foreign delegations assembled in Rio.
At Catete Palace next day, Kubitschek met with Vice President Richard Nixon and Assistant Secretary of State Henry Holland, to discuss Brazil's need for U.S. help in jacking up its economy and coping with Communist penetration efforts. Afterwards, Holland remarked: "No doubt about it, this appears to be the best government to deal with that Brazil has ever had." Said Nixon in a speech at the Volta Redonda steel plant the following day: "I confidently believe that Brazil is on the threshold of an era of progress unequaled in history by any nation in this Hemisphere. I am confident that with its abundant resources, its great people and its dedicated leadership, Brazil's progress in the next few years will startle the world."
Up from Diamantina. The hard task of leading Brazil into what he calls "the final stage of emancipation" will be harder for Juscelino Kubitschek because he took office as a figure of controversy. He won last October's election with only 36% of the votes; only a "preventive revolution" by the army halted a drive by bitter-end opponents to nullify the vote and call off the inauguration.
Kubitschek's character and stature are matters of heated debate in Brazil. Seen through hostile eyes, he is a lightweight, a mixture of playboy and opportunist. Admirers look upon him as a born leader with surpassing political skill, and an executive of great competence, with promise of becoming, measured by practical accomplishment, the greatest President Brazil has ever had.