Guest

Stepping briskly down from his special Pan American Convair at Washington's airport, Tacho Somoza embraced Assistant Secretary of State Edward G. Miller and announced: "I feel at home here." Next day he called on Dean Acheson. Asked by newsmen what problems he had discussed with Acheson, Somoza answered blandly: "We have no problems in Nicaragua." Later, President Truman had Tacho to lunch at the renovated White House, showed his guest around the place and played the piano for him. "A great pianist," said Tacho.

Because the U.S. State Department does not want to be tagged as encouraging Latin American dictators, Tacho's visit was unofficial. But for an uninvited guest, Nicaragua's doughty President had a fine time. In between receptions, visits to Arlington and Mt. Vernon and a baseball doubleheader (Washington beat St. Louis in both games), Tacho hoped to find time to ask loans for some transport and electrification projects. This week he will visit Boston's Lahey Clinic for a checkup on a 1946 intestinal operation, and may visit Philadelphia, where he attended business" school and courted his wife under Wanamaker's eagle 34 years ago. Asked who was in charge of Nicaragua in his absence, he said: "I run it from here. I'm in touch every day by phone."

"But," said Tacho, "I resent being called a dictator. If I'm a dictator, I wouldn't be able to afford to leave my country."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.