Word: betancourts
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...other chief of state south of the border has been under sharper attack from the extremes of left and right or fought them all off more courageously. From the moment Betancourt was elected to office in 1958 after the overthrow of Dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez, the Communists and a gaggle of the discontented have done their best to topple his government. In the economic fallout that came after the corrupt dictatorship's fall, there were many grievances to exploit; Communist-fired mobs roamed the capital; Communist gunmen murdered policemen, started backland guerrilla uprisings, even infiltrated...
Through it all, Betancourt has gone a long way toward building a new foundation for an oil-rich nation that has long been victimized by a succession of dictators. Betancourt spoke a proud boast in Washington last week: "For the first time in Venezuela's history as a republic, a freely elected President has completed four years of his term in office." He seems a good bet to complete his full five years, and politically strong enough to influence the choice of a successor next year to carry on one of Latin America's most successful programs...
Schools & Land. Before the National Press Club in Washington, Betancourt ticked off some accomplishments. In four years, the number of primary schools has grown by 88.7%. Some 1,500,000 children now go to school, compared with only half as many four years ago; 1,300,000 adult Venezuelans have been taught to read and write, reducing the adult illiteracy rate to 16% of the 8,000,000 population. Through peaceful and legal land reform, Betancourt's government has distributed 3,500,000 acres of land to more than 57,000 farm families and invested more than $100 million...
...produces more than 90% of Venezuela's annual $2.5 billion export income and-through a 67% tax on oil company profits-accounts for about 60% of the government's annual budget. But Venezuelans worry about their declining market in the U.S. And one of Betancourt's major missions in seven hours of talk with Kennedy was to seek a better deal for Venezuelan...
...Betancourt made it clear that he did "not come asking for contributions from U.S. taxpayers." He wanted reconsideration of the policy that imposes quotas on U.S. oil imports from overseas but exempts oil shipped in overland from Canada and Mexico. Last December, when the Kennedy Administration tightened quotas, Betancourt foresaw a loss of close to $40 million worth of exports a year. He personally telephoned Kennedy in Palm Beach to protest-and got a promise that the problem would be reviewed...