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Intelligence Weekly Summary
central intelligence agency
OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE VfKBKLY SUMMARY
DROUGHT IN THE BRAZILIAN NORTHEAST
Brazilian Government hastate of emergency In the country'a northeastern statesesult of roodcaused hy drought. Since the beginning of Hay thousands of peasant families havetowns, threatening to sack food stores. Id many instances violence has bean forestalled only by tbe distribution of small emergency slocks.
This drought area, about one third tbe sine of theUnited States, is one of chronicer capita annual income of The droughts have been recognizedational problem for overears; that0 deaths. The Brazilian constitutionercent of all federal tax revenues for antldrought Past steps have been largely temporary and but the government establishedederal agency for comprehensivedevelopment of the In1 the organization receivedapproval of the first year of Its long-range plan.
before the onset of the present drought,or food were rising rapidly through-out the northeastern states. The cost of livingn the arean comparison vlthercent rlae inBrazil. Some staples doubled in cost during the year. Over the past four months, as drought has been spreading in tbe northeast, tvo prime staples--manioc flour andIncreased In price by SOOercent respectively, lages have remained almost static, however, with money extremely tight and inveatment low.
The federal government onay agreed to purchase large quantities of food forand the US released in two northeasternons of corn stored under the Food for Peace program. 3UDENE
on IS Nay adopted an omorgency program of public works and, with the cooperation or the air force, organized theof food. Officials in Prrnambuco, wherehave been mosthave charged that many persona aro hoarding andtransporting stocks of basic roods and have to seise all such stocks.
The Peasant Leaguee. led by pro-CtimmunlSt Francisco Jullao. are centered in tbe northeast and provide an organ-
izational framework for C< nist exploitation of the There aro HO tof these groups throughout the area,otal membership. They profess to defend the rights of tbe rural workers aad are already politically aroused over the assassinationey league leader in Paralba State in early April. esult of plans for demonatrat ions in Paralba, army troops have been deployed thi northeast
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