Letter from Chile

“Any alcohol?” “Not a drop.” “Any hope?” “Hope is the only thing we’ve had for the past six months. . . .”

The various faces and the variety of replies to the same question at well over a dozen of the many pharmacies scattered over greater Santiago are a good barometer these days of the disenchantment, enervation and frustrations—and, fortunately, a lingering sense of humor—which grip the Chilean man in the street. It also indicates that shortages were hitting home long before the recent nationwide strike very nearly paralyzed Chile. But neither political unrest nor the galloping inflation (130 per cent this year) has managed to halt the avalanche-style Marxist program of Dr. Allende’s two-year-old administration.

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Nena Ossa

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“Any alcohol?” “Not a drop.” “Any hope?” “Hope is the only thing we’ve had for the past six months. . . .”

The various faces and the variety of replies to the same question at well over a dozen of the many pharmacies scattered over greater Santiago are a good barometer these days of the disenchantment, enervation and frustrations—and, fortunately, a lingering sense of humor—which grip the Chilean man in the street. It also indicates that shortages were hitting home long before the recent nationwide strike very nearly paralyzed Chile. But neither political unrest nor the galloping inflation (130 per cent this year) has managed to halt the avalanche-style Marxist program of Dr. Allende’s two-year-old administration.