José Ber Gelbard
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José Ber Gelbard (born Radomsko, Poland April 14, 1917; died Washington, D.C. October 4, 1977) was an Argentine activist and politician.
In 1930 Gelbard emigrated to Argentina with his parents and siblings. They settled in Tucumán, 800 miles north of Buenos Aires. Those were tough times and Gelbard had to make a living as a street peddler of men's ties and belts. In 1938 he married Dina Haskel. They settled in Catamarca and he started a men's clothing store named "Casa Nueva York".
Gelbard was a political activist, involved in several causes, including Jewish armed groups defending the Jewish community in Tucumán from the abuses of local Nazi groups, and the Unión Democratica against Juan Perón's first presidency in 1945. In the late 40's, he started to incubate the idea that the only way Argentina was going to grow was if the small and medium business prospered and the millions of small industries and merchants united as a force that could negotiate with Perón's pro labor forces.
In 1954 Gelbard moved with his family to Buenos Aires and almost immediately became part of Perón's cabinet as a minister without portfolio. He continued his fight for small and medium businesses, opposing perceived imperialist interests and agro interests that would have preferred a country of grain and cattle exporters, to the detriment of the millions of small industries and businesses. In this process, the CGE ("Confereración General Económica") was born. It could be described as the union of millions of industrialists and businessmen, with enough strength to negotiate with the government and labor unions. In 1955 there was a military coup that toppled Perón. Gelbard was prosecuted and his assets were frozen, for being an advisor to Peron.
In later years, the generals called elections, there were new coups d'etat, new presidents, new elections and Gelbard became, without exceptions, the advisor of all subsequent presidents, whether Generals or democratically elected. In 1972, following a request from General Lanusse, the then dictator, Gelbard negotiated the return of General Perón from his exile in Madrid. After many trips and secret negotiations, elections were called and since Perón was not allowed to be President himself, one of his men, Dr. Héctor Cámpora became president on May 25, 1973.
Perón wanted a trusted Jew as his Economy Minister, and he even said that he would not accept a Peronist government without José Ber Gelbard watching the economy. Finally in October 1973 Perón himself became president after an internal political shuffle. Gelbard implemented a plan, "The Social Pact" (El Pacto Social), which basically called for a freeze in prices and salaries so the country could progress economically. He also gave a new boost to exports by unilaterally lifting the Cuban blockade and selling one billion dollars in good to Cuba, including US-branded cars manufactured in Argentina (which the US had to accept after a threat to close all US car factories in Argentina). Many economic missions were planned and large groups of Argentine businessmen and industrialists headed by the Minister of Economy visited Cuba, Venezuela, Chile, the Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and other countries.
On July 2, 1974, Perón died and internal fights for power erupted. Gelbard decided to resign. In March 1976 a bloody Military Junta overthrew Isabel Perón's presidency and in later years killed tens of thousands of people. Gelbard and his family left the country before the coup and obtained political asylum in the USA. All his assets in Argentina were quasi confiscated, frozen. There was a death sentence for him and his son Fernando. On October 4, 1977, Gelbard died of a heart attack in Washington DC. His son Fernando fought the Junta, recovered all the family assets and in 1989 became Argentine ambassador to France.
