Letter: Most Argentines hated, not adored, legendary Eva Peron

Sunday, Feb. 9, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

My husband and I traveled on the Moore-McCormack Steamship Line to Argentina in 1952. That was right after she was buried. We lived on the ship while there.

The first day, we stepped off the ship and could not imagine what was wrong. Everyone we passed would stop dead and just stare hatefully and not move until we were out of sight. Questioning the ship people, we were told I was the image of "Dear Eve" and they were afraid there might be trouble. I was instructed never to be alone. She had just been buried, and the government never wanted the public to know where.

As she was hated by so many, the government feared another Mussolini episode. Most business men hated her as she demanded extra money for her cooperation for allowing them there.

I remember seeing the small-scale children's village she had designed for the "kiddies," which were pictured in all our newspapers. The business men said no child was ever in that village except when photographers were there. She lived for the photographers.

Meantime, every time we went off the ship, we were followed by security people. Never so glad to leave a city.

Cindy Seaman