The Straight Dope 01/30/2004

The Straight Dope -- By Cecil Adams
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THE STRAIGHT DOPE 01/30/2004

Dear Cecil:

What's the true story on South American Nazis? After
World War II why would countries like Argentina and
Paraguay want them? --David Storms

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Cecil replies:

Come now. After the war Argentina and Paraguay were run
for years by nationalist strongmen, Juan Peron and
Alfredo Stroessner respectively, who liked to strut around
in military regalia and brutalize dissidents. Argentina
had remained officially neutral until early 1945, when
economic pressure forced it to throw in with the Allies,
and until that point it was in intimate contact with
Hitler's regime and the fascist Franco government in Spain.
Postwar Brazil was still fascist- friendly thanks to the
legacy of deposed dictator Getulio Vargas. Surely it's no
surprise that the leaders of these countries nurtured
fraternal feelings for fleeing Nazis. I might also point
out that not all fugitives from the Third Reich ended up
in South America--quite a few are said to have headed for
Spain or the Middle East, and the U.S. imported a crowd of
Nazi rocket scientists during Operation Paperclip. That
said, the true story of how war criminals like Adolf
Eichmann and Josef Mengele wound up in the land of the
gauchos has never been fully told, and even now it's
difficult to separate fact from fiction.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040130.html

STAFF REPORT

Dear Straight Dope:

Why is "CH" the ISO abbreviation for Switzerland, as seen in
Internet domain names (.ch) and the "country" stickers on
European cars? "CH" fits none of the languages of
Switzerland.--Joe

SDSTAFF Arnold Winkelried replies:

"In De Bello Gallico" (The Gallic Wars), Julius Caesar
describes several Celtic tribes living between the Rhine
River, the Jura Mountains, the Rhone River and Lac Leman
(Lake Geneva to Americans)   in other words, in the region
now known as western Switzerland. The names of the tribes
were (in French) the Tigurins, the Sequanes, and (drumroll)
the Helvetes, the largest. The Helvetes decided to migrate
en masse for some reason but the Romans didn't like the
idea of hundreds of thousands people on the move close to
their territory and forcefully asked them to stay put,
which request culminated in the famous battle of Bibracte
(58 BC) in which the courageous Swiss were defeated by the
dastardly Romans. Tacitus also mentioned the Helvetians in
one of his books, I forget which. My point is, the
Helvetians have been around for a long time.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mhelvetians.html

STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC - 03/06/1981

Dear Cecil:

My question concerns the term "legal tender." I remember
reading years ago that certain huge amounts of loose
change can be rejected by a cashier as payment. But what
are these amounts? I ring on a register all day long and
have frequently encountered people who make purchases of
$5 or more with nothing but dimes, nickels, and pennies. 

To suggest an extreme example: could you force a car
dealer to take $10,000 worth of nickels? Or pay your
ex-wife's alimony with an enormous sack of pennies?
Another thought: can you buy a newspaper with a 25-cent
postage stamp? --Mike J., Chicago

Dear Mike:

You can buy a newspaper with a Tootsie Roll if the other
guy is agreeable. The main thing is that the medium of
exchange be acceptable to both parties to the transaction.

In fact, during the Civil War, when coins were scarce, 
people used postage stamps enclosed in brass frames instead.

But neither Tootsie Rolls nor stamps are "legal tender"--
that is, officially recognized as legal payment for debts.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_330.html
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