Yes, Bolivia had a President Busch, too.
In a strange coincidence, Germán Busch was the 41st and 43rd President of Bolivia, just like George Bush Sr. and Jr. were the 41st and 43rd Presidents of the United States of America. But Germán Busch’s first term in office was only three days. The second lasted two years until it was cut short by the President’s death at age 35.
The prevailing assumption is that he committed suicide. But when you consider that
- Busch had been trained by Germany officers in Bolivia,
- he had been an adjutant to Hans Kundt and Ernst Röhm,
- during the Chaco War he fought together with Achim von Kries, who later established the Landesgruppe Bolivien of the German Nazi party NSDAP (yes, they were everywhere),
- the Axis Powers and the Allies were competing for influence everywhere in South America at that time,
- Busch had expropriated US-American oil companies,
- Bolivia was negotiating with the Nazis about concessions for gold mines,
- President Busch had already received a Mercedes-Benz cabriolet 770K as a gift from Adolf Hitler before the agreement was finalized,
- Germany was financing the Bolivian national airline Lloyd Aereo Boliviano and the newspaper La Calle,
- Busch died on 23 August 1939,
- and one week later, World War II began,
this part of Bolivia’s history provides enough material for a thriller. And there would be many more incredible stories.
(Photographed at the cemetery of La Paz in Bolivia. – Zur deutschen Fassung.)