good talk

During the Great Depression, the Venezuelan "Bolivar" was, like the Dollar, hard-currency.  Juan Vicente Gomez (July 24, 1857 to Dec. 17, 1935) was the ruler of Venezuela from 1908 until his death at "78", serving as President from 1908 to 1914, 1922 to 1929, and 1931 to 1935, when he wasn't President he was still the Caudillo, ruling with an iron-hand.  When oil was discovered at Lake Maracaibo in 1918, Venezuela became immensely-wealthy, and Juan Gomez paid-off the entirety of the National Debt in 1924.  Gomez' fiscal-conservatism served Venezuela well during the Depression, as soon as a bill, internal or external, was tendered, it was paid.  Gomez, ha, a brutal-dictator, built fabulous public-works, giving Venezuela great-roads throughout the Country, and fine-buildings.  He didn't put much into mass-education as he didn't want a populace that might want to displace him.  There was peace during his regime, whereas previously, there had been constant revolutions led by competing-strongmen.  Gomez never married, but might have had as many as 100 children (liked girls)