In the declassified State Department document “Possible Coup in Argentina,” U.S. Ambassador Robert Hill admitted, “an Argentine military government would be almost certain to engage in human rights violations such as to engender international criticism.”
Washington admitted this a month before General Jorge Rafael Videla overthrew President Isabel Perón in a coup on March 24th, 1976.
Prior to the coup, William Beal, U.S. Chargé D’affaires, admitted an Argentine dictatorship would exist as “a military government for a prolonged period of time and unprecedented severity.”
Yet, Washington accepted the forthcoming dictatorship’s human rights violations of unprecedented severity. The reason was, as Ambassador Hill wrote, “We would expect it to be friendly toward the United States.” In translation, we would expect the dictatorship to be friendly to U.S. corporations.
Therefore, Washington backed the coup and proved the State Department correct. What followed Washington’s support of the coup was human rights violations of an unprecedented severity. A Dirty War ensued under the bloodiest dictatorship in Argentine history. 30,000 people disappeared: 15,000 murdered.
The Dirty War lasted from 1977 until 1983 with ample support from Washington. President Carter sent military aid to the Argentine dictatorship. The Reagan administration increased military aid to the Argentine dictatorship. In return, the Argentine dictatorship trained the U.S.-backed Contra death squads terrorizing Nicaragua.
Washington’s backing of dictatorships across Latin America laid the groundwork for Operation Condor. The Associated Press reported that Operation Condor “was a coordinated effort by the military dictatorships in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay and Brazil.” The National Security Archive wrote that the dictatorships were “dedicated to tracking down, kidnapping, torturing and disappearing opponents of their regimes.”
Henry Kissinger gave his stamp of approval. Washington supported the “coordinated terrorist attacks.” Then Secretary of State Cyrus Vance wrote, “At a meeting of Condor in December 1976 the principal subject of discussion was the planning of coordinated psychological warfare operations against leftist and radical groups.” This “included consideration of mounting assassination operations abroad.”
J. Patrice McSherry wrote, “Operation Condor pursued… human rights advocates… peasant leaders, unionists, priests and nuns, professors and students.” One victim of Operation Condor was former Chilean ambassador Orlando Letelier. The National Security Archive explained that the assassination of Letelier was “the most egregious act of international terrorism ever committed in Washington D.C.,” until 2001.
In brief, Washington coordinated with dictatorships to manage a group of transnational terrorists. They murdered anyone demanding basic human rights. We have an extensive declassified record to prove it. It can’t be refuted, but it can be dutifully ignored by pundits on both sides of the aisle.
March 24th, 1976, lives in infamy. Yet, last week, the U.S. mass media largely ignored the 50th anniversary of Washington’s support of the murderous dictatorship in Argentina, the U.S.-backed Dirty War that ensued, and the torturous legacy of Operation Condor.
The logic being that the history of U.S. imperialism is irrelevant. It’s best to keep U.S. taxpayers in the dark about the heinous crimes they pay for.
-Anton Porcari
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