OSCAR ANTONIO MONTES - 1977/11/08

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Argentina Declassification Project - The "Dirty War" (1976-83)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03309573
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: April 3, 2019
• Document Release Date: April 12, 2019
• Publication Date: November 8, 1977

3.5(c)
Approved for Release: 2018/10/02 C03309573
Oscar Antonio MONTES
(Phonetic: MOHNtess)
Minister of Foreign
Affairs and Worship
(since May 1977)
Addressed as:
Mr. Minister
A competent and intel-
ligent naval officer, Vice
Adm. Oscar Montes has
managed to represent the
policies of President Jorge
Videla, while remaining
firmly loyal to Adm. Emilio
Massera--his naval chief
and a comember (with Videla)
of the ruling junta. Mantes had no particular
flair or background for his new job, but in his
first six months as Foreign Minister he has proved
to be very capable. He can be expected to defend
Argentina's positions on international and bilateral
issues in an articulate, firm and reasonable manner.
3.5(c)
3.3(b)(1)
ARGENTINA
One of Mantes' first acts as Foreign Minister
was to head his country's delegation at the annual
meeting of the Organization of American States,
held in June 1977 in Grenada, where he met with US
Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and other US offi-
cials. At the meeting, Mantes defended Argentina's
human rights policies and accused terrorist groups
of being violators of human rights. He reiterated
this position in his speech before the UN General
Assembly in October.
Montes has had a routine naval career with
considerable shipboard duty. He has been assist-
ant naval attache in Peru (dates unknown) and in
Brazil (1970-72). In addition to the usual mili-
tary schooling, his official biography states that
he studied diplomacy at the Argentine del Salvador
University. He has also taught naval management.
He served as chief of naval operations of the Navy
General Staff from 1974 until he assumed his cur-
rent position. (He replaced Foreign Minister
C6sar Guzzetti, who had been seriously wounded in
an assassination attempt.)
Montes, 53, is married. He understands some 3.5(c)
English, but he speaks only his native Spanish. 3.3(b)(1)
A
CR M 77-15709
8 November 1977
roved for Release: 2018/10/02 C03309573