CANDLE IN THE WINDOW - 1981/12/28

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Argentina Declassification Project - The "Dirty War" (1976-83)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03394273
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: April 3, 2019
• Document Release Date: April 12, 2019
• Publication Date: December 28, 1981

Approved for Release: 2018/10/02 C03394273
ARTICLE APPFARED
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ByAnthonyLewis
-� BOSTON, Dec. 27 �When President
Reagan expreesed his outrage at what
is hamming to man% be spoke foe washing= to the president.eient, also spoken tart in spite of threats and `.
NEW YORK TIMES
28 DECEMBER 1981
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wants to help that GOvernment defend Or consider El Salvador. The firet :
"peace and liberty." It ended an arms !major Reagan Administration initia-
embargo by mopplying $3.2 mimeo tive foreign policy.leas to send rrfrili-
worth of jeeps and truck). It sent a' tary.aid to the Salvador jurita, deciar- 1
background paper to. American diplo. ing the rebels to be a major Conana%.
mats around the world saying that nlst threat. � The widely-reported '
Guatemala was thresticed, by brutalities of the Government forms,
.trernistgroops.,. , � including mass murder', drew little'.
Or consider...Argentina. During the criticism from Washington. When :
last rreeyeers at leen is,tus of Rape�. three Catholic men and a lay worker �
pie.� some estimates run to doublet I were murdered, Secretary of State.
that � have "disappeared."... They.! Haig suggested�without evidime
were kidnapped by the. military. tor. ,that the vlotime might have tried to
tured, dropped from planes. Sawa rim a�roadblook and might have shot 'I
have been the victims of- particular-. atthekillers.
� � -�
brutality; swastikas are in display in.: "Our Government and mom of our
the jails and torture chambers : allies " President Rea said th
gen
�What' has. the Reagan Arloninisinf.', Other day. "have expmsed.moral re-
tion done ntout Argentina? Last. '.von at the. police-state tactic' of
March it gave a. warm welcome in Poland'e oppressors. The church has
all 01 us. To see "the stirrings of lib-,
erty" crushed by 'haute force, 03 In �
put it, has touched the deepest Arnett
-
can feeltaget We wish we covald do
more than light a candis in the wine :�
dow. . . �
But the President's cutragi was
curiously selectbee. And it does not ;
slight the Polish tragedy to recast:dna 1,
that. . � -
Mr. Reagan denounced the Polish-
authorities for "killings, =33 arrests
and the setting up of tannceatraticse
camps." Another government in the
world has killed not seven, the official
figure of deaths under martial law in
Poland, or the 200 mentioned in some
reports, buttincsetands of its own citi-
nets. That government is in Arnericate
backyard, and the Reagan Adminis.
trailers has not said a critical. wont
aboutit. � � �� --
Guatemala le the place. In a report
'this year Amnesty International.sald
that "a Goverrrment campaign of
political murder" personally directed
.by President Mateo Luca., Garcia had
killed nearly 3,000 Guatemalans, in the*
last three years. The Inter-American
Human Rights Commission found the
Government respnesible .for � . the
"great rnatority"cd thottestesieng
gal executions..
The. Guatemalan Government-is;
there as the result of a C.I.A.-Organ.
'zed coop years ago. It uses American,
not Soviet weapare. Its state tenor-
�Ism, perhaps the bloodiest on earth
today, might be expected to armee,
moral indignation or at least- =num
in Washirgton. - �
' What has the Reagan Administra-
tion done about Guatemala?-lt sent a.
special ambassador there, General.
Vernon Waiter % who said
General Roberto Viola. It worked with' in midation."
That statement would apply exactly
to the official brutalities in Guatensa-4
la, Argentina, Chile, El Salvador�ex-
cept that the United States has not e.:
pressed its moral nrrulsice. Many
allied governments have been critical,
and the church has been outspoken.
The Reagan Adoehaistration has cad-
dled np to the oppressors. �
Perfect consistency about flunsen
Argentine to. try to soften critical in-
gully Into the disappearances by. a�
'
United Nations Connaission. Reagan
people have thrown Mud at one of the
prominent :vicdms of Argentine fas-
ciern, Jacobo Tin:Lerman. Secretary of
State Haig said the United States
shared values with Argentine, notably �
"abelief in Gtxl." � � � '
Or coneider Chile. Itsiallitaty took'
over in a coup .atiainst a left-wing core.' ghts is not possible than imperfett -
stitutinnai Gwenirnent that-the ',world. Whatever the flaw, in the
United States, working thraugh the 'American =Ord, we' ere right :tO
C.I.A., had tried to keep out of power..., speak up about Poland: But our words i.
mammary Government of president would carry more weight if we applied ".
Augusto Phnothet sent agents to Wash-; our Vallaaa with equal determination In`.
Meru tin:larder the former Foreign .9tia OWn hemisphere. �
Minister, Orlando Letelier and then ,
refueled American demands for extra.!
tilt's:not thosemponsible.
What has the Reagan Admheistrn. -
tan clone about Chile? Last February
It. ifted a ban on U. S. financing of:
trade with Chile, imposed by Presi- -��
dent Caster when the Pirocbet regime
would not =perste In the 'Leteller
murder prosecution, and invited Chile �
to take part in joint r.irral exercises.:.
And it did that while dencsmcing
ternatIonalterrorism." � . � � - � � :
� The Reagan Adrainietritloree AM- �
basaadce to the United Nations, Seam;
Kirkpatrick, visited Chile and Alsearti-
ne. She said they could give good ad- .
vice to Central American countries on
how to deal with guerillas. Dld she
have in mind the murder of unarmed
civilians?
Approved for Release: 2018/10/02 C03394273