ADMIRAL MASSERA SPEAKS OF DIVISIONS IN ARMED FORCES - 1976/12/09

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Argentina Declassification Project - The "Dirty War" (1976-83)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 05406077
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: April 3, 2019
• Document Release Date: April 12, 2019
• Publication Date: December 9, 1976

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BUENOS 08000 092142Z
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 550-00 /026 W
P 092040Z DEC 76
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8159
SECRETBUENOS AIRES 8000
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SUBJECT: ADMIRAL MASSERA SPEAKS OF DIVISIONS IN ARMED FORCES
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REF: (A) BUENOS AIRES 7976
1. AT PRIVATE DINNER PARTY EVENING DEC. 7, ADMIRAL MASSERA TOOK
DEPUTY ASST SEC BRAY AND POLCOUNS SMITH ASIDE AND VOLUNTEERED A
LONG DISCUSSION OF THE INTERNAL SITUATION WITHIN THE GOA.
HE SAID THAT WITHIN "MILITARY PARTY" TWO MAJOR GROUPINGS HAVE
NOW DEFINED THEMSELVES.
2. THE FIRST, WHICH HE DESCRIBED AS THE "PLURALIST, DEMOCRATIC
FACTION" (AND OF WHICH HE DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS LEADER) IS SUPPORTED
BY THE AIR FORCE, THE NAVY AND THE"ARMY OF THE INTERIOR"
(I.E. THE CORPS COMMANDERS AND OTHER TROOP COMMANDERS IN THE
PROVINCES). IT REPRESENTS THE MAJORITY WITHIN THE ARMED FORCES.
THE SECOND FACTION, HE SAID, CENTERS AROUND THE TOP LEADERSHIP
OF THE ARMY AND HAS THE SUPPORT OF A SMALL MINORITY. HE NAMED
GENERAL VIOLA AS ITS PRIME MOVER. THIS SECOND GROUP, MASSERA
CLAIMED, IS ANTI�AMERICAN, ANTO�DEMOCRATIC AND HAS TIES WITH
THE LEFT. IT WISHES TO CONTINUE THE OLD PRACTICE OF GOVERNING BY
STRIKING BARGAINS AMONG A FEW UNREPRESENTATIVE LEADERS. IT IS
THIS MINORITY GROUP, HE WENT ON, WHICH IS ALSO BLOCKING PUBLICA�
TION OF THE LIST OF THOSE DETAINED BY GOVT. WERE IT NOT FOR
INTERIOR MINISTER HARGUINDEGUY, HE ASSERTED, LIST WOULD HAVE BEEN
OUT LONG AGO. MAJORITY FACTION (AND, INFERENCE WAS, HE HIMSELF)
ARE MORE ATTUNED TO HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE THAN IS THE OTHER GROUP.
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3. TURNING TO PRESIDENT VIDELA, MASSERA DESCRIBED HIM AS "WEAK,
INDICISIVE AND INCAPABLE." JUNTA IS THE SUPREME EXECUTIVE
AUTHORITY, BUT VIDELA, DESPITE HIS FAILINGS, IS TRYING TO PLACE
HIMSLEF ABOVE THE JUNTA. THIS SITUATION COULD NOT CONTINUE,
MASSERA WENT ON, ADDING THAT THERE MUST BE A "REDEFINITION OF
POWER" WITHIN NEXT TWO TO THREE MONTHS. HE NOTED THAT HE MIGHT
RETIRE AS COMMANDER OF NAVY IN THE PROCESS. HE STRESSED THAT
HE WAS NOT SUGGESTING THAT THERE WILL BE A MILITARY UPRISING TO
OUST PRESIDENT VIDELA; RATHER, THERE WILL BE A PEACEFUL REDEFI�
NITION "BECAUSE WE ARE THE MAJORITY AND WE ARE RIGHT." AS A
RESULT OF THIS REDEFINITION, HE SAID, THE JUNTA WILL BE RECON�
FIRMED IN FACT AS WELL AS IN NAME AS THE SUPREME EXECUTIVE
AUTHORITY. THERE MIGHT BE A FOURTH KEY FIGURE WHO, WHETHER
CALLED PRESIDENT OR PRIME MINISTER, WOULD ANSWER TO THE JUNTA
BUT WOULD BEGIN DECISIVELY TO ADMINISTER AND REORDER THE
COUNTRY IN A DEMOCRATIC WAY.
4. ADMIRAL MASSERA SAID HE WAS NOT TELLING US THIS WITH THE
IDEA OF ASKING FOR US SUPPORT; WHICH WOULD CLEARLY NOT BE PROPER
OR FEASIBLE. "WE DO NOT WISH YOU TO DO ANYTHING", HE SAID, "BUT
WE BELIEVE IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT THE UNITED STATES
MAINTAIN CLOSE CONTACT WITH THIS MAJORITY FACTION IN THE ARMED
FORCES WHICH I AM CONVINCED WILL SHORTLY GOVERN THE COUNTRY".
5. HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT AS A CITIZEN HE WAS NOT CONCERNED ABOUT
THE POSSIBLE CONDEMNATION OF ARGENTINA IN THE US CONGRESS, BUT
THAT HE WAS CONCERNED LEST SOME ACTION, POSTURE OR STATEMENT OF
CONDEMNATION OF THE US HELP THE MINORITY FACTION CONSOLIDATE ITS
POSITION.
6. NEITHER BRAY NOR SMITH RESPONDED TO OR COMMENTED ON
MASSERA'S MONOLOGUE.
7. COMMENT: IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT MASSERA'S DESCRIPTION OF
THE VIDELA�VIOLA GROUP AS "ANTI�DEMOCRATIC AND LINKED TO LEFT"
WHILE OTHER FACTION IS "PLURALIST�DEMOCRATIC" IS SIMPLY SELF�
SERVING. VIDELA AND VIOLA ARE CERTAINLY AS DEMOCRATIC AS MASSERA
(WHICH MAY NOT BE TO SAY MUCH). INDEED, MOST OBSERVERS DESCRIBE
THE "MAJORITY FACTION" REFERRED TO BY MASSERA AS HARDLINERS
AND THE VIDELA�VIOLA GROUP AS THE MODERATES. IN HIS PRESENTATION,
THEN, MASSERA IS ATTEMPTING TO STAND PREVAILING DESCRIPTIONS ON
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8. MASSERA'S MONOLOGUE op� DEGREE TO
WHICH IT REVEALS THE DISSENSIONS AMONG THE TOP MILITARY LEADERS UNCLASSIFIED
AND THE CAUSES OF THE TENTIONS AND IN�FIGHTING OF WHICH WE
HAVE HAD SOME INTIMATIONS DURING THE PAST WEEK OR MORE. ON THE
BASIS OF THIS AND OTHER EVIDENCE IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THESE
DISSENSIONS MAY BE REACHING A POINT OF SIGNIFICANT FERMENTATION.
9. MASSERA'S AMBITIONS HAVE LONG BEEN RECOGNIZED, BUT IN THE PAST
FEW MONTHS THERE HAD BEEN SOME EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST HE MIGHT
HAVE RESIGNED HIMSELF TO RETIRING AS AN ADMIRAL AND NOT AS
PRESIDENT, ON THE BASIS OF HIS CONVERSATION, THIS MAY NOT BE
THE'CASE MASSERA WAS TALING IN
TERMS OF GENERAL DIAZ BESSONE TO REPLACE VIDELA AS PRESIDENT
BOTH BRAY AND SMITH, HOWEVER, HAD DISTINCT
IMPRESSION FROM WHAT HE SAID THAT MASSERA IS THINKING OF
HIMSELF AS THE NEW PRESIDENT OR PRIME MINISTER RESULTING FROM
THE "REDEFINITION OF POWER." WHETHER HE, OR THE SO�CALLED
"MAJORITY FACTION", HAVE THE STRENGTH OR THE WILL TO OUST
VIDELA REMAINS TO BE SEEN. CERTAINLY IT IS DOUBTFUL THAT THEY
HAVE THE SUPPORT OF ALL THE CORPS COMMANDERS AS MASSERA CLAIMS.
HILL
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