LATIN AMERICAN TRENDS: STAFF NOTES OCTOBER 6, 1976[SANITIZED] - 1976/10/06

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Argentina Declassification Project - The "Dirty War" (1976-83)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06627533
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: April 3, 2019
• Document Release Date: April 12, 2019
• Publication Date: October 6, 1976

Approved for Release: 2018/10/01 C06627533
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Latin American Trends
STAFF NOTES
4acr4
SetiV
159
CI SNLA 76-054
No. 0994-76
October 6, 1976
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LATIN AMERICAN TRENDS
This publication is prepared for regional specialists in the Washington com-
munity by the Western Hemisphere Division, Office of Current Intelligence,
with occasional contributions from other offices within the Directorate of
Intelligence. Comments and queries are welcome. They should be directed to
the authors of the individual articles.
CONTENTS
October 6, 1976
Argentina: Right�Wing Activity
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3.3(b)(1)
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3.5(c)
Argentina: Right-Wing Activity
There are strong indications that the right-wing
repression by police and security services is not
beyond the control of the government but is an inte-
gral part of the overall coounterinsurgency effort.
A variety report that all the security
and military services are involved.
all branches of
the armed forces as well as the federal police and '
the state intelligence organization have strong,
effective, and well controlled countersubversive units.
Their principal targets are the leftist terrorists
but they operate against others deemed likely to aid
the terrorists or sympathize with their goals.
the security services
are cooperating more effectively now than before, as
they gain experience and success in the anti-guerrilla
struggle. There are fewer instances of unauthorized
operations, particularly brutal physical abuse, and
those that do occur can result in disciplinary actions.
Not all authorized operations are legal, however, even
under the broad state of siege provisions in force.
it is "obvious"
that President Videla and other senior military of-
ficers "look the other way" with regard to right-wing
activities, the senior
officers believe that to rein in those involved would
dangerously disrupt the success of the counterinsur-
gency effort.
An Argentine government official has stated that
at present all rightist groups operating in the country
in fact belong to the authorized counterinsurgency
units and have a "clearly approved mission from higher
October 6, 1976
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3.5(c)
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,sEoRst
authority." One such group, within the state intel-
ligence organization, is composed of former convicted
criminals and is said to have "considerable operational
latitude." Another government official says that all
counterinsurgency efforts by the federal police have
approval from higher authority and that no records
are kept on persons it picks up.
The impunity with which right-wing activities have
been pursued over the past several months indicates,
the acquiescence, and perhaps the general approval,
of high administration officials. The most spectacular
such incident was the August killing of thirty sus-
pected subversives and the subsequent public display
of their bodies. The mass murder was reportedly
approved by the commanding general of the Buenos Aires
regional army corps, the chief of the federal police,
and the police force's top security officer. President
Videla himself was said to be perturbed not so much
by the elimination of the supposed subversives, but
by the publicity it was given.
Advocates of harsh tactics view the success the
security forces have had against the left in recent
months as justification of their methods. The hard-
liners will probably take last weekend's apparent
terrorist attempt to assassinate Videla as
the need for still more 7.rong measures.
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sEeRET
proof of
October 6, 1976
3.5(c)
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