THE RISE OF LATIN DICTATORS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00901R000700060127-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 17, 2005
• Sequence Number: 127
• Publication Date: October 10, 1976
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2t(?/4' I~#P91-00901 RO
ON PAGE
Throughout most of its 200 .years, the
United States has held aloft the'torchof,'
liberty'` and. has =prbmoted dezrincracy'H
-:among its neighbors.: But the'-
painstak-ing; progress has = now; been'.largely.un-
:done bya' -Nine years later; this-same 'tternota'
.:'Walters turned up'as deputy director ofd
he.CIA. He :was involved: in funneling
subsequent. CIA,,nullions`to. organiza
tions that, were pppased;to President,.
SaIvadorAllende.m bile, n .: ~~;
An'd'what' did `ttie`U.S: to payers: g?t.;
.for their money? Both Brazil and Chile
are'noW 'ruled by::repressive' military
.: dictatorships. They have brought a:mea.?
sure of stability, to their countries;-But-'.'
only ? rarely , has the . economic .trickle'-:
reached.'the poorer masses. For `their.:;
;dubious blessings, the people he paid
a high price:. arrests in the -night,:arbi.;
traryimprisoriment and torture for the.
crime of disagreeing:
But; for the United States, ..tlle price',
has been higher. This country, once re-
garded around the world as, the bastion.,-;
of freedom ," is .now. thought "no; hef ter,;
than its Communists rivals The military
governments of Latin America have be-f -
come so oppressivethat the-moderates
including 'many who despise comrritm
Ism, have turned'"in desperation not to
Washington but to Havana.
For: in..nation after nation, they have:
witnessed 'the.. love affair between.the
dictatorships And, the' Pentagon .'Over
the pas30years- _
the -Pentagon: has'.'
squandered e $2 billion ;worth of hard.
ware and_traimng on-the military estab-'
lishmen.ts of Latin America.
- -'.Phe .'growing concern `of. -Cong>~ess'
hasn't:yet. stopped the f low. In.the year;:
. aheadr. for' example, .the. American tax-.-.
payers .will deliver: $49.3 million in. mrii ,
tary aid to. the Argentinian junta,' $Ul ;
million to` the Brazilian generals, =$15;,
millionto`'the;military'dictators in Bo-:
Iivia and $1.4 million to General-Alfredo
Stroessner's regime in Paraguay
Military brass from virtually every;na
tion iii Latin America; meanwhile,,.have
.trained at,such U.S. military, schools.`as
the Command ;and General Staff College
'at FoirtLeavenworth, Kan., and the'Na-
val.War College atNewport; R.I.Indeed,
.the Pentagontias. even established, 'one-
.s chool. that. is:_ specifically designed, :to;'
'-train:Latins. It's called.the_School of the.,
Americans and Is located in.the Panama;
Canal Zone..Over 30,000 Latin American;'
'military thenbave'trained at the school"
over the past three decades. Of 1,765 stu- ,
dents.vho. attended the'school in,-1975"
r.
575 came from the Chi ean regime.--..-,,.
The Defense Department also marri
talus military.advisers is 17 Latin Amer;
ican, countries. ' Thus=the top military,
brass-in Latin America and the United,''
States have devetoped`close' personal'ref
lationships
At the White House aiict State Depart-'t
nient?there has been little- sentiment for:l
restoring democracy in Latin America..-I
It doesn't seem to. matter. whether the.
orture. _1
governments-use terror--and torture.-
Our diplomats prefer' to keep -a "low;,
profile"'and confine their objections to ~,
."quiet` representations." Secretary of=
State Kissinger appears to be quite cam::
ressive dictator~diips
for-able with re
. .
p
Take Argentina, for example. Kidnap-.!
pings, murder and torture have become
daily occurrences. The outrages are
committed by militants of both political
extremes. There have beeh."more peo-
ple killed in one year in Argentina," one
-State Department source told us, "than.
in five years in Northern Ireland."
The. situation has deteriorated since
the military junta took over on March
2f4. The dictatorship, rather than join in
the murder- and mayhem directly, per-
mits right-wing para-police and. Para-
`,military.squads to-roam the cities and
1countryside, dispensing street justice; _
Some key congressmen, such as. Rep..
Edward Koch eD-N.Y.), would like to cut
off military aid to Argentina as a gees- .
ture of U.S. concern. U.S. law states that i
this can be done, if a country demon- -j
strates a "consistent pattern" of "gross
violations" of auman rights-But the
State Department characteristically has-
-objected-.that a"consistent pattern" of.
abuse_must still be proved.
-Responds.,-Koch: "Bold 'steps are
needed;'to . tnprei_s. the Argentine gov-
ernment that.iis'gra.ce-period is over."
At least dimly;-.-those..wh.a-13elieve the
United States"slould-promote democra-
cies; not. dictatorships, are being heard..
Approved For Release 2005/07/01 : CIA-RDP91-00901 R000700060127-8