NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DAILY THURSDAY MARCH 25, 1976[SANITIZED] - 1976/03/25

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Argentina Declassification Project - The "Dirty War" (1976-83)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02996428
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: April 3, 2019
• Document Release Date: April 12, 2019
• Publication Date: March 25, 1976

Approved for Release: 2018/09/17 002996428
The
National Intelligence
Daily
Published by the Director of Central Intelligence for Named Principals Only
3.5(c)
Copy No. 178
THURSDAY MARCH 25, 1976
NR
ARGENTINA: The junta is firmly in place and
gives the impression it intends to stay in power
for some time. It has banned political and un-
ion activity, closed congress, suspended the
supreme court, and begun to appoint military
governors for the provinces. -s been
little violence.
3.5(c)
VOLUME 3, NUMBER 71
3.5(c)
Argentine Junta
Appears to Be
In Firm Control
Argentina's new military junta is firmly
in place and giving the impression that it
intends to retain power for some time.
Former president Peron, her secretary
and adviser Julio Gonzalez, and several
Peronist leaders are in military custody.
While there have been reports that she
would be tried on corruption charges, she
probably will be allowed to go into exile in
Spain.
Even as she was being deposed, junta
President Jorge Videla was moving to set
up the new government. A steady stream
of official proclamations began flowing
from military headquarters, reflecting the
military's continuing preoccupation with
terrorism. So far there has been little
violence, but stiff penalties have been
decreed for anyone who assists the
terrorist cause. Security forces have been
ordered to shoot anyone found interfering
with public services.
Videla and the two other junta
members, Admiral Massera and General
Agosti, were sworn into office in a per-
functory ceremony yesterday morning.
The government has banned political and
labor union activity, closed congress,
(See Argentine. . .Page 4)
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4 THURSDAY MARCH 25, 1976
Argentine Junta Installs Interim Cabinet . . .
From Page 1
suspended the supreme court, and begun
to appoint military governors for Argen-
tina's 22 provinces.
The interim cabinet appointed yester-
day is composed of relatively young,
field-grade officers from the three serv-
ices. The foreign affairs and economy
portfolios probably will eventually go to
civilians, while retired military officers
will head the other six ministries.
The junta will have to turn to foreign
governments, commercial banks, and in-
ternational financial institutions for help
in dealing with the severe economic
problems it inherited. It will make every
effort to avoid repressive measures that
might damage its international reputa-
tion.
The top military leaders are friendly
toward the US and will strive to improve
Argentina's ties with Washington. They
will be looking to the US as a source of in-
vestment and new capital to cover Argen-
tina's huge debt payments and current ac-
count deficit.
The next several months are likely to
continue to be tough for US firms in
Argentina. They will suffer from labor
agitation, sabotage, and shortages of all
kinds. The security risk for US personnel
will remain high.
Like his recent predecessors, both
civilian and military, Videla has begun
HE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DAILY NR
with the hope of restoring a sense of
well-being to the badly fragmented na-
tion. Among its stated objectives, the jun-
ta vows "to restore morality and honesty,
to eradicate subversion, and to provide in-
itiative to foreign and national capital."
Former governments have failed to put
muscle behind similar rhetoric, and
Videla's task may prove even more dif-
ficult. The terrorists and Peronist labor
are still potent forces and rampant infla-
tion is forcing even apolitical workers to
support radical demands for ever higher
wages.
The new leaders will need the support
of the foreign and domestic financial com-
munities if they are to succeed
Admiral Eduardo Emilio Massera, com-
mander of the navy,
He is widely
respected, but has been criticized by some
naval officers for his "strongman"
leadership of the navy. Massera has con-
sistently deferred to General Videla on
coup decisions but has said that he dis-
agrees with Videla's view that labor
should be represented in the new govern-
ment. There is some indication that in this
case Massera's position may prevail. Now
50 years old, Admiral Massera has been
assigned to Washington and has traveled
widely. (U)
Lieutenant General Rafael Videla,
chief of the army general staff before the
coup, is a
strong constitutionalist.
General Videla
has made it clear that as
long as he governs Argentina, it will be as
a soldier and not as a politician. (U)
Brigadier General Orlando Ramon
Agosti, commanding general of the air
force, 1
\believes in strong inter-ser-
vice cooperation and is from the same
small town as General Videla, an old
friend. Now 51 years old, he was
promoted to the head of his service after
the air force coup attempt last December
was thwarted by General Videla
He was in Wash-
ington in the early 1960s as an adviser
to the Inter-American Defense Board
and returned in 1973 as air attache. (U)
3.3(b)(1)
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