NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02990674
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: February 9, 2017
• Case Number: F-2015-02282
• Publication Date: August 12, 1975

The
National Intelligence
Approved for Release: 2017/02/01 002990674
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Published by the Director of Central Intelligence for Named Principals Only
TOWSEGREI
Copy No.
169
TUESDAY AUGUST 12, 1975
VOLUME 2, NUMBER 188
P�SrirsCRLL
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TUESDAY AUGUST 12, 1975
THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DAILY
HEMISPHERE
1446'.iWZ
Chilean Catholic Church Stressing Human Rights
lire Catholic Church in Chile appears
to be taking a stronger stand on hu-
man-rights issues. Recent statements by
church leaders suggest they are suspicious
of the military government's complicity in
the possible death and disappearance of
Chilean extremists, accounts of which
have received wide coverage in the South
American press.
The bishop of Santiago celebrated a
mass last week for the families of 119 per-
sons. mostly members of the Movement
of the Revolutionary Left, who allegedly
have been killed or wounded by govern-
ment forces or been reported missing
abroad under mysterious circumstances.
1 he mass drew an overflow crowd, and
the bishop's words about the need for
chileans to overcome "fear and in-
security- left no doubt among his listeners
that he was denouncing the junta's han-
dling of the matter.
Chile's press says that a number of the
Chilean extremists were killed in gun
battles with Argentine police and that
others were killed in a purge by the Move-
ment of the Revoluntionary Left. The in-
terdenominational Committee for Peace
in Santiago believes that these stories
were originally circulated by Chilean
security forces to account for the dis-
appearances.
the committee's thesis is that the 119
were detained by the military government,
died in custody, and were disposed of in
Chile. Right-wing Argentines linked to
the Argentine government may have
collaborated with Chilean intelligence
lorces to plant reports on the alleged
clashes in Argentina.
President Pinochet pledged in a
meeting with Cardinal Silva several weeks
ago that the government would look into
the disappearances, hut church sources do
not believe the Cardinal's entreaty made
much of an impact on Pinochet. Shortly
alter the meeting, Cardinal Silva gave the
first hint that the church was losing
patience with the government; he then
appealed for a crusade for mutual respect
and tolerance.
In a recent press statement. the Car-
dinal said he had no objection to publica-
tion of the peace committee's findings on
the missing extremists, thereby implicity
encouraging its probe.
ate US embassy assumes that Cardinal
Silva also authorized�or at least was
aware of�the mass offered last week for
the families of the missing persons. The
Chilean church's views have been echoed
by the papal nuncio. who expressed shock
and the "disquiet of ambassadors ac-
credited in Santiago" over the fate of the
missing Chileans.
While the church is not likely to trade
charges openly with the government, its
spokesmen will probably focus attention
on two principal areas:
� 1 he failure of officials to explain
satisfactorily the disappearance of per-
sons presumably detained by security
lorces.
� Con(b)(3) indications that the
regime is not abiding by new national
security laws that place restrictions on
illegal detention and torture.
Handle via TALENT-KEYHOLE- COMINTChannels
1-71rArr�S-E-GRET____
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