Getting sucked into April, 1977
You know how you feel when you come out of a particularly absorbing movie? Dislocated, a bit unsure of where you are? I feel like a bit like this when I leave work each day, after hours of reading Herald articles from 1976-1983, the last Argentine dictatorship - the "Dirty War." I get so caught up in events from the time period that I find myself wondering what’s going to happen next, fearing for the fate for the people who “disappear” into the government’s clutches.
Today I read my way through April, 1977. During that month, the Herald followed the story of several journalists including Hector Ferraris, who vanished a few days before the month’s outset. On the second, his family filed a complaint of “illegal deprivation of liberty,” since it appears he was taken by security forces. On the fourth, they filed a writ of Habeas Corpus, demanding to know where their son was. On the sixth, the paper reported that Hector had turned up in a field in Quilmes, handcuffed and shot to death. “Terrorists” were blamed.
Enrique Jara, deputy editor of the daily La Opinión, was abducted by a group of armed men on the 14th. Although Jara was taken at the same time as La Opinión editor Jacob Timerman who was announced as having been arrested a mere 20 hours after being “sucked,” the government claimed ignorance of Jara’s whereabouts. On the 16th, the Herald mentioned Jara in an editorial, asking why KGB-like tactics were necessary. On the 17th, an article said that the Army was personally going to look into the Jara case. On the 19th, the military reported that he had been in state custody the whole time, although he was not charged with any crime. On the 24th, Jara was released.
The unlucky La Opinión also had its printing director Edgardo Sajón vanish in April of seventy-seven. He disappeared on the 2nd, and on the 3rd former president and retired general Alejandro Lanusse became personally involved in the case – Sajón had been his press man. Sajón’s family lodged a complaint on the 6th. On the 8th, having learned nothing despite meeting with president Videla three days earlier, General Lanusse found himself accused of trying to stop the inquiry into “the Graiver case,” with which La Opinión was associated. On the 9th, the Argentina free press association ADEPA complained of Sajón’s disappearance. On the 10th, the Herald published an editorial saying Sajón and others were victims of a terrorism of one form or another, and suggesting that the government was not in control of the situation. Herald Columnist James Neilson echoed these sentiments in his column on the same day.
But what happened to Sajón? There was nothing more to be learned from the April volume, so I checked the list of disappeared journalists:
The Herald lists one more journalist to disappear during April: Enrique Raab, taken on the 16th. Like Sajón, he never returned.
Current records show that at least two others were taken that month, never to return: Marta Pérez, who worked forLa Razon, and the journalist known simply as Nazar.
April was sort of a rough month for the Herald, too:
Herald editor Cox was set free after 24 hours, free of mistreatment.
Ultimately, the Herald slipped through the dictatorship relatively unscathed. Perhaps they got by because they were small, peripheral, well-connected internationally, and supportive of the government’s free-market economics – or perhaps there was no more logic to the Herald’s survival than there was to the death of the forever un-identified man found on the 25th of April, 1977, shot beyond recognition and missing all of his fingers.
Today I read my way through April, 1977. During that month, the Herald followed the story of several journalists including Hector Ferraris, who vanished a few days before the month’s outset. On the second, his family filed a complaint of “illegal deprivation of liberty,” since it appears he was taken by security forces. On the fourth, they filed a writ of Habeas Corpus, demanding to know where their son was. On the sixth, the paper reported that Hector had turned up in a field in Quilmes, handcuffed and shot to death. “Terrorists” were blamed.
Enrique Jara, deputy editor of the daily La Opinión, was abducted by a group of armed men on the 14th. Although Jara was taken at the same time as La Opinión editor Jacob Timerman who was announced as having been arrested a mere 20 hours after being “sucked,” the government claimed ignorance of Jara’s whereabouts. On the 16th, the Herald mentioned Jara in an editorial, asking why KGB-like tactics were necessary. On the 17th, an article said that the Army was personally going to look into the Jara case. On the 19th, the military reported that he had been in state custody the whole time, although he was not charged with any crime. On the 24th, Jara was released.
The unlucky La Opinión also had its printing director Edgardo Sajón vanish in April of seventy-seven. He disappeared on the 2nd, and on the 3rd former president and retired general Alejandro Lanusse became personally involved in the case – Sajón had been his press man. Sajón’s family lodged a complaint on the 6th. On the 8th, having learned nothing despite meeting with president Videla three days earlier, General Lanusse found himself accused of trying to stop the inquiry into “the Graiver case,” with which La Opinión was associated. On the 9th, the Argentina free press association ADEPA complained of Sajón’s disappearance. On the 10th, the Herald published an editorial saying Sajón and others were victims of a terrorism of one form or another, and suggesting that the government was not in control of the situation. Herald Columnist James Neilson echoed these sentiments in his column on the same day.
But what happened to Sajón? There was nothing more to be learned from the April volume, so I checked the list of disappeared journalists:
The Herald lists one more journalist to disappear during April: Enrique Raab, taken on the 16th. Like Sajón, he never returned.
Current records show that at least two others were taken that month, never to return: Marta Pérez, who worked forLa Razon, and the journalist known simply as Nazar.
April was sort of a rough month for the Herald, too:
Herald editor Cox was set free after 24 hours, free of mistreatment.
Ultimately, the Herald slipped through the dictatorship relatively unscathed. Perhaps they got by because they were small, peripheral, well-connected internationally, and supportive of the government’s free-market economics – or perhaps there was no more logic to the Herald’s survival than there was to the death of the forever un-identified man found on the 25th of April, 1977, shot beyond recognition and missing all of his fingers.
previously there was Voting in Buenos Aires
afterwards you have “So, do you know how to ride a horse?”
i've been in buenos aires last 20 days, now back in rotterdam. voted for elisa carrio, eat meat, visited friends and familly. also worked. but while i was there i dindn't answer e-mails or connected with the virtual space in any way.
comments on your herald experience: may be they were not touched in the herald, because they were from a country that was quite supportive with the regime.
may be you know: there is (still) a school in USA for latin american dictators called "escuela de las americas"(school of americas i guess), were they teach state terrorism, how to torture, how to keep alive a tortured person, intelligense, etc. some of the brigthest students over there were : Videla, Viola, Galtieri, Noriega (CIA agent)etc.
osama was also CIA agent.
good luck with your investigation. [submitted on 08 May 03]
it's hard to go to college in the US (at least a college like mine) without learning about the School of the Americas. The school was officially shut down on Jan 17, 2001, but really it was just renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. It's monitored closely by School of the Americas Watch (soaw.org) - apparently 86 people were arrested late last year for protests there, and recently went on trial.
So yes, I agree the School of the Americas is something terrible.
I do not know, however, about Osama Bin Laden being a CIA agent. Can you provide information on that? I believe Michael Moore says something about the US backing Bin Laden a long time ago, I think in an Iran-Iraq conflict.
Not to defend the CIA, but I do think it's rather doubtful that the CIA was in any way involved in the attacks on the World Trade Center, which statements about links with Osama tend to imply. Except of course in failing to anticipate or prevent the attacks. But I welcome attempts to prove me wrong.
re: US involvement with the military government - People here love to point out the US's involvement in backing the March 24, 1976 coup. I'm sure there's some truth to this - again, though, I would like to see the evidence.
I know that the US gov't, like a large and vocal sector of the Argentine public and most of the world, was initially receptive to the military takeover. And we sent military aid to Argentina, although I think we'd been doing that for a while. It should be noted, though, that once Carter became president, his administration strongly pressured Argentina to improve its human rights record, and cut military aid. For this the gov't and papers in Argentina accused the US of participating in an "anti-Argentine campaign," dirtying Argentina's reputation. From what I've read, it seems that the US under Carter was the most significant external force pressuring the military gov't here to stop killing its citizens. Of course, then Reagan took over. [submitted on 08 May 03]
is true that carter's goverment was a good pressure against the regime, and also was very supportive of madres de plaza de mayo. i don't think i need to prove much about US involvement with the military regimes in latin america in the 70's 80's, all of them were related to defend the hemisfere from the "comunism", and to instaure a free market-capitalis economy. as many people didn't want that they "had" to kill them. US supported this regimes (in same cases promoted them, like chile and in other cases invaded the countries like in nicaragua or panama)because they were serving it's interest.
i now US has developed some of the best democratic values and they promote this all over the world. but many times the goverment follows different policies outside US than the policies they promote inside.
i have no proof osama was CIA agent. i read Pagina12 and some other internet newspaper (argenpress.info)were the connections between US and osama were pointed out. but is not a proved item, as is not proved irak had weapons of mass destruction. i like to say US has weapons of mass distraction.
anyway, you are right, many people including my self blame US for every thing wrong in the world, avoiding looking at our own responsabilities. and then we have presidents like menem which were not imposed by US. [submitted on 09 May 03]