Page 206 - Argentina - Carter, Regan, and Bush VP

.i\o UDjection ! o ueciassitication in hull 2Ui a/un/i f : NLU-24-bb-/-y-u

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Ul‘FARTMENT WOULDN'T ACCEFT VERACITY OF ARTICLES "IN TOTO",
RECOGNIZING SOME MERIT TO PORTIONS OF REPORTING. I MADE
IT CLEAR TC VICLA AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS ARE INDEPENDENT
AND ATTRIBUTION SHOULD NOT BE TO EMBASSY OP DEPARTMENT.
FT ACKNOWLEDGED TOTAL INDEPENDENCE OF NEWS MEDIA AND
STATE! NO LINKAGE OR ATTRIBUTION SHOUL! 5E M£DE TO USG.
VIOLA'S CONCERN WAS TEAT DUE TC IMPORTANCE 0? NEW I OR'A
TIMES AND WASHINGTON POST, DEPARTMENT MIGHT CAVE IN
ASSUME AN ARBITRARY AND CAPRICIOUS POSTURF TOWARDS GOA.
I ALLAYED VIOLA'S FEARS BY TELLING HIM DEPARTMENT AND
USG TOOK AN OBJECTIVE AND JUDICIOUS VIFW ON ARGENTINA.
I REMINDED VIOLA THE STRAIN IN RELATIONS IS DUE TO HUMAN
RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, BUT USG WELCOMED IMPROVEMENTS. I
EMPHASIZED "BALL NOW IN THEIR COURT"ND IMPROVED
RELATIONS WERE CONTIGENT ON MAJOR HUMAN RIGHTS PROGRESS.
HE ACCEPTED THIS AS A FACT.

5. IAHRC VISIT: VIOLA BFMINLTD ME IA5RC WOULD BE VISIT­
ING ARGENTINA g, H*1 STATED THIS
PATE WAS CBOSEN BY IAFRC AN! NOT BY GOA, WHO HAVE
BEEN ANTICIPATING ITS VISIT SINCE LATE MAY. VIOLA
STATE! PRISON CONDITIONS HAVE IMPROVED TREMENDOUSLY
AND RELEASES WILL OCCUR IN LARGE NUMBERS. RE SAID ALL
OF GOA IS BEING GEARED FOR IAHRC VISIT RESULTING IN
VIRTUALLY NO DISAPPEARANCES, NO TORTURE AND NO IRREGULAR
ARRESTS. I REMINDED HIM OF SIX DISAPPEARED STUDENTS
£S OF A FEW WEEKS AGO. HE AGREED THIS a’AS -A BLACK
MARK IN THEIR RECORD, BUT DESPITE ALL INVESTIGATORY
VEFCRTS NO INFORMATION EXISTED ON THIS BIZARRE OPERATION.

p. DESAPARECIDOS: VIOLA STATED IN 1S78 THERE WAS AN
AVERAGE OF ABOUT FIFTY "DESAPARECIDOS". AT THIS POINT
PE LOCKED AT HE WITH DIABOLICAL GRIN — FROM EAR TO EAR
— JOINING HIS GREY MUSTACHE WITH HIS SIDEBURSNS, AS IF
THOUGH HE HAD ONE ON ME AND SAID: "l TA^S YOUR FIGURES
OF FITTY PER MONTH LAST YEAR. LOOK AT THE RECORD THIS
YEAR. IT'S ONLY SEVENTEEN DISAPPEARED IN SIX MONTHS."
I INTERRUPTED EIM STATING OUR FIGURES INDICATED TWENTY-
TWC DISAPPEARANCES. HF SAID EVEN SO, YOU MUST ADMIT
THERE IS A MAJOR IMPROVEMENT." I ACKNOWLHGED THE
IMPROVEMENT BUT TOLD HIM HE WOULD NOT GET MUCH SOLACE
FPOM USG UNTIL THE FIGURE WAS ZERO. HIS REPLY WAS
TEAT THEY WERE GETTING THERE AND WAS CONFIDENT BY
TIME IAHRC .ARRIVE! GOA WOUID REACH THE ZERO STATUS.
VICLA MADE IT CLEAR TO ME THE DESPARECIDOS" WOULD NOT
RFTURN. I INQUIRE! ABOUT HIS STATEMENT. HF REPEATED
IN HIS OPINION THE DISAPPEARED WOULD NOT BE SURFACING.
AGAIN, I ASKED ON WHAT HE BASED HIS OPINION. VIOLA'S
REPLY WAS THAT GOA LACKED INFORMATION CN THE DISAPPEARED
i ‘
l
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Nn OhiRntinn Tn npnlassifinatinn in Full ?ni3/01/17 : Nl C%?4-3H-7-9-0