Affinities between the military, police and political powers in Argentina / information on Argentina's secret services / is it traditional in Argentina for a father to pass his offensive weapons on to his children? [ARG1766]

Attached is a copy of Truth and Partial Justice, (New York/Washington: Americas Watch, 1987), pp. 73-80, which comments on the relationship between the military and the government during the last years of the Alfonsin administration in Argentina. Also attached are news articles from early 1988, when military rebellions took place in Argentina. These report the existence of at least two factions within the armed forces, one that is loyal to the civilian government and one that is antagonistic towards it. On one occasion, the police force was called upon to arrest rebellious members of the military, underlining the ideological split within the armed forces.

The governing party of Argentina changed from the Radical Civic Union party to the Partido Justicialista (commonly known as Peronista because of its roots in the party of the late-president General Juan Domingo Peron) in the mid-1989 elections. Despite previous antagonism between "Peronistas" and the military, at least one important military figure, Aldo Rico, who rebelled against the previous president demanding amnesty for officers punished after the Argentine "dirty war", reportedly supported Menem during his presidential campaign. [ "Peronism set to re-take Argentina", in The Sunday Star, 16 April 1989, p. C11.] Various sources have reported in the first days of August that president Menem has granted an amnesty and freed military officers convicted for crimes committed under the military regime.

For information on Argentina's secret services, please find attached a copy of "Argentina still fears the `services'", from Latin American Weekly Report, 9 July 1987, pp. 4 and 5. No additional information on the subject could be found among the sources presently available to the IRBDC.

Information on a traditional father-children transfer or inheritance of weapons in Argentina could not be found among the sources currently available to the IRBDC.

The attached articles include:

-"Peronism to re-take Argentina", in The Sunday Star, 16 April 1989, p. C11;

-"Struggling to keep every ball in the air", in The Financial Times, 22 July 1989, 2 pages;
-"Argentine police arrest rebels who took airport", in The Ottawa Citizen, 18 January 1988;
-"Head of rebel force captured by loyal Argentine soldiers", in The Globe and Mail, 19 January 1988;
-"La maison est en ordre, affirme le president Alfonsin", in Le Monde, 20 January 1988;
-"Suppression of Rico rebellion shows extent of change in Argentina", in Latin American Weekly Report, 28 January 1988;
-"Amnesty dismissed; charges dropped", in Latin American Weekly Report, 18 February 1988;
-"Rebels hint new actions in Argentina", in The New York Times, 12 February 1988;
-"Caridi speeds up purge of ranks", in Latin American Weekly Report, 25 February 1988.