Fighting the 'Dirty War' - Argentina, 1977

By F. A. "Tex" Harris

In October 1977, as a mid-level officer starting my second overseas tour, I was asked by the U.S.
Embassy's Political Counselor Bill Hallman in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to take on responsibilities for
a new area of diplomatic activity - human rights. I agreed, on the condition that the strict restrictions
on uninvited visitors to the U.S. Embassy be relaxed to allow me to interview everyone complaining
about human rights abuses. The embassy worried that this would draw a flood of victims' relatives to
the mission, but I felt strongly that the job could not be done unless I met directly with the families
who felt they had been wronged. People flooded in by the scores each day, reporting facts on the
"disappearance" of relatives or loved ones.

We at the embassy, who had lived through months of threats and the terrible murder of a USIA officer
at a branch post, had reported the "disappearances," in the context of the "Dirty War" between left-
wing terrorists and the right-wing militia. My daily interviews, which I kept on 5x8 cards that eventually
totalled 15,000, soon painted a clear picture of a massive, coherent, military effort to exterminate
Argentine citizens.

At first, my telling of this story to the U.S. government was applauded by embassy personnel, from
Ambassador Raul Castro on down. Then the practical implications of the new Carter human rights
policy became clear. Actions of the U.S. government towards Argentina were no longer to be based
on Ambassador Castro's recommendations, but on the behavior of the Argentine government, as
documented in our human rights reporting. A classic battle began with the front office trying to put a
more favorable "spin" on my human rights reporting. As it became more difficult to report the full
details of human rights abuses in diplomatic telegrams, I used airgrams, memoranda of conversations
and official-informal letters - none of which required front-office clearance - to send the facts to
Washington by classified air pouch. My major confrontation with senior embassy officials came when
one of my letters, which had been copied to Ambassador Castro, was withdrawn from the diplomatic
pouch, and I was requested not to send it. The information in that letter resulted in the cancellation of
a multi-million-dollar U.S. government loan guarantee to a major American corporation to provide
turbine technology to a front corporation owned by the Argentine Navy.

As a young FSO, it's tough to fight with the Ambassador over policy issues. I took a stand based on
the need to get the full facts and all points of view back to Washington, and knew my performance
evaluation might suffer. I was almost fired for insubordination, but after an independent review, I was
given only a formal warning. In 1993, with the benefit of historical hindsight after two decades, the
State Department conferred upon me for my actions its highest recognition - the Distinguished Honor
Award.

Outside the embassy in 1977, things were much easier. As an American diplomat, my information
about the military junta's "disappearance" program authenticated and provided a context for the
multitude of personal reports that journalists from around the world received when they came to
Argentina. And my extra tall (6' 7") official American diplomatic presence and open support for the
Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo and other human rights groups gave a clear signal that the American
government and its people abhorred what was happening in Argentina.

I focused on getting and reporting the facts fully to the U.S. government. Proudly showing the support
of my nation to the thousands of Argentines threatened by an outwardly sophisticated military junta
gone "out of control" was my special responsibility - and my honor. Looking back on those terrible
times, I know that one person can make a difference.

F. A. "Tex" Harris was Political Officer in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 1977-79. Since joining the
Foreign Service in 1965, he also served in Caracas, Venezuela; Washington, D.C., and Durban,
South Africa. Since 1993, he has been President of AFSA.