-- - - o - _ _ _ _ - No Objection To Declassification in Full 2012 11 23 NLC-7-34-5-2-9 ooo ' - s ----- SRE 6Bff TIVE NODIS XGDS OF FICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT WASHINCJTON September 5 1978 MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION AMBASSADOR GARDNER'S RESIDENCE ROME ITALY September 4 1968 1 50 p m ARGENTINE SIDE U S SIDE President Jorge Rafael Videla Col Miquel A Mallea Gil or Ricardo Yofre Vice President Walter F Mondale A Denis Clift Anthony J Hervae Interpreter The Vice President opened saying he was pleased to have the pleasure of the meeting He recalled the meeting with Videla in the White House at the time of the Panama Canal Treaty ceremony He said we want good relations but there are strains now -- human rights are a central concern He added that he would report to the President personally on Videla's views President Videla thanked the Vice President for the meeting -- an extremely important opportunity to disquss these matters because he feele our relations are deteriorating He fully concurs with President carter's position on human rights Argentina has belief - in the democratic process so that men can live with dignity and freedom He said Argentina is with the United States and not troubled by criticism when it is objective However he is concerned by attitudes projecting intervention in domestic affairs He spoke with President Carter about this at the time of the Panama Canal Treaty signing but since that time he has had to delay announcement of an invitation to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights because of u s criticisms projecting intervention A second problem -- Argentine politicans were invited to visit the United States but they too did not visit because of the U S statements intervening in our affairs Mrs Darien's statements are contributing to a deterioration in our relations The Vice President asked if these were statements made in Argentina or in Washington President Videla said in Washington before Congress He said the western world must be united and the United States must lead the western world At the same time the i ceople of Argentina cannot tolerate intervention This is his concern SiiCRE' ' SE HSITIVE NOBIS XG O No Ohier tion To Declassification in Full 2012 11 23 NLC-7-34-5-2-9 o -- o oo _ _ _ No Objection To Declassification in Full 2012 11 23 NLC-7-34-5-2-9 SECRET SENSXTIVE NODIS x gs The Vice President said we want to work with you to have good relations The Humphrey-Kennedy Amendment is coming into effect we must soon take decisions on the Allis-Chalmers deal We want to be helpful lt would be important if Videla could have the Inter-American Human Rights Commission received in Argentina on terms acceptable to the commission We would not link Argentine actions with our own The Vice President added that the U S press covers developments in Argentina closely There are certain human rights cases with the people known to the press -- people such as Jacobo Timerman To the extent that Videla makes progress n these cases it will help us to make progress Videla said he understood and government-to-government relations are not easy His concern is when a problem is raised to the level of a public or popular issue This leads to situations where Argentine citi zens adopt partisan positions against the United States to situations where Argentine businessmen adopt partisan positions because they cannot conclude deals when Ex-Im does not grant a loan The Vice President repeated that it was important to put our relations on a more positive course He suggested that it would be good if Assistant Secretary Vaky could come to Argentina to meet with Videla or with a person of his choice for a review of our relations Videla asked if this would be after the Inter-American Commission or before The Vice President said he thought it sh ould be as soon as possible Videla said perhaps he could arrange a visit by the Commission by mid-October The Vice President asked jf he could announce the visit earlier Videla then said he would iike to point out that since the meeting at the Panama canal signing there have bsen a series of events showing the effort a on the part of the Argentine government they have issued a list and names e f all the detained they have published a list of all of those who disappeared and then reappared last Christmas they released approximately 500 this last week 65 individuals were freed they have indicated that they are prepared to give a favorable response to the Commission on Human Rights T imerman's situation has changed he is now out of jail and under house arrest SECRS SBNSITIVE N9BIS X gs- 2 No Ohier tion To Declassification in Full 2012 11 23 NLC-7-34-5-2-9 ' No Objection To Declassification in Full 2012 11 23 NLC-7-34-5-2-9 SRBIJ SBN l TI NOQIS XGDS Professor Bravo is now under house arrest and they expect the court to lessen the charges against him He said officials of the U S government are welcome in Argentina but they cannot give the impression that they are coming to inspect Argentina The Vice President said Mr Vaky was a man'of experience and would exercise discretion He said it will b important to have the announcement on a visit by the Human Rights Commission on the terms acceptable to the Commission Videla said ha we could have done so last month but Mrs Darien's statement before the Congress forced him to suspend the announcement In the course of a few days he believed he could develop a satisfactory announcement Mr Clift said that in considering the announcement i t is important to remember the timing in the United States The Ex-Im Bank must take its decision by September 15 The Humphrey-Kennedy Amendment comes into effect on October 1 The Vice President said we would hope the announcemen could be taken care of before then He said this might enable us to move on the Ex-Im letter before the 15th deadline Videla said this was his intention He did not think it could be done -however before September 15 The Vice President said we are encouraged that you will receive the Commission Will you authorize me to tell the President that this will be done Videla said yes The Vice president asked when Assistant Secretary Vaky may come vity Ia said after his announcement on the commission He said he wo ld pr fer to have Vaky to visit Argentina alone The Vice President said he wouldn't give a yes on this but he would recoitlitlend it Videla asked if the U S will let him know ahead of time what Vaky's mission will be to permit him to prepare for it The Vice President said we would communicate this President Videla observed that US-Argentine relations proceed in multiple channels -- economic political cultural Now our relations are focused solely on human rights He said he can understand this problem if it is addressed in the broader spectrum of our overall relations and is not the single focus The Vice President said that if we can get on the road to progress in human rights this whole other vista will open He said he thought we are now at a point where we can turn the right way Videla said I think we can Mr Vice President I know your time was limited I appreciate this meeting Please give my greetings and best wishes to President carter JS 'C 'i' SENS I IVE NOD I 9 XSDS 3 ' --- - No Ohier tion To Declassification in Full 2012 11 23 NLC-7-34-5-2-9- -- - No Objection To Declassification in Full 2013 02 04 NLC-24-67-4-10-6 CO f PI ltT Af I lf -- Buman Rights Cases There has been widespread civil violence in Argentina since 1970 The unique quality of the present situation ia the very larqe number of people detained and odisappeared since the military came to power in 1976 A worldwide storm of criticism has resulted Some of the asea of-' greatest interest arez Detained Q_O _R_E' _ ED OB-Jun-201 O DECLASSI F-IE_D_F_O_R_R-EL_EAS __E_l_N_F_U_L-- q Deutsch Family Jewish groups human rights organizations and some 25 Congressmen have asked our assistance for the family President Carter raised the case of the Deutsche with President Videla during their bilateral The father mother and three daughters were arrested in September A son and his family fled and are now in the U S The Deutsch home was looted by the troops that arrested the family and there are reports that the family was tortured during the first weeks of confinement In October the mother and two daughters were released but the youngest daughter and the father are still held President Videla wrote to President Carter in October to say that the detained daughter was a member of a terrorist organization and that the fa ther had known this yet had covered up for her They would both be tried by military courts the President said Jacobo Timerman Editor and publisher of one of Argentina's largest newspapers Timer an has become a cause celebre for Jewish grours and newspaper editors worldwide Five Senators--Jav ts Case Sarbanes Stone and Church--wrote you asking for your intercession on Timerman's behalf while you are in Argentina He was arrested in April and there are reports that he was mistreated No charges have been placed against him and his arrest is more surprising in that his paper generally took a -pro-military line Last week Timerman's civil rights and control over hie property were ca celled by the government The U S Jewish community sees Timerman's case as a specific example of the anti-semitism which they believe is rampant in Argentina The government forcefully denies it is anti-semitic and has passed a law prohibiting the incitation of racial violence Alfredo Bravo Vice President of a major Argentine human rights group and President of the Argentine Teachers Union Bravo wa s arrested in September Because C6NPIBBN'l'IA11 DcCLJ' SSIAED E O i3526 A 11 hority LC - '- - lcJ --'- -l a -L NARA E f Date -h ll N No Objection To Declassification in Full 2013 02 04 NLC-24-67-4-10-6 No Objection To Declassification in Full 2013 02 04 NLC-24-67-4-10-6 CONPIDBHTIAL - -2be had met a few days before his arrest with a visiting APL-CIO delegation the U S labor movement is very interested in his case Adolfo Perez Esquivel A deeply religious and non- violent man Perez Esquivel was the Coordinator of the ecumenical movement opeace and Justice o Be was arrested in April and has been imprisoned without charges since then The Catholic Church and human right groups have pressed strongly for his release Vealer Family Liliana Vogler was arrested in June 1975 an her father was arrested later' that year reportedly because he was making inquiries on her behalf Liliana was tried on charges of subversion but not allowed to renounce a confession which had been obtained under torture The sentence should be given in the next few months Guillermo Vogler has been granted permission to leave the country he will come to the U S but has not actually been released 'l'he Foreign Ministry has promised to try to speed up his release There has been White House and Congressional interest in the case Disappearances Mauricio Lopez Another ecumenical leader Lopez wae rector of San Luis University when he in January Church groups in the shown great interest in his case u s disappeared and Europe have Eduardo Sajon The former press secretary to Argentine President Lanusse Sajon disappeared in Apr i 1 o Dagmar Havelin A dual nation Swedish-Argentine student Hagel1n disappeared in Janudry The Swedish Prime Minister wrote to Videla about her but was told the Argentines had no information The Swedish government has now appealed to us for assistance Procedures for Reporting Buman Rights Cases The Argentine Foreign Office Workinq Group on Buman Rights to which we have made known our interest in specific cases has been generally unresponsive to our requests for information This week however they did reply to a backlog of our requests but provided little new information Their failure to provide information may be a reflection of the GOA's indecision as to how to handle the cases of the disappeared COHF IDEN1'IAL - '' No Objection To Declassification in Full 2013 02 04 NLC-24-67-4-10-6 '