FADRC DEPARTMENT OF STATE ACTION S S ORIGINAL TO 1 MEMORA UM FADRC r COPIES TO s D p ARA H HA S P S S-S TMA RF JAB - o o o ct Or d ' IJ _ ' J ' - # - CONPl OJ lfTIAL Entire text TO The Secretary THRO D - Mr Christopher FROM ARA - John A Bushnell fcting o V - Bl Dilan Rights RePC rt for Argentina ISSUE FOR DECISION Whether to approve the ARA version or the HA version or parts of each of the o s Bl Dilan Rights Report for Argentina ESSENTIAL FACTORS 'he President bas asked that you review the Btmtan Rights report for Argentina ARA and HA have reached substantial agreement on the major part of the Report's contents However significant differences remain in the introduction and in Section l a torture The attachment hiqhliqhts the differences between the reports ARA Position ARA believes that the version of the Introduction to the Human Rights Report on Argentina that is being proposed by HA is unnecessarily provocative In ter as of our maintaining any powers of suasion with the Goverrmaent of Argentina in the area of human rights it could even be counter-productive -- he GOA is well aware that the attention of the Congress of the aedia and of the public focuses most readily on the introduction to these reports CORl'IDEl'l'rIAL GOS l 21 86 ADP Declassification Review DECLASSIFIED by John Fiizpatrick 4 24 2017 COJ U IDEKTIAL - '2 - -- The version proposed by HA is far more lengthy and substantially more detailed than those on other countries with human rights records no less serious than that of Argentina -- 'T'he detail contained in HA's introduction is repeated in the body of the report -- here has been substantial improvement in human rights Basket I in 1979 for which the GOA should be given credit -- 'T'he length and weight of the historical detail of abuses tends to submerge the evidence of very real improvements and makes it unduly severe and harsh in tone It will be seen by the Argentines in this light Argentines will compare this report with the ones on other coun tries and will be strengthened in their conviction that they are being singled out that the United States has no intention of recognizing the progress they have made Our actions in the public domain ' and those by our representatives to the United Nations Commission on Ruman Rights and the private U S citi en member of the Inter-American Ruman Rights Commission have already come under severe fire from the Argentines as being discriminatory Any further exacerbation of their injured feelings might serve only to cut off our dialogue As regards the description of torture ARA's version refers to the severe psychological and physical abuse that took place but avoids specifics which we believe are inappropriate in a Government report Such minute detail will certainly be perceived as unduly inflammatory and provocative by Argentina We have thus far retained considerable influence with the GOA and have used it effectively in pressing -for improvements in human rights The BA version of the report wou ld needlessly inflame relations and emotions It would push Argentina toward greater isolation from us and the remainder of the Western world and toward the Soviet Union which has quietly supported Argentina in multilateral fora on human rights COKPIDEllTIAL C01'41 I OP KT I At - 3 - HA Position The revision of the report proposed by HA is the result of extensive discussions with ARA's Office of East Coast Affai'rs CARA ECA during the period before Christmas which culminated in agreement on December 21 The alternative version resulted from a post-holiday review of this text by the ARA Front Office he principal differences between the two reports lie in the introduction and with the section on torture -- Introduction HA believes that ARA's revisiqn tends to give the unintended impression that the Argentine Junta's repressive activities at least to some extent are justified that the tone is unduly upbeat and optimistic and that it omits essential information about the nature and extent of human rights violations in the country Although most of the latter are covered in the body of the report it is important to treat them in the introduction because report1 the introduction sets the tone of the -- as ARA points out many readers focus almost exclusively on the introduction1 and -- as this is the first report on Argentina prepared during the Carter Administration a more extensive treatment of historical antecedents is justified oreover the length of the proposed introduction is not out o f line with those in oany of the other reports we have prepared this year The introductions vary in length from a paragraph to four pages in accordance with conditions in the country concerned They tend to be longer for countries being covered for the first time especially with serious hwttan rights problems -- ' rture ARA's version omits aention of torture methods However the guidelines approved last August by the Deputy Secretary for the preparation of all reports specifically requests the inclusion of this information ARA's editorial revisions also soften the tone of this section the saae holds true for the opening words of the following section on Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treataent or Punishment These sections would be substantially different from other reports CDHPIDElft IAL CONPIBBN'fIAh -4ARA argues that adoption of the HA version would complicate our relations with the Argentine Government However Congress established the requirements to submit human rights reports for the purpose of obtaining objective accurate and comprehensive information on human rights conditions in all countries The purpose of the report is not to praise or condemn individual governments The Deputy Secretary's guidelines call for both objectivity and specificity and we have followed these norms in preparing all 155 reports No report has been deliberately softened toughened or otherwise modified because of the state of o ur relations with the country concerned We should not make an exception of Argentina or appear to be willing to negotiate human rights principles for other objectives Recollllllendations That you approve the ARA proposal Approve Disapprove Alternative y t you approve JAN 2 8 1980 Approve Disapprove the BA proposa l_ l Alternatively that you approve some combination of the two Approve - Disapprove - Attachment As Stated Drafted ARA ECA GJWhitman BA PFlood mas 1 21 80 X29166 J - l o ii ' '                     National Security Archive    Suite 701  Gelman Library  The George Washington University    2130 H Street  NW  Washington  D C  20037    Phone  202 994‐7000  Fax  202 994‐7005  nsarchiv@gwu edu