Reproouceo at the Nat1ona1 Arcn1ves j · @ _ U S DEPARTMENT OF STATE SECRET NO FOREIGN DISSEM - DiRE OR OF -INTELLIGENCE_ AND RESEARCH i August 6 1968 1 l I To Thru From· The s s Secretary l-fu tNR - Thomas L Hughes -111111 Subject Mexican Student Riots ffighly· l nbarrassing But Not a Threat to Stability The rioting of preparatory students in Mexico City which has subsided was highly embarrassing and of serious conc ern to the government but never a threat to its stability Characteristically the government reacted with military force when it de- cided the situation had reached the critical point The' government will probably attempt to justify its use of military force and its violation of university autonomy as necessary·measures dictated by the volatile nature of the situation As the date of the Olympics approaches the administration of President Diaz Ordaz will step up its efforts to head-off student demonstrations and the security forces will grow increasing ly sensitive to any indication of trouble Embar gssment but no threat to stability The riots were unprecedented in sc e __ and intensity and came at a time when the government of Mexico was most anxious to impress the world as a deserving host for the October Olympics The government wl h U l I has worked hard to prepare for the Olympic games will not soon forget the damage whl ch Press accounts of the de y-J ii f l the student mobs ini'lict d on Mexico I s reputation abroad il1 ment of tanks and armored cars against student barricades served to picture Mexico a battleground not unlike Paris during the May-June civil disturbances e ctacle of paratroopers smashing students in the face with rifle butts and d r a g g Q school building in the heart of downtown Mexico City is without preceder in c portwasproducerlbytheBureau of Intelligence and Research Aside from normal substantive exchange with other agencies at the working level i h•s bee -d a ed Jsewhe e GROUP 3 Downe r de at 12 year intervals not automatic 1lly declassified · SECRET NO FOREIGN DISSEM -i _ l r- '-- W J • - ' t 1' l S ffi f 1 Reproduced at the NatJonal Archives ' 1 1 SECflli NO FOREIGN DISSJ M I i 1 1 l t - 2 - years and certainly not in keeping with Mexico 1·s public ·relations image as the· most stable and progressive country in Latiri America Because of the mbnolithic nature of the Mexican political system the riots were never a t1 -ree t to government stability however difficult they were to control The student sector by itself is incapable of seriously threatening established authority in Mexico To do so it would need widespread• support from the labor and or peasant sectors and there have been no indications that either of these groups is sympathetic to student interests Both are part of tne Institut-ional Revolutionary Party PRI which has ruled Mexico since the 1910 revolution Some student leaders apparently sought factory worker support but there is no evidence they 11ere successful The vast majority of students did not participate in the mob action and according to a number of reports students were concerned ab0ut the manner in wnicll Mexico's good name was being blackened A student leader apparently r·equested police inter- vention when the July 26 demonstration against alleged police brutality into violence spilled over About 2 000 or J 000 students actually took part in t 1e ·1·ioting and looting which occurrt d on 26 and 29 July whereas about 80 000 marched on August 1 a protest uemon tratiori that was not markt d by any major violence Government respon°e The government as it has in past moved quickly with all tne force it dt C med rkc0ssary as soon as it was convinced tnat th12 situation as getting ou-r of cont col A strategic cornmi ttee of tne Sec retariat of Interior the head of wLich nas p cesid ntial ambitions and other high government officials was established imm1Jctiatdy aft r violence erupted July 6 for a time hoping tiu 1 t r •-coml violc·rrt iiv -1 cv1 -'-' t coopG w1 rt alc ·ted a 11d m i'✓ ' d SiCHET NO FOR J UGN DISSJ 0 vl The 0ommitt1c e decid8d to Jituntion would not •into position '1'11c g0ve1 n- in Reproduced at the Nat10na1 Archives SECRET NO FOREIGN DISS H M - 3 ment apparently_considered the period around the 29th crucial and when it acted it used massive force in an effort to convince the rampaging students that it would not ·tolerate a breakdown in public order After the initial crack down in which_ para- ·t roopers fired a bazooka shell into _the door of a preparatory school the military - seemingly employed limited force to _break up student gatherings At the same time that force was being applied the governmerrt worked quietly with ' ' the rector of the National Autonomous University and some student leaders The strategic committee acting on instructions ft'om the p·resident advised the r ector to encourage demonstration$ on the university campus ment and even to criticize the govern- The mayor of Mexico City me-t with the head of the National Federation of ·Technical Students on the subject of the withdrawal of federal troops to permit student leaders to attempt to restore order in the student community G Qyernment line The government has publicly accused the communists of engineering the civil disturbances and the security forces claim they have evidence linking the Communist p arty to the riots It seems fairly certain that communist youth members celebrating the anniversary of F'idel Castro's revolution managed to take over the July 26 demonstration whic i1 had been authorized by the government The role which communist agitators wE re able to play from this point on is not clear however and there is little doubt that many of the rampaging studenfo W re not und0r communist control But for face-saving reasons the government will p cobably continue to stress the communist role and a r tempt to play down the degree of non-communist pa1 ticipation University autonomy is still a major issue in Latin America Nevertheless the question is probably less volatile now than it was several years ago governments Colombia impunity Two democratic and Venezuela have violated university autonomy with relative The Mexican government lrns taken the position that autonomy is not the same SECRET NO FOB EIGN DISS t lvt Reproduced at the National Archives l SECRET NO FOREIGN DISSEM · 4 as e trrf•terri toriali ty arid that it does not mean· that a sc hool and i ts students are free Cr om law ·$nforcement This position could· strike a responsive cord in public ·Opillion because it is opposed to th des truction· of property -The vernment will pr6ba'biy also seek to show that i t a use of force was the only action the mob could understand·and ·that it was the maj or deterrent in preyenting the disorders i l from spreading Qu tlook As the October date of the Olympic games draws near the goverriJnent· I will probabiy become increasingly sensitive to any degree of unrest and will efforts to pacify the student commuriity violence is almost always possible make some Student diSopders are endemic to Mexico and But usually the government is ab I e to head-off trouble before ·it begins through its many contacts and con_trols within the student community riot Apparently this monitering_system broke down in the case of the July 26 Certainly the government would never have authorized the demonstration if it had believed there was any_ possibility of violence developfog For this reason connections a nd controls within the student groups and academic faculties will almost surely be increased The security forces will remain alert and ready to react at -the first sign of trouble Student agitators who were clearly involved in the rioting can expect to remain in _ ail for many month3 Most of the other students will probably be released desirable foreign elenients including f ive French students who in the demonstrations may be deported efforts have been stymied by may Un- have been involved Apparently radical students feel that their the government for the present but they plan to reorganh e and build fo · new agitation to culmii1ate some time within the next three mori th s Such activitius will be watched closely by th police and agitators not already in Jeil can expect to 1• arL·ested at the sl i gntest pro'Jocation 3ECHET NO 1' 0REIGN DI il1-A Reproouced at the Nallona1 Archives · ' f • L· ·· · ' 1· r - 5 Tn• combh ' ttion of BOJOOO stl ldents ·marching ·on August 1 and the lack of significant vtolence o·n ·tha t day- rould seem to indicate that tb si tuati on has · ·detini tely of violence to one · @11-i ftet 'f from a state ' of peaceful protests BU t it · also $hows that th e s_tu dent c nimunity is ag_itatet1 and·willing ·to·demonstrate publicly its opposition to the_ government student leaders The gove rnment I s tactic or· working quietly with some and the university rector as well as other academic officials coUld be paying dividends However the situat_ion has not yet stabiiized and an inc ident coµidspark into violence without warning · SECHE'r NO I 'OHBIGN DISS11'vl