United States Releases Records on Repression in Argentina

Argentina's military dictatorship lasted from 1976 to 1983. Families and investigators continued searching for evidence of abuses after civilian rule returned. [1]

U.S. Archivist David Ferriero handed Argentina’s justice minister the final installment of a three year declassification project in April 2019. American agencies had released more than 43,000 pages of intelligence reports, diplomatic records, and other government files concerning human rights abuses from 1975 to 1984, including the years of military dictatorship. [1]

Hundreds of staff members searched and reviewed material held by sixteen agencies and four presidential libraries. They brought records created for different purposes and kept in separate collections into a single public collection, making it possible to examine American reporting and policy during the repression together. [1]

Argentina’s government had sought material that could assist families, investigators, and judicial proceedings. With the final transfer, a central online portal opened the documents to readers beyond the government that had requested them, allowing people to examine what American officials knew and how they had responded. [1]

The project began in 2016 and continued through two American administrations. [1]

Related Diplomats

1. Martín Lousteau [2] [3]
2. Fernando Oris de Roa [4]

Related Reading

• Argentina and the United States