Rodolfo Walsh’s “Open Letter to the Military Junta” Flashcards
who was rodolfo walsh?
one of argentina’s most important contemporary writers
what was walsh’s letter to the military junta?
his letter was a diagnosis of the military regime
what does walsh say are the naked statistics of the terror in argentine?
fifteen thousand missing, ten thousand imprisoned, four thousand dead and tens of thousands in exile
how does the government justify their crimes according to walsh?
the government deems it necessary by the rigors of investigation
what did walsh reveal about casualties after the government prohibited the finding of cadevers?
between one and three thousand people were secretly massacred after the government prohibited the finding of cadevers
what was discovered in 1976?
a veritable underwater cemetery was discovered in August 1976 by a neighbor diving in san roque lake
what did the police do with this neighbor’s report?
the police did not accept his report and his letters to the newspaper were not published
how does walsh say these accounts define the war?
the war neither recognizes moral nor natural limits and takes place beyond good and evil
where does walsh say you should look for the explanations of these crimes?
the government’s economic policy
how else has the economic policy affected people?
in one year the salary of workers was reduced by 40 percent, whose portion of the national income was already diminished by 30 percent
how did work hours change with the new economic policy?
the work day extended from 6 to eighteen hours of labor to provide a family with their basic needs
what was the unemployment rate?
the unemployment rate rose to 9 percent
what were the catastrophic results of all this according to walsh?
in the first year food consumption dropped by 40 percent, clothing by more than 50 percent, infant mortality was above 30 percent, and access to medicine disappeared from poor sectors of society
who does the Junta’s economic policy benefit?
the old landed oligarchy, the new oligarchy of speculation and a select group of international monopolies
what happened to walsh after publishing this letter?
he was killed the next day
