Published 16 December 2016
Uki Goñi in Buenos Aires
Tue 9 Aug 2016 14.05 EDT
Former secretary of state Henry Kissinger jeopardized US efforts to stop mass killings by Argentinas 1976-83 military dictatorship by congratulating the countrys military leaders for wiping out terrorism, according to a large trove of newly declassified state department files.
The documents, which were released on Monday night, show how Kissingers close relationship to Argentinas military rulers hindered Jimmy Carters carrot-and-stick attempts to influence the regime during his 1977-81 presidency.
Carter officials were infuriated by Kissingers attendance at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina as the personal guest of dictator Jorge Videla, the general who oversaw the forced disappearance of up to 30,000 opponents of the military regime.
At the time, Kissinger was no longer in office after Carter defeated Gerald Ford in the 1976 presidential election, but the documents reveal that US diplomats feared his praise for Argentinas crackdown would encourage further bloodshed.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/09/henry-kissinger-mass-killings-argentina-declassified-files