Office of the Historian

157. Airgram A–21 From the Embassy in El Salvador to the Department of State1

San Salvador, March 1, 1975.

SUBJECT

  • Human Rights Observance—El Salvador. [Ref:] State 12320, State 14917.

Summary: The Embassy continues to judge that the GOES does not engage in consistent, substantial or continual violation of human rights as we interpret the terms of the reftels. There is no evidence of massive political detentions, torture or other abuses of prisoners, or utilization of the legal system for political repression. There have been random incidents, perpetrated by GOES agents, which indicate a willingness at times to condone repression and violations of certain rights. It is difficult to judge the extent of this pattern given the state of Salvadoran journalism, the general propensity of the culture for violence, and the incapacity of the judicial system to determine facts. The difficulty is compounded by the generally underdeveloped state of the institutions that would normally safeguard the individual from government mistreatment. The available evidence points to the conclusion that the GOES has an imperfect commitment to protecting the human rights of its citizens. Disregard of constitutional provisions, a willingness to resort to fraudulent elections to maintain itself in power, and occasional harsh treatment of certain have-not sectors (especially the campesinos), all contribute to an image among many of its citizens of a government that feels its political self-perpetuation has a higher priority than certain legal, but occasionally bothersome, guarantees. End summary.

[Omitted here is the body of the airgram.]

  1. Summary: While acknowledging that incidents of repression had taken place, the Embassy reported its judgment that the Salvadoran Government did not engage in “consistent, substantial or continual violations of human rights.”

    Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P750041–0821. Confidential. Drafted by Political Officer William G. Walker, cleared in draft by Political Officer Bruce Beardsley and AID Director Edwin Anderson, and approved by Moskowitz. Forwarded to Guatemala City, San José, Managua, Tegucigalpa, and USCINCSO. All brackets are in the original except those indicating text omitted by the editors and “[Ref:]”, added for clarity. Telegram 12320 to all diplomatic posts is dated January 1. (Ibid., D750020–0520) Telegram 14917 to all diplomatic posts is dated January 22. (Ibid., D750025–0090) In airgram A–17 from Tegucigalpa, February 14, the Embassy reported that it had no indication that the Honduran military regime violated human rights. (Ibid., P750038–0400)

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