ARGENTINE ASYLUM SEEKER - 1980/02/13

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Keywords: ARGENTINA
• Keywords: ASYLUM SEEKERS
• Keywords: HUMAN RIGHTS
• Keywords: ZARATE JUAN
• Collection: Argentina Declassification Project - The "Dirty War" (1976-83)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 01110730
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: April 3, 2019
• Document Release Date: April 12, 2019
• Publication Date: February 13, 1980

Approved for Release: 2018/10/01 CO1110730
Current Class: SECRET
Current Handling: n/a
Document Number: 1980BUENOS01309
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ACTION HA-05
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INFO OCT-01 ARA-11 ADS-00 VO-05 FBIE-00 INSE-00 SS-15
L-03 PA-01 CA-01 NSCE-00 CIAE-00 INR-10 NSAE-00
DODE-00 SY-05 SYE-00 SSO-00 INRE-00 /057 W
040975 132120Z /61
0 132011Z FEB 80
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4265
SECRETBUENOS AIRES 1309
E.O. 12065: RDS-4 2/13/00 (HITCHOCK, WILBUR W) OR-V
TAGS: SREF, SHUM (CARLOS JOSE GOLDENBERG)
SUBJECT: (C) ARGENTINE ASYLUM SEEKER
REF: STATE 035072
1. (C) WHATEVER THE CASE IN THE PAST, AND THE FACTS ARE DIFFICULT
TO ESTABLISH, WE DO NOT BELIEVE THAT BEING A SCIENTIST, BEING JEWISH,
OR BEING BOTH WOULD BE SUFFICIENT CAUSE FOR A PERSON TO BE
SINGLED OUT FOR PERSECUTION IN ARGENTINA TODAY.
2. (C) PRIOR TO 1979 THE DANGER WAS GREATER THAN AT PRESENT. THEN
THE SECURITY FORCES WERE OPERATING WITH SEEMING ABANDON, SWEEPING UP
THE APPARENTLY INNOCENT, POLITICAL DISSIDENTS, THOSE ONLY
MARGINALLY CONNECTED WITH SUBVERSION AS WELL AS TERRORISTS. JEWS
THAT WERE CAPTURED BY THE POLICE AND THE MILITARY FREQUENTLY
EXPERIENCED THE EXTREME ANTI-SEMITISM THAT PREVAILS IN SOME
SECTORS OF THE SECURITY FORCES. SCIENTISTS WERE NOT SINGLED OUT FOR
PERSECUTION AS SCIENTISTS. HOWEVER, IT APPEARS THAT POLITICAL
AWARENESS, POLITICAL DISSIDENCE, AND TO A DEGREE TERRORIST
SYMPATHIES, WERE PROBABLY HIGHER AMONG SOME SCIENTIFIC
DISCIPLINES. THE SECURITY FORCES APPLIED THEIR INDISCRIMINATE
AND BRUTAL TACTICS TO THESE FIELDS. AS A RESULT
FRIENDS AND INNOCENT COLLEAGUES OF THE POLITICAL ACTIVE WERE
SWEPT UP IN THE SECURITY FORCE'S NETS. JEWISH SCIENTISTS, PARTI-
SECRET
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CULARLY THOSE IN SCIENTIFIC FIELDS REGARDED BY THE SECURITY
FORCES AS SENSITIVE (I.E. NUCLEAR PHYSICS, PSYCHIATRY) OR THOSE
WHO HAD SOME TIES TO ISRAEL, WERE REGARDED WITH SPECIAL SUSPICION
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3. (C) TODAY THE SITUATION IS IMPROVED. DISAPPEARANCES AND
RELATED ABUSES HAVE DECLINED TO ALMOST ZERO. IN RECENT MONTHS
SECURITY FORCES HAVE BEEN UNDER BETTER CONTROL AND HAVE ALMOST
EXCLUSIVELY FOCUSED ON HARD-CORE TERRORIST TARGETS. THE INNOCENT
OR EVEN THE POLITICAL DISSIDENT, FOR THE MOMENT AT LEAST, SEEM
RELATIVELY SECURE.
4. (C) TO DATE, WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DEVELOP ANY INFORMATION
CONCERNING THE SILOIST GROUP TO WHICH GOLDENBERG ALLEGED TO HAVE
BELONGED. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT IT DID NOT EXIST BUT RATHER THAT
IT WAS NOT ONE OF THE GROUPS KNOWN TO HAVE ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION,
AND WRATH, OF THE SECURITY FORCES.
5. (C) WITHOUT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT GOLDENBERG WE CANNOT
MAKE A MEANINGFUL ASSESSMENT OF THE RISKS THAT HE WOULD FACE WERE
HE TO RETURN TO ARGENTINA. HOWEVER, IT CAN BE SAID THAT THE RISKS
OF PERSECUTION IN TODAY'S IMPROVED CLIMATE HAVE DECLINED SUBSTANTIALLY
WHEN COMPARED TO THE RISKS ENCOUNTERED IN 1977. THIS IS NOT TO SAY
THAT GOLDENBERG'S PERSONAL SECURITY IN ARGENTINA CAN BE GUARANTEED,
BUT HIS PERSONAL SECURITY WOULD SEEM TO BE NO MORE ENDANGERED IN
ARGENTINA THAN THAT OF ANY OTHER ARGENTINE.
6.(U) WITH REGARD TO GOLDENBERG'S "NO OBJECTION UNDER
SECTION 212(E)" REQUEST (PARA 6, REFTEL) WE SUGGEST THAT HE
WRITE DIRECTLY TO THE APPROPRIATE GOA OFFICE IN BUENOS AIRES
(WITH COPY TO US). WE ARE DETERMINING WHICH OFFICE WOULD HANDLE
REQUESTS FROM SCIENTISTS SUCH AS HE, AND WILL LET YOU KNOW BY.
SECRET
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SUBSEQUENT TELEGRAM. (HIS 1978 J-1 VISA APPLICATION SHOWS THAT
HE IS A SCIENTIST ENGAGED IN MOLECULAR VIROLOGY.) :
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