CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENCE - REPLY TO CHAIRMAN BARNES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90B01390R000700900050-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 14, 2010
• Sequence Number: 50
• Publication Date: January 17, 1986
• Content Type: CABLE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/24: CIA-RDP90BO139OR000700900050-9
CONFIDENTIAL
PRIORITY
PAGE 001 NC 9600303
TOR: 17014OZ JAN 86 SAN SA 00709
PP RUEAIIB
ZNY CCCCC ZOC STATE ZZH
STU4756
PP RUEHC
DE RUEHSN #0709/01 0160103
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 160102Z JAN 86
FM AMEMBASSY SAN SALVADOR
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1641
BT
C SAN SALVADOR 00709
E.O. 12356: N:A
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, ES
SUBJECT: CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENCE - REPLY TO
CHAIRMAN BARNES
1. (C) FOR DEPT: THIS IS AN ACTION CABLE. PLEASE
PASS FOLLOWING LETTER FROM AMBASSADOR CORR TO
CONGRESSMAN MICHAEL BARNES. REFTELS TO BE ATTACHED
ARE IDENTIFIED IN PARAGRAPH 3.
THE HONORABLE MICHAEL D. BARNES
CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON WESTERN HEMISPHERE AFFAIRS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20515
THANK YOU FOR YOUR LETTER OF NOVEMBER 25, 1985. I WAS
PLEASED TO EXCHANGE VIEWS WITH YOU AND YOUR STAFF ABOUT
THE CURRENT SITUATION IN EL SALVADOR, AND HOPE YOU WILL
FEEL FREE TO SEND US ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE IN THE
FUTURE.
YOU INQUIRED ABOUT THE BASIS FOR OUR QUESTIONING THE
OBJECTIVITY OF AMERICAS WATCH AND TUTELA LEGAL. WE
RECENTLY COMPLETED AN ANALYSIS OF AW'S SEPTEMBER REPORT,
"THE CONTINUING TERROR." I AM ATTACHING A COPY OF OUR
ANALYSIS FOR YOUR INFORMATION.
MANY ERRORS IN AMERICAS WATCH'S PAST REPORTS HAVE ARISEN
FROM AW'S UNCRITICAL ACCEPTANCE OF FIGURES AND TESTIMONY
SUPPLIED BY TUTELA LEGAL. INDEED, IN 1984 AW URGED THE
EMBASSY TO EXAMINE TUTELA'S METHODOLOGY AND LEARN FROM
IT. WE DID STUDY THE METHODOLOGY, AND LEARNED THAT:
1. TUTELA LEGAL WAS TAKING ALL GUERRILLA DEATHS
ANNOUNCED BY THE ARMED FORCES PRESS OFFICE AND
WAS PUBLISHING THEM AS CIVILIANS KILLED BY THE
ARMED FORCES.
2. TUTELA WAS COUNTING ALL DEATHS AND DISAPPEARANCES
IN THE MONTH IN WHICH THEY WERE REPORTED, THOUGH
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/24: CIA-RDP90BO139OR000700900050-9
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/24: CIA-RDP90BO139OR000700900050-9
CONFIDENTIAL
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MANY OCCURRED IN PREVIOUS MONTHS OR EVEN YEARS.
THIS CAUSED SERIOUS DISTORTION IN THE MONTHLY
FIGURES.
3. TUTELA WAS CLASSIFYING ALL DEATHS OCCURRING IN
BATTLE AS EITHER GOVERNMENT SOLDIERS OR AS
CIVILIANS (I.E., "GUERRILLAS" WERE NEVER KILLED
IN ACTION -- ONLY "CIVILIANS"), AND WAS
ATTRIBUTING ALL THESE "CIVILIAN" DEATHS TO THE
ARMED FORCES.,
WHEN THE EMBASSY POINTED OUT THESE AND OTHER ANOMALIES TO
ARCHBISHOP ARTURO RIVERA DAMAS, HE HAD TUTELA LEGAL
REVISE THE FORMAT OF THE MONTHLY REPORTS, BEGINNING WITH
THE JUNE 1984 ISSUE. ATTACHED ARE COPIES OF OUR ANALYSES
OF THE OLD AND THE NEW FORMATS.
CHANGES IN REPORTING STANDARDS AND IN FORMAT DID AWAY
WITH THE FIRST TWO PROBLEMS NOTED ABOVE. IN REFERENCE TO
THE THIRD PROBLEM, TUTELA NOW DIVIDES DEATHS OCCURRING IN
BATTLE (ASIDE FROM GOVERNMENT SOLDIERS) INTO "PRESUMABLY
CIVILIANS" AND "PRESUMABLY COMBATANTS." TUTELA BASES ITS
"PRESUMPTION" ON THE TYPE OF MILITARY ACTIVITY WHICH
PRODUCED THE ALLEGED DEATHS: A COUNTERINSURGENCY SWEEP
BY THE ARMED FORCES KILLS CIVILIANS; WHILE A ROUTINE
PATROL, AMBUSH, OR BATTLE BY THE ARMED FORCES KILLS
COMBATANTS. WE FEEL THAT SUCH A STANDARD VASTLY
OVERSTATES THE NUMBER OF CIVILIANS KILLED, AND WE DO NOT
ACCEPT TUTELA'S A PRIORI DEFINITION OF CASUALTIES OF
COUNTER-INSURGENCY SWEEPS AS CIVILIANS. ADDITIONALLY,
TUTELA'S ACCEPTANCE OF UNVERIFIED, AND SOMETIMES
UNVERIFIABLE, TESTIMONY CAN OBVIOUSLY LEAD TO INFLATED
FIGURES FOR CIVILIANS KILLED, AND TO MISATTRIBUTION OF
RESPONSIBILITY FOR CIVILIAN DEATHS, IN CASES WHERE THE
GUERRILLAS HAVE HAD A SYMPATHIZER PROVIDE THE TESTIMONY
-- AS WE BELIEVE THEY OFTEN DO.
DESPITE A REVISED, IMPROVED FORMAT, TUTELA STILL HAS A
TENDENCY TO ACCEPT UNCRITICALLY ANY "TESTIMONY" ABOUT
ALLEGED HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS BY THE GOVERNMENT. TO
ILLUSTRATE THE POINT, WE ATTACH EXAMPLES FROM MARCH 1984
AND APRIL 1985. IN THE FIRST, TUTELA REPORTED GUERRILLA
DEATHS AS CIVILIAN. IN THE SECOND, TUTELA BLAMED THE
ARMY FOR 12 CIVILIAN DEATHS WHICH DID NOT OCCUR. WE HAVE
ALSO INCLUDED AN ANALYSIS OF "DEATH SQUAD" KILLINGS AS
REPORTED BY TUTELA LEGAL IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1985.
THERE ARE OTHER PROBLEMS WITH TUTELA LEGAL'S REPORTS.
FOR INSTANCE, TUTELA UNDERREPORTS THE NUMBER OF CIVILIANS
KILLED BY GUERRILLA-PLANTED LAND MINES. TUTELA'S MARCH
1985 REPORT INCLUDED TWO CIVILIAN DEATHS RESULTING FROM
GUERRILLA MINES; SEVEN WERE REPORTED IN THE PRESS. ON
OCCASION, TUTELA HAS IGNORED GUERRILLA ANNOUNCEMENTS OF
RESPONSIBILITY FOR TERRORIST ACTIONS. ON FEBRUARY 28,
1985, FOR EXAMPLE, FOUR PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN AN ATTACK
ON THE RESIDENCE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE CENTRAL
ELECTIONS COUNCIL. THE REBELS TOOK RESPONSIBILITY FOR
THE ATTACK IN A MARCH I BROADCAST BY RADIO VENCEREMOS,
ONE OF THE CLANDESTINE RADIO STATIONS OF THE FARABUNDO
MARTI NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT (FMLN). TUTELA LEGAL'S
FEBRUARY REPORT DID NOT ATTRIBUTE THE DEATHS TO ANYONE,
CLAIMING THAT TUTELA LACKED "EXACT INFORMATION" ON THE
IDENTITY OF THE ASSAILANTS. ON MARCH 23, 1985, RETIRED
GENERAL JOSE ALBERTO MEDRANO WAS SHOT TO DEATH IN HIS
AUTOMOBILE IN SAN SALVADOR. RADIO VENCEREMOS BOASTED
THAT THE MURDER WAS AN INSTANCE OF "THE PEOPLES'
JUSTICE." TUTELA LEGAL DID NOT LIST THE KILLING.
CONFIDENTIAL
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/24: CIA-RDP90BO139OR000700900050-9
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/24: CIA-RDP90BO139OR000700900050-9
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MY STATEMENTS ABOUT TUTELA LEGAL AND AMERICAS WATCH ARE
NOT LIGHTLY MADE. ONCE YOU REVIEW THE ATTACHED
DOCUMENTS, I HOPE YOU WILL SEE WHY WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT
RELIANCE ON THESE TWO ORGANIZATIONS FOR "UNBIASED"
REPORTING. IF YOU NEED FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS OR
ANY OTHER MATTER WHICH THE EMBASSY MAY SUPPLY, PLEASE DO
NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME.
EDWIN G. CORR
AMBASSADOR
3. (C) FOR DEPARTMENT: PLEASE ATTACH THE FOLLOWING
REFERENCES, DELETING PARAGRAPHS AS FOLLOWS.
A) 86 SAN SALVADOR 0062, "REPLY TO AMERICAS WATCH
REPORT," DELETING PARAGRAPH 1.
B) 84 SAN SALVADOR 7550, "TL'S OLD METHODOLOGY,"
DELETING PARAGRAPHS 2, 3, 4, 9, AND 12.
C) 84 SAN SALVADOR 9941, "TL'S NEW METHODOLOGY,"
DELETING PARAGRAPHS 1 AND 8.
D) 84 SAN SALVADOR 10461, "GUERRILLAS DUPE TUTELA LEGAL,"
DELETING PARAGRAPHS 1, 4, 6, AND 7.
E) 85 SAN SALVADOR 10620, "TL APRIL REPORT WRONG;"
NO DELETIONS.
F) 85 SAN SALVADOR 15403, "TL ON DEATH SQUADS,"
DELETING PARAGRAPHS 1, 6, AND 7.
CORR
END OF MESSAGE CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/24: CIA-RDP90BO139OR000700900050-9