The Michigan Daily
Edited and managed by Students at the
University of Michigan
Saturday, June 7, 1975
News Phone: 764-0552
Nedzi should resign now
A recent New York Times article reported that Rep-
resentative Lucien Nedzi (D-Mich.), chairman of the
House Select Intelligence Committee investigating CIA
Irregularities, knew of, but did nothing about that agen-
cy's assassination plons and domestic spying on U. S. anti-
war activists. And as a result of his actions, or rather
lack thereof, he is being pressured to resign or face
ouster from the Committee by the full House. I
What is frightening in the new, so-called profound
sense of post-Watergate morality is the question of where
were all the civil libertarians when people were getting
their. heads bashed in on the Capitol steps in 1971.
Where were all the questions and the doubts about jus-
tice when 4,000 pounds of metal per minute were raining
down on the Indochinese during the Nixon years?
What Mr. Nedzi did was hideous and despicable, to
say the least, and it is about time that Congress stop
turning their cheeks to this type of shady operations
within their own ranks.
If Representative Nedzi refuses to step down, he
should be ousted by the House. Furthermore, in the in-
terests of the American public, he should be subpoenaed
to testify before the Committee to tell what he knows.
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THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL
Folks, Ihave good news and bad news! The recession is
bottoming out. .. deeper than we thought!'
Exile
By ED McCAUGHAN
AZUL, ARGENTINA - At
dawn, the families of thirteen
young political prisoners waited
patiently outside the jail for
their visitors' papers to be pro-
cessed. As on every Saturday
since last November 10, when
their sons and daughters were
arrested by Federal Police, they
came bearing those small gifts
that make a prisoner's lfe eas-
ier - cigarettes, candies, maga-
zines.
But this Saturday was differ-
ent. I was an American stand-
ing in line, and in a small cou-
try town like Azul - 200 miles
south of Buenos Aires - such
an event does not go unnoticed.
I was waiting to visit Olga Tal-
amante, a young woman from
Gilroy, California, who is the
only American now being de-
tained as a political Twisoner in
Argentina. Olga was ane of the
13 young people arrested in Azul
four days after the govern-
ment's proclamation of martitli
law in November, giving police
wide powers to arrest and inter-
rogate suspected subversives.
When the guard esorteJ Olga
into the cold, damp visitor's
room, she looked about nervous-
ly, hesitated, then smiled as she
recognized her visitor.
"SO WHAT are you crazy or
something? You want to end up
in here with me?"
Olga and I had been sndents
together at the University of
California, where she had grad-
uated in Latin American studies.
Two years ago, she had gone
to Argentina to teach English
and study political developments
there. The night she was arrest-
ed, she was returning home
from a baibecue with friends
who had worked with the Peron-
ist Youth to mobilize popular
support for Juan Peron's 1 o n g
awaited return from exile.
With no explanation for the
arrests, the Federal Police had
taken Olga and 12 others to the
police station where, she told
me, they had interrogated and
tortured them for sevecal days
and nights.
"I was strapped naked to a
bed, and they applied electric
in Azul: Argentine
shock to the most sensitive parts found guilty and sentenced to be expected for the 1200
of my body, asking me questions the minimum three years - political prisoners whom
I couldn't answer. making them eligible for parole Argentine government as
"They forced metosg a after eight months. holding.
false declaration while they But Olga would be free by "The situation of human r
pressed a gun to my heaI. It's now had the U.S. Embassy oush- in Argentina is deterior
a nightmare I'll live with for ed for her release, accoidmg daily," according to Dr.
the rest of my life." to her attorney Leonard Wets- aro Carrio, a noted zrimin
glass. The embassy offi pals as- torney in Buenos Aires. C
ARRESTING officers n o w signed to the case tod Wein- - who sits on the Inter-A
claim "arms of war" and "sub- glass they were unaware Olga ioan Commission on H
versive literature" -re fou id was being held under martial Rights of the Organisati.
in the house where tieparty law - and without charges. American States - says
was held. Olga and the others They said they had not even what puzzles him 's that
deny any knowledge of this evi- read the medical report of the government's principal ta
dence. And their defence at- prison doctor filed in tue court are the very people who we
torney in Azul claims the same which substantiates Olga's claim hardest for Juan Peron's r
guns, with the same serial num- of torture. to power.
hers, have been used by the Now - six and a half months
police as evidence in half a after her arrest - U.S. Amnbas- ACCORDING to a forti
dozen other political cases. sador Robert Hill says he has ing report on Academic
"Everyone knows it," he said. received a personal promise dom and Human Rights i
"The case is just a frameup." from the Argentine government gentina, written under the
In fact, four of the people ar- that Olga wil be deported in pices of the U.S. Latin Ai
other
the
dmits
ights
ating
Gen-
Ial at-
arrio
,u man
n of-
that
t the
rgets
orked
eiarn
Free-
n Ar-
aus-
mneri-
"'Olga is listed by the National Police as a
political person subject to executive r a t h e r
than judicial power. Should there be a change
in government, her life would be in grave jeo-
pardy.'"
sefs"t-is' aiM mf"it" :fi'>; : : :v:$if}::ti:?s'.s"a S i{"r : 4
rested with Olga have already
been ordered released b t h e
courts. Yet three of them, in-
cluding a 16-year-old girl, re-
main in prison under martial
law which allows the govern-
ment to bypass the judicial sys-
tem and detain prisoners wish-
out cause indefinitely.
The federal judge in Azu',
soft-spoken, silver - faired Dr.
Ippolito, has known all the Ar-
gentine prisoners sin:e they
were children. "The worst thing
these young people hase ever
done, confided Ippolito in his
chambers, "is to 25a't slogans
on the walls."
DESPITE THIS, the state pro-
secutor assured me that charges.
would soon be filed against the
group, and that they would be
July, assuming that she is tried.
By then, she will have served
eight months of her sentence.
OLGA'S parents, farmworkers
in Gilroy, are hopeful that this
is, in fact, what will happen.
When they met with Argentine
Ambassador Alejandro Orfila in
Washington early in May, he
told them publicity about the
case had caused great "politi-
cal embarrassment" to his gov-
ernment. He also said ha felt
"the Argentine government has
no further interest in detaiig
your daughter."
The verbal pronise to the
U.S. Ambassedor that O ga
would be deported in Jtily may
be a ttin ray of hope, but it is
s11 the Talamantes have to rely
on.
It is probably more han can
can Studies Associati>n (LASA),
the main targets of harrass-
ment, arrest and assassination
have been the Peronist Youth
- to which Olga's friends be-
longed - as well as a number
of Peronist governors and con-
gressmen, university professors
and students, attorneys and
journalists.
While many of the violnt acts
against these groups have been
carried out by the rignist, para-
military organizations, the LASA
report concluded that they (p-
erated with at least the tacit ap-
proval of he government.
According to the repact, "a
de facto terrorist situation'" has
become "a de jure system of
power."
Popular discontent with the
present government is growing.
netallurgical workers are now
entering their third maa'h of a
militant strike protesing the
jailing of more than a hundred
of their leaders and fellow work-
ers. In the northern province of
Tucumen, the army has failed to
penetrate the stronghold of left-
ist guerrillas. In Buenos 4.res,
portraits of President Isabel,
adorning hundreds of postrrs,
have been ripped out or mark-
ed over.
THE UNDERLYING ter:-or of
daily life in Argentina leads
many citizens, who have lived
:error
most of their lives under mi-
tary governments, to feat a
military coup.
It is this possibility weish new
causes the greatest anxiety for
the Talamantes, whose daugh-
ter will remain in jail for at
least another two months.
"Olga is listed by the Na-
tional Police as a political per-
son subject under martial law
to executive, rather than judicial
power," says attorney W e in-
glass. "Should there be a change
in government, her lifs as a
prisoner in that category would
be in grave jeopardy."
"The underlying ter-
ror of daily life in Ar-
gentina leads m a n y
citizens, who have yiv-
ed most of their lives
under military govern-
ments to fear military
coup.
wi~massteswamm-a~StStitma...
As I left the jail in Azul, the
mother of one of the other pris-
oners took my hand and said
"Tell Olga's mother to be strong
and have courage. Olga is like
one of our children and we'll
take care of her.
Back in Gilroy, the Talamant-
es wait. Says Mrs. Talamante,
"All the moments that my
daughter has lived, I have lived
with her. Right now, I am a
prisoner awaiting sen-ence."
Ed McCaughan, a West
Coast free lance writer, has
travelled and reported wide-
ly on Mexico and Latin
America.