Clandestine repression and public speeches: the official reports about the “anti-subversion fight” during the early years of the argentine dictatorship

Abstract

On April 19, 1977, one year after the coup, was held a press conference convened by the military government for domestic and foreign media called "Subversion in Argentina". The official report, described by the press as "unusual", focused on the development of subversion from the 60s to its present situation and the actions of the security forces in the so-called "anti-subversive war".
This article seeks to focus at this juncture to analyze public statements of the military hierarchy raised regarding the exercise of repression. In the period of greatest repression, military government and specially the army spread information about the "imminent" end of the war against subversion, which showed or at least allowed to glimpse the complex and fluid joints between the clandestine dimensions and public discourses regarding the repressive action. As we will argue, these statements should not be understood only as "counterdiscourses" or mere reactions to complaints or international pressure but must be enrolled in a broader framework, which combined government policy responses to foreign “attacks”, military strategies (counterinsurgency) and mechanisms of social and political legitimacy.