Press Releases: Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs Release of Chapters on Argentina and the Latin America Region in Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977-1980, Volume XXIV, South America; Latin America Region

The Department of State released today a portion of Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977-1980, Volume XXIV, South America; Latin America Region. The two compilations released today, on Argentina and the Latin America Region, were given priority in the declassification process as part of the National Security Council-led Argentina Declassification Project. Unedited versions of these documents were made available in April 2017, as part of an earlier release. Today’s publication includes additional information on the provenance and context of the documents. The release of the complete volume in 2018 will include compilations on U.S. policy toward nine more countries in South America and the front matter of the volume.

This volume is part of a subseries of volumes in the Foreign Relations series that documents the foreign policy of the Carter administration. The compilations released today show high-level U.S. concern over human rights violations in the Southern Cone and policy debates within the U.S. Government over what exactly to do about those violations. Carter’s policy toward Argentina sought to promote human rights, moderate the internal dynamics of the ruling junta, and encourage the reestablishment of electoral democracy and an orderly end to the military government that had taken power in March 1976. At the same time, U.S. officials tried to calm disputes between Argentina and its neighbors, limit the spread of developing nuclear technology, encourage the stabilization and growth of the Argentine economy, and, in 1980, ensure Argentine cooperation in the grain embargo that the United States had placed on the Soviet Union.

This volume was compiled and edited by Sara Berndt. The volume and this press release are available on the Office of the Historian website at https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1977-80v24. Copies of the volume will be available for purchase from the U.S. Government Publishing Office online once the entire volume is released in 2018 at http://bookstore.gpo.gov, or by calling toll-free 1-866-512-1800 (D.C. area 202-512-1800). For further information, contact history@state.gov.

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