Rodolfo Walsh’s article to the military junta is very powerful. “Fifteen thousand disappeared, ten thousand prisoners, four thousand dead, hundreds of thousands uprooted; these are the raw statistics of terror” (285). I felt my self cringing as I read these facts. I wonder if this letter was even read and if it had any effect on the men reading it.
Our readings last week highlighted the deaths and torture. Walsh also reveals the economic devastation that Argentina experienced. “In one year you have reduced the real value of salaries by 40 per cent, diminished their participation in national income by 30 per cent, extended the number of work hours required to afford basic necessities from six to eighteen hours…” (288). This highlights the fact that everyone in Argentina was affected by the dictatorship, not just those who were physically abused/ killed or lost someone.
Rodolfo Walsh was a brave man and he knew that he would be persecuted for this letter. He clearly felt the need to express himself and make an attempt to have his voice heard. “These are the thoughts I wanted to send the Junta members on the first anniversary of your ill-fated government, without the hope of being listened to, with the certainty of being persecuted, true to the commitment I took up a long time ago, to bear witness in difficult times” (290).
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