Guillermo Suárez Mason
Encyclopedia
Carlos Guillermo Suárez Mason (January 2, 1924 — June 21, 2005) was an Argentine military officer convicted for Dirty War
crimes during the 1976 — 83 military dictatorship
. He was in charge of the Batallón de Inteligencia 601
.
, he enrolled at the National War College in 1944, and took an interest in national politics before his 1948 graduation. A magnetic and charismatic figure, he was involved at that time in several liaisons with prominent women, through whom he invariably furthered his interests; he took little or no interest, however, in the children reported at that time to have been fathered by him. Suárez Mason took part in a failed military coup against the populist President Juan Perón
in 1951. He was forced to retreat to Uruguay
, and later collaborated with the overthrow of Perón in 1955
. He was received back in Buenos Aires
with honours following the coup's success on September 19.
Suárez Mason taught at the School of Higher War Studies, and rose in rank, becoming a military attaché
to the Argentine Embassy in Ecuador
in 1971, and a director of military intelligence in 1972. He was attached to the Operativo Independencia
counterinsurgency mission in 1975, and upon the March 1976 coup against President Isabel Martínez de Perón
, was appointed Commander of the First Army Corps, a unit whose principal duty was to garrison the capital.
During the subsequent dictatorship
, Suárez Mason had purview over a number of the most notorious detention centers (among the over 300 such facilities that led to the disappearance of between 13,000 and 30,000 people. Those under his command included Automotores Orletti, Pozo de Banfield, La Cacha, and El Olimpo. He also supervised Policía Bonaerense Chief Ramón Camps
, as well as Army Intelligence Battalion 601
, which carried out numerous extortion
s and kidnappings for ransom.
He financed Cabildo
, a far-right Catholic
publication known at the time for its espousal of anti-semitism
, and relaunched the previously banned publication. Suárez Mason earned a reputation as a hard-line figure in the regime, particularly after steps toward political liberalization began in 1979, and fell out of favor with the president, General Jorge Videla, after the latter's cancellation of Operation Soberanía
(the aborted 1978 invasion of neighboring Chile
, at the height of the Beagle Conflict
).
Suárez Mason was relieved of his post at the First Army Corps in January 1980, and made Chairman of the Joint Military Chiefs. He oversaw Argentine tactical support for the July 1980 "Cocaine Coup
" in Bolivia
, and later chaired the Latin American chapter of the World Anti-Communist League
. He was appointed Director of the state oil concern, YPF, by President Leopoldo Galtieri
in December 1981, and in 1983, at the end of his tenure, the company recorded a us$ 6 billion annual loss (the largest in the world at the time). Subsequent investigations revealed that large quantities of fuel had been pirated from YPF by Suárez Mason through Sol Petróleo, a dummy corporation; the latter entity made Suárez Mason a wealthy man, and was used by him to divert funds to the Contras
, as well as to the fascist organization, P2
(to which he belonged).
Following the 1983 return to democracy
, an arrest warrant
was issued for Suárez Mason. He fled to the United States
with a false passport, however, and took up residence in Miami. He was stripped of rank and ordered arrested by President Raúl Alfonsín
on charges related to a putative 1985 plot to overthrow the democartic government. Pursuant to an Interpol
order, however, he was arrested in Foster City, California
in January 1987, and on May 9, 1988, extradited to Buenos Aires
to face charges of murdering 43 people and kidnapping a further 23, including newborn babies. Convicted for these crimes, he was pardoned by President Carlos Menem
in 1990, and fled to California
. He was again extradited in 1995, and was prosecuted by Luis Moreno Ocampo
on charges of crimes against humanity for the kipnapping of minors. He was later placed under house arrest, and in 2000, was condemned to life imprisonment in absentia by Italian courts
for the murder of eight Italian Argentine
s.
Although prisoners aged over 70 are usually kept under house arrest in Argentina
, he would be reimprisoned in 2004 after abusing the terms of his detention. Suárez Mason developed upper gastrointestinal bleed, and died at age 81 at the Military Hospital in Buenos Aires. He had been awaiting the hearing of charges related to 200 kidnappings, 30 murders and the sale of the babies of political prisoners during the military dictatorship of 1976-83
in which he was a central figure.
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
crimes during the 1976 — 83 military dictatorship
National Reorganization Process
The National Reorganization Process was the name used by its leaders for the military government that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. In Argentina it is often known simply as la última junta militar or la última dictadura , because several of them existed throughout its history.The Argentine...
. He was in charge of the Batallón de Inteligencia 601
Batallón de Inteligencia 601
The Batallón de Inteligencia 601 was a special military intelligence service of the Argentine Army whose structure was set up in the late 1970s, active in the Dirty War and Operation Condor, and disbanded in 2000...
.
Biography
Born in Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, he enrolled at the National War College in 1944, and took an interest in national politics before his 1948 graduation. A magnetic and charismatic figure, he was involved at that time in several liaisons with prominent women, through whom he invariably furthered his interests; he took little or no interest, however, in the children reported at that time to have been fathered by him. Suárez Mason took part in a failed military coup against the populist President Juan Perón
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
in 1951. He was forced to retreat to Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, and later collaborated with the overthrow of Perón in 1955
Revolución Libertadora
The Revolución Libertadora was a military uprising that ended the second presidential term of Juan Perón in Argentina, on September 16, 1955.-History:...
. He was received back in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
with honours following the coup's success on September 19.
Suárez Mason taught at the School of Higher War Studies, and rose in rank, becoming a military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
to the Argentine Embassy in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
in 1971, and a director of military intelligence in 1972. He was attached to the Operativo Independencia
Operativo Independencia
Operativo Independencia was the code-name of the Argentine military operation in the Tucumán Province, started in 1975, to crush the ERP , a Guevarist guerrilla group which attempted to secede part of Tucuman as an independent nation, in the north-west of Argentina...
counterinsurgency mission in 1975, and upon the March 1976 coup against President Isabel Martínez de Perón
Isabel Martínez de Perón
María Estela Martínez Cartas de Perón , better known as Isabel Martínez de Perón or Isabel Perón, is a former President of Argentina. She was also the third wife of another former President, Juan Perón...
, was appointed Commander of the First Army Corps, a unit whose principal duty was to garrison the capital.
During the subsequent dictatorship
National Reorganization Process
The National Reorganization Process was the name used by its leaders for the military government that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. In Argentina it is often known simply as la última junta militar or la última dictadura , because several of them existed throughout its history.The Argentine...
, Suárez Mason had purview over a number of the most notorious detention centers (among the over 300 such facilities that led to the disappearance of between 13,000 and 30,000 people. Those under his command included Automotores Orletti, Pozo de Banfield, La Cacha, and El Olimpo. He also supervised Policía Bonaerense Chief Ramón Camps
Ramón Camps
Ramón Juan Camps was an Argentine general and the head of the Buenos Aires Provincial Police during the military dictatorship known as the National Reorganization Process...
, as well as Army Intelligence Battalion 601
Batallón de Inteligencia 601
The Batallón de Inteligencia 601 was a special military intelligence service of the Argentine Army whose structure was set up in the late 1970s, active in the Dirty War and Operation Condor, and disbanded in 2000...
, which carried out numerous extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
s and kidnappings for ransom.
He financed Cabildo
Cabildo (magazine)
Cabildo is an Argentine magazine which is considered the main press organ of nationalist Catholicism in the country. First published in the 1970s and then inactive during most of the 1990s, the magazine has become notorious for its xenophobic and anti-Semitic editorial line.The first issue of...
, a far-right Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
publication known at the time for its espousal of anti-semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, and relaunched the previously banned publication. Suárez Mason earned a reputation as a hard-line figure in the regime, particularly after steps toward political liberalization began in 1979, and fell out of favor with the president, General Jorge Videla, after the latter's cancellation of Operation Soberanía
Operation Soberanía
Operación Soberanía was the codename of a planned Argentine military invasion of Chile to be carried out on 22 December 1978 due to the Beagle conflict dispute. The invasion was halted at the last minute and did not take place....
(the aborted 1978 invasion of neighboring Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, at the height of the Beagle Conflict
Beagle conflict
The Beagle Conflict was a border dispute between Chile and Argentina over the possession of Picton, Lennox and Nueva islands and the scope of the maritime jurisdiction associated with those islands that brought the countries to the brink of war in 1978....
).
Suárez Mason was relieved of his post at the First Army Corps in January 1980, and made Chairman of the Joint Military Chiefs. He oversaw Argentine tactical support for the July 1980 "Cocaine Coup
Luis García Meza Tejada
Luis García Meza Tejada is a former Bolivian dictator. A native of La Paz, he was a career military officer who rose to the rank of general during the reign of dictator Hugo Banzer...
" in Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, and later chaired the Latin American chapter of the World Anti-Communist League
World Anti-Communist League
The World League for Freedom and Democracy is an international anti-communist political organization founded in 1966 in Taipei, Republic of China , under the initiative of Chiang Kai-shek. It was founded with the aim of opposing Communism around the world through "unconventional" methods...
. He was appointed Director of the state oil concern, YPF, by President Leopoldo Galtieri
Leopoldo Galtieri
Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri Castelli was an Argentine general and President of Argentina from December 22, 1981 to June 18, 1982, during the last military dictatorship . The death squad Intelligence Battalion 601 directly reported to him...
in December 1981, and in 1983, at the end of his tenure, the company recorded a us$ 6 billion annual loss (the largest in the world at the time). Subsequent investigations revealed that large quantities of fuel had been pirated from YPF by Suárez Mason through Sol Petróleo, a dummy corporation; the latter entity made Suárez Mason a wealthy man, and was used by him to divert funds to the Contras
Contras
The contras is a label given to the various rebel groups opposing Nicaragua's FSLN Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's dictatorship...
, as well as to the fascist organization, P2
Propaganda Due
Propaganda Due , or P2, was a Masonic lodge operating under the jurisdiction of the Grand Orient of Italy from 1945 to 1976 , and a pseudo-Masonic or "black" or "covert" lodge operating illegally from 1976 to...
(to which he belonged).
Following the 1983 return to democracy
Argentine general election, 1983
The Argentine general election of 1983 was held on 30 October and marked the return of Democracy after the 1976's dictatorship self-known as National Reorganization Process...
, an arrest warrant
Arrest warrant
An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by and on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual.-Canada:Arrest warrants are issued by a judge or justice of the peace under the Criminal Code of Canada....
was issued for Suárez Mason. He fled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with a false passport, however, and took up residence in Miami. He was stripped of rank and ordered arrested by President Raúl Alfonsín
Raúl Alfonsín
Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín was an Argentine lawyer, politician and statesman, who served as the President of Argentina from December 10, 1983, to July 8, 1989. Alfonsín was the first democratically-elected president of Argentina following the military government known as the National Reorganization...
on charges related to a putative 1985 plot to overthrow the democartic government. Pursuant to an Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
order, however, he was arrested in Foster City, California
Foster City, California
Foster City is an affluent planned city located in San Mateo County, California, 94404. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 30,567. Forbes ranked Foster City #10 on their 2009 list of America's Top 25 Towns to Live Well. Money has also recognized Foster City multiple times as...
in January 1987, and on May 9, 1988, extradited to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
to face charges of murdering 43 people and kidnapping a further 23, including newborn babies. Convicted for these crimes, he was pardoned by President Carlos Menem
Carlos Menem
Carlos Saúl Menem is an Argentine politician who was President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. He is currently an Argentine National Senator for La Rioja Province.-Early life:...
in 1990, and fled to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He was again extradited in 1995, and was prosecuted by Luis Moreno Ocampo
Luis Moreno Ocampo
José Luis Moreno OcampoMoreno Ocampo's surnames are often hyphenated in English-language media to distinguish Moreno as a surname, rather than a given name. is an Argentine lawyer who has been the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court since June 16, 2003...
on charges of crimes against humanity for the kipnapping of minors. He was later placed under house arrest, and in 2000, was condemned to life imprisonment in absentia by Italian courts
Judiciary of Italy
In Italy, judges are public officials and, since they exercise one of the sovereign powers of the State, only Italian citizens are eligible for judgeship.Italy's independent judiciary enjoys special constitutional protection from the executive branch....
for the murder of eight Italian Argentine
Italian Argentine
An Italian Argentine is a person born in Argentina of Italian ancestry. It is estimated up to 25 million Argentines have some degree of Italian descent...
s.
Although prisoners aged over 70 are usually kept under house arrest in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, he would be reimprisoned in 2004 after abusing the terms of his detention. Suárez Mason developed upper gastrointestinal bleed, and died at age 81 at the Military Hospital in Buenos Aires. He had been awaiting the hearing of charges related to 200 kidnappings, 30 murders and the sale of the babies of political prisoners during the military dictatorship of 1976-83
National Reorganization Process
The National Reorganization Process was the name used by its leaders for the military government that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. In Argentina it is often known simply as la última junta militar or la última dictadura , because several of them existed throughout its history.The Argentine...
in which he was a central figure.