Report on Tlatelolco massacre drawn from US documents.

[msedano]

"The National Archive" website releases a history of CIA involvement with top Mexican officials studying student unrest. The report recounts events surrounding the Tlatelolco massacre of protestors prior to the black power Olympics. It's an interesting piece. Here's an example of the prose:

"On the job, Scott obsessed about the possible influence of communism and Cuba in Mexico but reluctantly conceded that the student movement was not communist controlled. That summer the U.S. Embassy compiled a list of 40 separate incidents of student unrest since 1963. Twenty three of the incidents were motivated by school grievances; eight protests concerned local problems. Six were inspired by Cuba and Vietnam. Four of the demonstrations put forth demands related to the authoritarianism of the Mexican system. (Note 9)

In June 1968, U.S. Ambassador Fulton "Tony" Freeman called a meeting with Scott and other members of the Embassy staff. France had just been engulfed by student demonstrations so massive that the government fell. Freeman wanted to discuss whether the same thing could happen in Mexico. Because of his contacts in Los Pinos..."

Full report at http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB204/index.htm

mvs

[EFerrari]

1. The only place I read about those events was in this book:

And I highly recommend it because it gives a good analysis of the student movements in the Americas and also in Western and Eastern Europe (iirc).


http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0345455827.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/1968-Year-That-Rocked-World/dp/0345455827/sr=1-1/qid=1161488694/ref=sr_1_1/104-6039367-4734342?ie=UTF8&s=books

[Xipe Totec]

2. This is another source:

Essential reading for those interested in the Tlatelolco massacre or state repression in Latin America, this 1971 journalistic account by the award-winning novelist reports on the massacre of 325 unarmed Mexican students, workers, and teachers who were peacefully protesting police repression one week before the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Poniatowska (1932- ) skillfully constructs the buildup to the night of the massacre through compelling firsthand accounts of those who witnessed one of the worst cases of Mexican state repression.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&endeca=1&isbn=9684114257&itm=7

Elena Poniatowska is considered by Mexicans (myself included) the definitive chronicler of this tragic event.

[EFerrari]

4. Thank you! I have to read it.

:)

[lonestarnot]

3. I wish I had a faster draw on my Spanish. Tonight on 57 I thought

I understood "breaking news" re current unrest and use of fully automatic weaponry with deaths involved on the streets. Don't know for sure if I understood correctly. I'm hoping I misunderstood, but I watched the panic and bleeding people running in the streets. Looked terrible.

[EFerrari]

5. It was terrible. They hired thugs to fire on the strikers

then Fox sent federal troops to the area because it was "violent'. Last I heard, the feds were waiting at the airport.

Wily50 has threads up in GD. It's not looking good and you know BushCo is backing the repression all the way.

[msedano]

6. interesting novel covering much the same territory

Scorpion's Tail by Sylvia Torti. Set in Chiapas, written based on some first-hand experience, you'll meet the indias indios and comandante marcos' people, and the pigs.

Here's my review from back a few months...
http://labloga.blogspot.com/2006/04/review-scorpions-tail-by-sylvia-torti.html

Visit La Bloga this week for our Dia de los muertos writing contest winners. today was 3d. tomorrow 2d. on Day of the Dead, the winner.

If you enjoy chicana chicano literature, and related arts, drop by la bloga.

thanx, mvs