NEW YORK -- U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright indicated recently in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that the United States would release files with information about the Chilean and Argentine military dictatorships as a contribution to the investigations on illegal repression in both countries. Despite Albright's promise, however, the CIA is still withholding important information because, according to Director George Tenet, its release would violate his responsibility to protect secret intelligence methods. However, nothing less than a total declassification of documents related to that period will permit closure on the dramatic episodes that took place during the military dictatorships in both countries.

Tenet's decision goes against U.S. President Bill Clinton's orders to federal agencies to release information, particularly that related to Gen. Augusto Pinochet's rule of terror, following the former dictator's detention in London in 1998. Since Pinochet's return to Chile, a struggle has been taking place within the U.S. government that could seriously undermine the intention of Clinton's directive. The CIA's reluctance to release all documents has harmed the credibility of the declassification process. Although far fewer documents probably exist on Argentina than on Chile, it is believed that the CIA had a sizable operation in the former country.

Declassification of documents related to Chile may strengthen the possibility of indicting Pinochet in the U.S. for conspiracy to commit murder. Such an indictment is related to the 1976 car bombing in Washington, D.C. that killed Orlando Letelier, a former Chilean diplomat and opposition leader, as well as Ronnie Moffit, an American who was Letelier's assistant.