A Review of US Involvement Against the People’s War in Peru

U.S. “Drug Czar” Requests 1.5 Billion Dollars for Latin American Regimes,
Peru and Colombia Top the List

October 1999 (From Peru Action and News, November 99)

Preceding the July 14 capture of Comrade Feliciano (Oscar Durand) nearly 2,000 Peruvian soldiers supported by jets and helicopters were deployed throughout Jauja, 150 miles east of Lima. The Peruvian government had launched seven other major attempts to capture Comrade Feliciano in the last seven years. This time, however, they succeeded after a two week encirclement that included house to house searches.

The U.S. is widely thought to have assisted the Peruvian regime’s efforts to capture Comrade Feliciano—from providing regional satellite surveillance and local police computers, to setting up a military base to train Peruvian troops in river operations. After the 1992 capture of Chairman Gonzalo (Dr. Abimael Guzman) Newsweek reported, “DINCOTE has grown in size and sophistication. Several hundred agents now use US-supplied computers, phones and the latest investigative techniques—often taught by the CIA.”

Recently U.S. “Drug Czar” retired general Barry McCaffery made a well-publicized tour of Latin America. His primary message was the need for the U.S. to give one billion dollars to fight the so-called “war on drugs” in Columbia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil (he since increased this amount to 1.5 billion dollars). The U.S. has given hundreds of millions of dollars to Peru throughout the 90’s. Peru was the leading recipient of U.S. money in Latin America during the early part of the decade. Most of this money went directly to fight the People’s War using the “drug war” as a cover. Numerous scandals have shown that it is not the revolutionaries, but the Peruvian military and government who benefit from, and are heavily involved in, the regional drug trade.

While in Peru, McCaffery met first with Vladimiro Montesinos, the head of the Peruvian National Intelligence Service (SIN). SIN is infamous for torturing and disappearing people. Montesinos has played a leading role in the search for Feliciano, and the counter-revolutionary war in general. He is widely acknowledged as the CIA’s point man in Peru.

Along with the army and the intelligence services, another crucial weapon the Peruvian regime uses against the people and the revolution are secret trials with hooded judges. This program was initiated with a $16 million “administration of justice” grant from the US State Department. Five thousand people accused of supporting the People’s War have been railroaded into dungeon-like prisons.

During the late 80’s the U.S. began to take notice of the growing strength of the People’s War. One response was to fund a series of extensive studies by the Santa Monica, California-based think tank Rand Corporation. The following is a typical passage from a RAND report criticizing the Peruvian military for its ineffectiveness, and acknowledging its brutality:

“The military’s chief measure of effectiveness is the body count. Rather than attempt to target Sendero’s organization, which would strike at the heart of the movement’s capacity to regenerate, the security forces have been content to tally up guerrilla kills... Operating in this manner, the army will never find itself in a position to cripple the Shinning Path…”

This was written to advise the Peruvian regime, U.S. military, and CIA how to better combat the People’s War.

Today, the Peruvian military uses U.S. Army Special Forces trainers. Its top generals and hundreds of officers have been trained at the School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia. The U.S. continues to funnel millions into Peru under the cover of the “war on drugs.”

The U.S. government has blood on its hands as it tries to maintain its brutal domination in Peru. People should oppose the ongoing U.S.-sponsored “dirty war” in Peru!

Committee to Support the Revolution in Peru
PO Box 1246, Berkeley, California 94701
415-252-5786 * Fax: 415-252-7414
www.csrp.org