I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 611
To close the United States Army School of the Americas.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 5, 1997
Mr. KENNEDY of Massachusetts (for himself, Mr. MEEHAN, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr.
BONIOR, Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. STARK, Ms. RIVERS, Mr. VENTO, Mr. CON-
YERS, Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mrs. MINK
of Hawaii, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mrs. MALONEY of New York,
Mr. KLUG, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. GEJDENSON, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr.
OLVER, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. KLECZKA, Mr.
HINCHEY, Mr. BORSKI, Mr. EVANS, Mr. MINGE, Mr. BARCIA, Mr.
BALDACCI, Mr. SANDERS, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts,
Mr. TOWNS, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. BROWN of California, and Mr. HALL of
Ohio) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on National Security
A BILL
To close the United States Army School of the Americas.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The School is the only large United States
training facility in which foreign military personnel
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are not integrated into regular United States mili-
tary training courses.
(2) Closing the School would not bar United
States training of Latin American armed forces—
but simply require that it take place in the normal
fashion, alongside United States military personnel
in their regular classes, as is the case with other for-
eign military trainees in the United States.
(3) Continued operation of the School of the
Americas, with its history and tradition of abusive
graduates, stands as a barrier to establishing a new
and constructive relationship with Latin American
militaries after the cold war.
(4) The United States Army School of the
Americas graduates include some of the worst
human rights abusers in our hemisphere, including:
(A) El Salvador death squad leader Ro-
berto D’Abuisson.
(B) Panamanian dictator and drug dealer
Manuel Noriega.
(C) Haitian coup leader Raoul Cedras.
(D) Nineteen Salvadoran soldiers linked to
the 1989 murder of six Jesuit priests, their
housekeeper and her daughter.
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(E) Col. Julio Roberto Alpirez, Guate-
malan officer linked in the deaths of an Amer-
ican innkeeper.
(F) Hector Gramajo, former Guatemalan
defense minister found liable in United States
court for abduction, rape, and torture of Sister
Dianna Ortiz, a United States citizen.
(G) Argentinian dictator Leopoldo Galtieri,
leader of the ‘‘dirty little war’’ responsible for
the deaths of 30 civilians.
(H) Two of the three killers of Archbishop
Oscar Romero of El Salvador.
(I) Ten of the twelve officers responsible
for the murder of 900 civilians in the El Salva-
doran village El Mozote.
(J) Three of the five officers involved in
the 1980 rape and murder of four United
States churchwomen in El Salvador.
(5) Continued operation of the School continues
to associate the United States with the abuses of its
graduates.
(6) In October, 1996, then Secretary of Defense
Perry announced that the United States plans to
create an Inter-American Center for Defense Studies
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to provide professional training and education rel-
evant to defense management in a democratic con-
stitutional context to individuals from throughout
the Americas.
SEC. 2. CLOSURE OF UNITED STATES ARMY SCHOOL OF
THE AMERICAS.
(a) CLOSURE REQUIRED.—Not later than 30 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary
of the Army shall close the military education and training
facility known as the United States Army School of the
Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia.
(b) REPEAL OF STATUTORY AUTHORITY.—Section
4415 of chapter 407 of title 10, United States Code, is
repealed. The table of sections at the beginning of chapter
407 of such title is amended by striking out the item relat-
ing to such section.
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