Couldn't you make similar arguments about just about all the brutal Latin American or Caribbean dictators? The Salvadoran military government was trying to rid itself of foreign (i.e., Soviet and Cuban) influence. The "unfortunate" murder of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter can be explained by "revolutionary conditions." Augusto Pinochet's policies grew the Chilean economy. Thousands of people were tortured, but the economy grew, right? Sure, Francois Duvalier (Papa Doc) murdered up to 60,000 of his political opponents, but at least he was a Haitian nationalist.