At precisely 12:32 a.m., State Radio interrupts the chamber music to announce, across all the stations in the country, that a communiqué from the Presidential Press Secretary’s Office will be read, declaring two decrees.
The dramatic announcement is as follows:
“Since the situation caused by elements that are disruptive of public order is forcing the provisional government to adopt appropriate measures with calm energy to ensure public tranquility in the whole territory of the Nation and to continue to meet the goals of the Liberating Revolution,15 it is decided that the provisional President of the Argentine Nation, exercising his Legislative Power, declares as law:
“Article Number 1 – Let martial law be in effect throughout the entire territory of the Nation.
“Article Number 2 – The current decree-law will be endorsed by his Excellency the Provisional Vice President of the Nation and by the ministers: secretaries of the State, the Airforce, the Army, the Navy, and the Interior.
“Article Number 3 – Pro forma.
“Signed: Aramburu, Rojas, Hartung, Krause, Ossorio Arana and Landaburu.”16
The second decree, taking into account the fact that martial law “constitutes a measure whose application the public must be made aware of,” lays out the rules and circumstances according to which the law will be put into practice.
The captain has just finished listening to the announcement when they bring him the two prisoners. Just like the sergeant, the captain is surprised to see Troxler, whom he knows and likes.
—What are you doing here?
Troxler smiles, shrugging his shoulders, and explains what happened without making a big deal of it. It must have been a mistake . . . They talk for a few minutes. Then the captain gets a phone call.
—They want you at the Department —then he adds:— Hey, watch out, they could execute you . . . They declared martial law just a minute ago.
The two of them laugh.
But the captain is worried.
Footnotes:
15 DG: The Liberating Revolution began as a movement run by General Lonardi (see Note 5), who wanted to rid Argentina of Peronism’s corruption and economic policies while also reconciling with the traditionally Peronist union s. Less than two months after assuming power, Lonardi was forced to resign because his policies were considered insufficiently anti-Peronist. A more staunchly anti-Peronist General Aramburu took control of the Liberating Revolution in November 1955. The regime came to an end in 1958, when elections were held and Arturo Frondizi, of the Radical Civil union party, triumphed (see Note 10).
16 DG: Teodoro Hartung, Julio César Krause, Arturo Ossorio Arana, and Laureano Landaburu were all ministers in President Aramburu’s cabinet. For Aramburu and Rojas, see Note 5.
17. “Cheer Up”
12:45 a.m. They have let the prisoners off the bus at the District Police Department. They take them down a long corridor and lead them into an office on the left where there are a number of park benches, green ones, that the men start to sit on. The building appears to be under renovation. The walls of the room have been recently painted, and some of the painting materials are still around.
At first they don’t pay attention to the prisoners, who are tossing around all kinds of speculations. Livraga sits down next to his friend Rodríguez and the first thing he does is ask:
—Big Guy, are you involved in anything?