DNA tests as Argentina seeks children of 'disappeared'

[Austin Kelley]

I have interviewed several adults who were either born, or more usually adopted, as children into military or intelligence families. A couple have memories of extreme incidents taking place in South America.

In Nazi terminology, Francisco Madariaga Quintela was the genetic offspring of two members of the Montoneros, who engaged in ostensibly left-wing violent direct action. There are superficial and, perhaps, deep political, analogies between the Montoneros and Baader-Meinhof, which renders this looking glass territory. Everything is not as it seems.

Victor Alejandro Gallo, the adoptive father, was a military intelligence officer, who rushed the newborn Francisco, umbilical cord still attached, through the streets from the torture centre where his mother gave birth, and was probably subsequently murdered. This, I'm afraid, means young Franciso was prime human guinea pig fodder.

For a bastard Argentine Lebensborn-meets-MK-ULTRA programme.

Francisco needs a good and trustworthy deprogrammer. And almost none exist.

Jan, are you able to say more about the extreme incidents in the lives of the "adoptees"?

Also, I do personally consider the Montoneros and Baader-Meinhof similar in that both were clearly infiltrated and co-opted by reactionary forces. And it may well be the same circle of bad guys, given the strong ties between Argentinian and European fascists in that era.