Operation Massacre

This captivating and clear-eyed book, a true crime narrative first published in Spanish in 1957 and fluently translated here by Gitlin, is Argentinian political journalist Walsh’s account of “the [secret] execution, on June 9, 1956, of five men suspected of participating in a failed coup against the military government designed to return [deposed Argentine leader Juan Domingo] Péron to power.” Walsh opens with his experience that night, when he came home to find government forces using his house as a point of defense against Péron supporters. In December 1956, a rumor that one of the men believed to be executed might be alive inspires Walsh’s year-long investigation, which turns up survivors of the secret executions, the circumstances that led to the illegal executions, and the failures of the justice system. Walsh provides a moment-by-moment account and reveals as much as he can about the survivors and those who were executed. The reason for such precision becomes clear as events unfold. In addition to the introduction by Michael Greenberg and afterword by Ricardo Piglia, the book’s helpful appendices include prologues and epilogues from previous editions, as well as the “Open Letter from a Writer to the Military Junta,” which Walsh delivered to local and foreign press correspondents on March 24, 1977, a day before he was kidnapped, never to be seen again. (Sept.)