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Leopoldo Galtieri
Topics: Argentine anti-communists Argentine generals Argentine people of the Falklands War Italian-Argentines Presidents of Argentina
Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri Castelli was an Argentinian general and the de facto President of Argentina from 22 December 1981 to 18 June 1982, during the last military dictatorship. The death squad Intelligence Battalion 601 directly reported to him .
Galtieri was the child of working class parents who were themselves children of poor Italian immigrants. At 17 he enrolled in the Argentine military academy to study civil engineering, and his early military career was as an officer in the engineering branch.
In early 1981 Galtieri visited the United States and was warmly received, as the Reagan administration viewed his regime as a bulwark against communism. National Security Advisor Richard V. Allen described him as a "majestic general." Galtieri's strength was sufficient to allow him to remove a number of rival generals and, in December 1981, he rose to the presidency of Argentina by means of a coup that ousted interim President Roberto Viola.
Related websites
New Documents Describe Key Death Squad Under Former Army Chief Galtieri
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