Congressman Sam Farr on WHINSEC / SOA

Dear [removed],

Thank you for contacting me about your opposition to the School of the Americas (SOA)/ Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
(WHINSEC).

The WHINSEC is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers in Fort Benning, Georgia. Originally established in 1946 in Panama, as School of the Americas, WHINSEC has graduated 60,000 soldiers who leave devastation in their wake. The Latin American soldiers too often use the specialized skills taught at WHINSEC to wage war against their own people. In addition, the WHINSEC has dragged its feet and is in effect denying the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by not releasing the names of graduates and instructors.

I strongly agree that we must be vigilant so that the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation does not continue to undermine human rights and transparency in our government. For this reason, I voted for an amendment, H.AMDT.263, introduced by Representative James McGovern that would require public disclosure of students and instructors at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. This amendment passed on June 25th as part of the DOD authorization bill, H.R.2647.

I appreciate your taking the time to keep me informed about your opinion regarding WHINSEC. Though my preference would be to close this school outright, as long as it is in existence, I am committed to holding this institution accountable for its disregard for human rights and I will continue to insist that it not be allowed to operate behind a veil of secrecy.

Thank you for contacting me about this issue and please continue to share you thoughts and opinions on this and other issues in the future.

Sincerely,

SAM FARR

Member of Congress

SF/mh

Please be sure to visit my website at http://www.farr.house.gov

This is an official correspondence from Congressman Sam Farr. If you have any questions please contact our office.