Emilio Eduardo Massera Argentine military Date of Birth: 19.10.1925 Country: Argentina

1. Biography of Emilio Eduardo Massera
2. Early Career
3. Leadership and Controversy
4. Later Years and Controversies
5. Final Years and Death
6. Awards and Honors

Biography of Emilio Eduardo Massera

Emilio Eduardo Massera was an Argentine military officer, one of the leaders of the 1976 coup and an active member of the secret Masonic lodge organization 'P2 - Propaganda Due', which was behind the Italian 'strategy of tension'. He was born in 1925 in the Argentine town of Parana.

Early Career

In 1942, Massera entered Argentina's Naval Military School and successfully completed his training in 1946, receiving the rank of naval cadet. After the overthrow of Juan Domingo Perón's regime in 1955, Emilio joined the Naval Information Service and spent most of his career in the navy.

Leadership and Controversy

In 1974, he was promoted to admiral and became the youngest admiral in Argentina's history. From 1976 to 1978, Massera, along with Jorge Rafael Videla and Orlando Ramón Agosti, led the military junta that overthrew President Isabel Martínez de Perón and effectively controlled all aspects of Argentine life.

Later Years and Controversies

In 1981, Massera relocated to Bucharest, Romania. The dictatorial regime in Argentina fell in 1983, and Massera was later tried and sentenced to life imprisonment for human rights violations and the deprivation of his military rank. However, on December 29, 1990, he was granted a pardon by President Carlos Menem.

In 1998, Massera was arrested again, this time for cases related to the kidnapping and suppression of minors. He was also accused of organizing torture, executions, and illegal detention in secret prison complexes. He had to explain his connection with Licio Gelli, the head of 'Propaganda Due', and stated that Gelli supported him and his regime in the fight against all possible opponents and helped shape Argentina's international image.

Final Years and Death

In 2004, Massera experienced serious problems with his cerebral vascular system. After an aneurysm rupture, he was admitted to the Military Hospital of Buenos Aires. Unfortunately, the treatment had little effect, and on March 17, 2005, Massera was officially declared mentally incompetent.

In his final years, the former admiral lived under house arrest in Buenos Aires. Emilio Massera passed away on November 8, 2010, at the Naval Hospital of Buenos Aires due to a brain hemorrhage. He was 85 years old at the time of his death.

Awards and Honors

During his military service, Emilio Massera received numerous awards from Latin American governments, recognizing his excellent work in countries such as Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, the United States, Taiwan, Colombia, Korea, Spain, Gabon, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, South Africa, and Uruguay.

Massera held an honorary doctorate from the Universidad John F. Kennedy and was an honorary professor at the Universidad del Salvador.