◆ SpookStack

Approved For Release 2000/08/07 : CIA-RDP96-00788R000100330001-5 to undercut ETA and all other extrem- ists who believe that political autonomy can be had only through the warm bar- rel of a gun. From the time the decision was im- plemented in 1982, ETA tried to show that it had not been seriously hurt by this or any other setback. More than anything else, it tried to show that it was still an armed political force that had to be reckoned with. Indeed. the ever-increasing number of indiscrimin- ate killings attributed to the separatists in recent months, and the appalling savagery which has come to charac- terize all their actions, certainly gave that impression. However, ETA defectors were telling a totally different story regarding the organization’s strength and capabilities, They described a terrorist organization that had been forced to plan and direct its “struggle for independence” from the relative safety of a foreign sanctuary due to the fear its “freedom fighters” had of being turned in or even killed by the very people whose cause they claimed to champion. The organization was so reduced in numbers by internal strife and mass defections that their last Asamblea — a kind of Revolutionary Congress convened by the entire mem- bership of ETA every few years in order to discuss and evaluate past and future strategies — was held in a sheepher- der’s shack high up in the Pyrenees. Nothing larger was required, as only 47 militants showed up. According to two former ETA gun- men who attended that Asamblea. a motion was presented to end hostilities if and when the Madrid government agreed to the following three condi- tions: first, that all ‘forces of occupa- tion” such as transit patrolmen, national police, and all members of the Guardia Civil that normally patrol and protect Spain’s foreign borders, be recalled from the Basque region; second, that the Madrid decision to restore self- governing powers to the Basque pro- vinces be amended in such a way as to acknowledge the right of the Basque people to eventually obtain their inde- pendence and secede from the Spanish Union; and third, that the neighboring province of Navarre be acknowledged as part of the future Basque nation. “That last condition,” remarked one of the former gunmen, “was like the Armed National Liberation Front of Puerto Rico (FALN) promising to end their campaign of terror bombings in America if only the U.S. government agreed to grant the islanders their inde- pendence and recognized their right to claim New York as part of the future is- land nation.” SPECIAL EDITION -- TERRORISM -- DEATH IN THE AFTERNOON...Cont'd BASQUE RESISTANCE The history of Basque resistance to incorporation by neighboring national and ethnic groups is long and bloody. The Song of Roland tells of a treacher- ous attack on Charlemagne’s rear- guard at Roncesvalles by the Moorish army. It’s a fabrication designed to save face for the French. Charle- magne’s rearguard got wiped out by the Basques. The Basques live in the Pyrenees in the border regions of Spain and France. Rejecting both cultures, they hold to their own ancient ways. Of the total number of militants in attendance, the gunman recalled that 16 voiced their satisfaction with the gains already made by the PNV moder- ates and presented a counter-motion to end the armed struggle throughout Spain unconditionally, When their proposal was rejected, the group turned in their weapons and walked out. Another 12 also quit the gathering when their motion to abandon all attempts at a negotiated settlement in favor of escalating the violence was shouted down. This group did not turn in their weapons when they left. The remaining members, unable to get a consensus on their original motion, ad- journed to their sanctuary in southern France where they now spend their time dodging cross-border raids by Spanish secret police and trying to fi- gure out what went wrong with the re- volution. It is known that the dozen pro- violence extremists who quit the Asamblea are responsible for the cur- rent wave of indiscriminate killings sweeping over Spain. It is also known that their primary objective was, and still is, to provoke the Madrid govern- ment into declaring a state of national emergency and ordering a full-scale military intervention in the Basque pro- vinces — a move that would discredit 26 JUNE 1984 iy Eskuara, their language, is unrelated to any other European lanquage. The Basques probably represent the abor- iginal population of Europe. Basques have settled in the United States, especially in sheepherding and farming areas of the Northem Rocky Mountain states. Aside from their successes against the Franks, the Basques also invaded and occupied Gascony in the 6th cen- tury, and have fought, usually enthu- siastically, in every war in the area since then, especially in the Spanish Civil War and World War IL PNV efforts and reunite the general population behind their extremist cause. They came close to doing just that a couple of times —~ so close, in fact, that by the end of 1983 they were publicly proclaiming themselves rightful heirs to ETA's name and cause. They had also augmented their numbers by forging a loose alliance with a group of free-lance murderers who called themselves the “Autonomous Commandos of the Re- volution,” the ones who actually carried out the hits and placed the bombs. “They are like a pack of wild dogs that have been turned loose on the streets of our cities,” explained the gun- man with obvious distaste. ‘Their senseless acts have made a mockery of our cause and have brought nothing but shame and sorrow to our people. Shooting an innocent man while his children beg for mercy on television is not what this struggle is all about. “We don’t really know who these people are or what they stand for, but we do know who holds their leash . . . and we are going to stop them. That’s a promise.” Early the next morning, standing on the roof of a building looking down on Calle Reina Cristina, I saw that same gunman fulfill the first part of his prom- ise. Approved For Release 2000/08/07 : CIA-RDP96-00788R000100330001-5