[originally published on Patreon January 25, 2024]

Today I'm rejoined by Dr. Pig Bodine aka CJ (@pussy___teeth) to continue our discussion on the 1972 film State of Siege by Costa-Gavras. We open with a discussion on the death squad as a general concept and in its specific applications in Uruguay. 

Then, we discuss exactly why the Tupamaros were so effective and, despite that, why they were brought down so quickly. As it turns out, they were brought down due to the same factors that made them so effective: espionage and infiltration. We discuss both Cuban, Uruguayan, and CIA intelligence. I introduce Manuel Hevia Cosculluela, the double (or triple) agent embedded within this story. 

Then I tell the story of the Mormon Tupamaro within the story of the incredible jailbreak from the Punta Carreras prison of 1971. After, we discuss the infiltration against the Tupamaros by fascist drug and weapons smugglers.

We talk about the JCR, the Junta Coordinadora Revolutionaria, and place the Tupamaros within the continental revolutionary context. Finally, we cover the downright cocaine cowboy shenanigans of Mitrione's son. Believe it or not, however, we are not done with the MLN-T.

artwork by @DEEP_RED_BELLS

Songs:

Death Squad by Sacred Reich

Por una Cabeza by Carlos Gardel

Falling From Sleeves by Calexico

Abre los Ojos by Los Muertos de Cristo

Sprawl by Calexico

Miami Vice Intro by Jan Hammer