El Rescate Collection, 1977-2016

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Summary

Creators:
El Rescate
Abstract:
El Rescate is a non-profit 501(c)(3) founded in 1981 by members of the Santana Chirino Amaya Central American Refugee Committee (SCARC) and the Southern California Ecumenical Council. El Rescate was the first agency in the United States to respond with free legal and social services to the mass influx of refugees fleeing the civil war in El Salvador and has continued providing services for nearly 45 years. The Human Rights Department of El Rescate was established in 1984 to document violations of human rights in El Salvador and disseminate up-to-date information to the U.S. Congress, the media, the faith community, academics and others in the U.S. and Europe. This collection documents the work of the El Rescate organization, including the Human Rights Department within the organization. The materials document the history of the Salvadoran Civil War and post-war period. Notably the collection houses the Human Rights Department's Index to Accountability (Indice Sobre La Responsabilidad) which is a precedent setting relational database that facilitates identification of patterns of human rights violations using two sets of data: one on human rights abuses and one on the command structure of the Salvadoran military.
Extent:
73.05 linear feet and 35.6 Gigabytes
Language:
Spanish; Castilian, English.
Preferred citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materials guide.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection documents the work of the El Rescate Organization, including the Human Rights Department within the organization. The materials document the history of the Salvadoran Civil War and post-war period. The collection is arranged into five series: I. Administrative Files, 1977-201; II. El Salvador Chronology and Weekly Report from El Salvador, 1986-1996; III. Index to Accountability (Indice Sobre La Responsabilidad), 1977-2000; IV. Photographic Materials, 1980-2010; and V. Press Clippings, 1980-1993.

Graphic Content Warning. Images and descriptions of murder, war crimes, and human rights abuses can be found throughout the collection. Wherever possible "Graphic Content" is noted on the physical folder to indicate that the researcher may encounter disturbing images or descriptions of historical events such as violent death, crime, post mortem photography, wars/terrorist acts, natural disasters, and more.

Series I, Administrative Files, document a wide range of daily operations within the organization. Different departments within the organization are represented such as the Human Rights Department, Legal Services, and the Outreach Department. The Human Rights Department papers document their newsletter, research and reports on human rights abuses, the department's promotional materials, event organizing papers, celebrity fundraising, travel planning, and lobbying. The Outreach Department papers include press and public relations for the organization overall, presentations to other organizations, and hosting and tours for visiting guests from other countries. The administrative files also document fundraising events including partnerships with celebrities for film screenings, Academy Award viewing parties, benefit concerts, and other efforts to secure donors as well as disseminate information about the human rights abuses that were occurring in El Salvador during the civil war. The files also document El Rescate's collaboration with other non-profit organizations such as Building with the Voiceless. Also included in this series are the administrative working files of one of the founding organizations, Santana Chirino Amaya Refugee Committee (SCARC), and documentation of the Clínica Monseñor Oscar A. Romero.

Series I also includes some photographic materials and scrapbooks documenting El Rescate community members, events, and history, but the bulk of the collection's photographic materials can be found in Series IV.

El Rescate also collected a large number of newsletters, publications, and reports from other human rights organizations and government agencies such as Amnesty International, Comisión de Derechos Humanos de El Salvador (CDHES), Americas Watch (part of Human Rights Watch), Comision para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos en Centroamerica (CODEHUCA), and the United Nations. These materials are filed in Series I and document human rights abuses as well as updates on the Civil War in El Salvador. Some reports were filed by El Rescate according to the originating organization, e.g. "Americas Watch," other reports can be found filed under "Human Rights Publications and Reports" organized by Country or Region. Additionally, El Rescate compiled "Documentation Packets" which are research packets mostly comprised of press clippings, newsletters, and reports; and are organized according to victim or local El Salvador Department.

Linda Garrett, who worked for the Human Rights Department at El Rescate, went on to work for the Center for Democracy in the Americas. Between 2009 and 2014 she took multiple trips to El Salvador and authored reports and updates on the state of the country including the 2012-2013 gang truce. These reports are included in Series I. During these trips Linda also captured photographs. These photos can be found in Series IV Photographic Materials.

Series I also contains audiovisual materials documenting fundraising events, human rights awards, instruction videos to help with immigration, PSAs and promotional videos featuring El Rescate staff and leaders as well as celebrities, and the Voice of the Voiceless documentary.

Additionally, Series I contains recordings donated by journalist Chris Norton. The recordings were made in both the United States and El Salvador. They document El Salvador politics; the FMLN, radio show broadcasts; news coverage on the El Salvador Civil War; press conferences and interviews with U.S. and Salvadoran military and political figures including Herbert Anaya, Arturo Rivera y Damas, José Napoleón Duarte, General Adolfo Blandon, José Antonio Morales Ehrlich, and more. The recordings were made between approximately 1980 and 1990. There is an index available digitally that includes further details on the contents of each tape.

Also included are digital scans of the full El Rescate archive created by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2009. These are mostly likely duplications of the physical archive but are labeled and organized in a different manner. In 2009, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), in their efforts to investigate Human Rights Violations and War Crimes, was investigating former Salvadoran military officers living in the U.S. With approval from the El Rescate Board of Directors they were allowed to scan the entire archive of documents. HSI then shared digital copies of their scans with El Rescate.

Series I is arranged alphabetically.

Series II, El Salvador Chronology and Weekly Report from El Salvador, contains two publications composed and distributed by the El Rescate Human Rights Department: the El Salvador Chronology(Chronologia de El Salvador) and the Weekly Report from El Salvador(Reporte Semanal El Salvador). Linda Garrett was the El Rescate Human Rights staff person in El Salvador from 1985 to 1995, responsible for the daily chronologies and weekly analysis. The information was sent to El Rescate in Los Angeles for distribution to members of congress, the faith community, journalists, solidarity groups, Hollywood supporters, etc. TheEl Salvador Chronology detailed human rights abuse, social, military, political and economic events recorded on a daily basis as reported by Salvadoran radio, television, and print media, including guerrilla radio. It was compiled from secondary sources. The publication also included "Campo Pagados," paid announcements, denunciations, calls to action, from civil society organizations including unions, human rights organizations, and universities, as well as the government and military. The Weekly Report from El Salvador was a weekly analysis based on the El Salvador Chronology reports compiled by Linda Garrett in the Human Rights Department. There are copies of each in both English and Spanish Language, as well as a set that Linda Garrett had bound into permanent volumes. There are also duplicate copies of theEl Salvador Chronology in Microfiche format from 1987 to 1990, but interspersed between some of the microfiche Chronologies are Human Rights Department correspondence and mass mailings. The Series II is arranged alphabetically.

Series III, Index to Accountability (Indice Sobre La Responsabilidad), contains all working papers and contributing documents for the Human Rights Department's Index to Accountability database including administrative papers, printed reports from the Index, final bound volumes of the Index's data and reports, data collection sheets, data entry sheets, and source documents. The administrative papers document how the database was built and maintained, and contain data collection manuals and data entry instructions; overviews and explanations of its structure and usage; data analysis and reports compiled by the Human Rights Department; and research gathered on Salvador military personnel and structure for the Index. The "Data Collection Sheets" were used to gather individual incident reports mined from source material like Tutela Legal being published in El Salvador. They were organized according to the source material title and issue number and then input manually into the database by staff members using the "Data Entry Sheets". The series contains a small selection of source documents including Salvadoran military officer CVs and profiles, and Tutela Legal (known originally as Socorro Jurídico) monthly reports (Informes).

Series IV, Photographic Materials, contains photographs captured by and collected by Linda Garrett for the El Rescate Human Rights Department during her time living in El Salvador and on later trips to the country. The series is arranged alphabetically by topic. Many images are filed generally under "El Salvador." These images document life of civilians as well as armed forces throughout the country including in Aguacayo, El Barillo, Candelaria, Ciudad Credisa, Ciudad Delgado, Guazapa, Colonia San Jose, Mejicanos, La Palma, Panchimalco, San Salvador, Suchitoto, Usulután, La Virtud (Honduras), and at the Universidad de El Salvador (UES); refugee camps; significant events such as the earthquake of 1986, the election of 1985, the 1988 election, demonstrations and conferences at the UES, May Day marches, a Kennedy delegation including Rory and Kerry Kennedy (1985), Operation California (1981); aid workers' offices like CDHES, Committee de Madres; significant figures such as President José Napoleón Duarte, General Adolfo Blandón, Roberto D'Aubuisson Arrieta, Richard Gere, Guillermo Ungo, Charlie Clements; The Union Nacional de Trabajadores Salvadorenos (UNTS): the National Union of Salvadoran Trade Unionists; among other topics. A small number of additional photographs can also be found in Series I.

Series V, Press Clippings, contains an extensive library of press clippings which served as a valuable resource for students, journalists, refugees, scholars, and other community members. It was maintained by the Central American Refugee Information Center (CARIC) which was the information and education project of the refugee committee. CARIC was created in 1982 and lasted until 1985, approximately. In 1984 the Center for Media Studies (CMS) donated a collection of three years' worth of clippings, reports, and information on Central America. CMS organized these clipping by topic using codes, e.g. 204 is "El Salvador Economy." This code system was carried over to many of the other files that El Rescate maintained following this initial donation. The key to the codes originated from the Center for Media Studies, Inc. (CMS) and can be found in the first folder labeled "Index, Filing Codes."

These press clippings represent an information library used by the organization as well as the community members they were providing service to. They were occasionally brought to "house parties" were American supporters hosted Salvadoran refugees and community members in an effort to help the American population understand the urgency of the humanitarian needs in El Salvador.

Both the coded clippings and non-coded clippings are organized by topical country first (not by the country the newspaper was printed in, but by the country the article is written about), then by subject wherever possible. Others were clipped and not coded and are organized by location (i.e. US. Press Clippings), a general topic (i.e. U.S. Policy), or a news source (i.e. Los Angeles Times).

Series V is organized by country and then by topic wherever possible. Clippings are from both Spanish and English language news sources.

Biographical / historical:

Founded in 1981 by members of the Santana Chirino Amaya Central American Refugee Committee (SCARC) and the Southern California Ecumenical Council, El Rescate was the first agency in the United States to respond with free legal and social services to the mass influx of refugees fleeing the civil war in El Salvador. El Rescate also concentrated heavily on outreach and educational efforts to secure fundraising and effect legislative change. Part of these efforts included the "house parties" thrown by the "Friends of El Rescate," an activist and support group. The house parties were cultural-sharing and fundraising gatherings held in private homes with a program of Salvadoran folk music, authentic Salvadoran cuisine, and Salvadoran refugees sharing their experiences. In 1983 SCARC worked with El Rescate to open the Clínica Monseñor Oscar A. Romero, providing free medical care to the Central American refugee community.The Clínica opened in July of 1983 and is still operational today. The Human Rights Department of El Rescate was established in 1984 to document violations of human rights in El Salvador and disseminate up-to-date information to the U.S. Congress, the media, the faith community, academics and others in the U.S. and Europe. In 1987 El Rescate opened El Refugio which served as a transitional housing shelter for newly arrived refugees.

Of note is the organization's Index to Accountability (Indice Sobre La Responsabilidad) which is a database conceptualized in 1990, just prior to the signing of the Geneva Agreement in April 1990 between the FMLN and the Salvadoran government marking the beginning of the peace process to end the civil war. The Index covers the entire civil war period from January of 1980 to January of 1992. Managed by the Human Rights Department, the Index is a relational database that facilitates identification of patterns of human rights violations using two sets of data: one on human rights abuses and violations, and one on the command structure of the Salvadoran military. The index connects abuses to individual components of the military, police, and paramilitary forces, as well as the military High Command.

The violations database was compiled from testimonies and information documented in source documents including reports from Americas Watch, Amnesty International, Comisión de Derechos Humanos de El Salvador (CDHES), and largely Tutela Legal (known originally as Socorro Jurídico). Tutela Legal was the legal aid office of the Archdiocese of San Salvador and was founded in 1977 by Archbishop Oscar Romero. Tutela Legal operated for more than 35 years and collected a huge cache of direct testimonies regarding rights violations committed before, during, and after the country's 1980-1992 civil war. The organization published monthly reports (Informes), copies of which were given to El Rescate for the Index project. Tutela Legal was shuttered by new archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas in 2013.

The military database is drawn from the following sources: Salvadoran Military General Orders; Diario Oficial; U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) FOIA requests; Foreign Broadcast Index Service (FBIS); Centro de Informacion, Documentation y Analisis de la Informaticion of the University of Central America (CIDAI); Report of Arms Control and Foreign Policy Caucus of the U.S. Congress; Max G. Manwaring "El Salvador at War: an Oral History"; other reference materials, and confidential sources. Based on principles of contemporary international human rights law, the database's innovative and digitized results provided the ability to cross-reference military command responsibility – using the military database – with specific violations of human rights. This allowed users to create individual dossiers of abuses committed by each high-ranking officer. In 1992, copies of the Index were presented to the United Nations-backed Truth Commission as well as the Ad Hoc Commission, also supported by the UN, to purge the military of the most egregious violators of human rights. The Index continues to be an essential resource for war crimes investigations in the United Staes and Europe.

El Rescate is a non-profit 501(c)(3) and is still operating today. They actively maintain a continuously updated digital version of the Index to Accountability that can be accessed by contacting El Rescate directly.

Acquisition information:
El Rescate, 2019, 2020, 2025.
Processing information:

Collection was processed by Carri Frola, 2024-2025. Processing Student Assistants Jenesy Lazo and Veronica Hernandez were hired with funding support from UC Irvine's C-CAP TEACH Mellon Foundation grant subawards. Funds from UC Irvine's C-CAP TEACH Mellon Foundation grant subawards also provided funding for community input from El Rescate advisors Linda Garrett, Anne Mello, Ricardo García O'Meany, Rossana Perez, Francisco Rivera, Salvador Sanabria, and Sarah Stephens.

Arrangement:

Series I: Administrative Files, 1977-2016

Series II: El Salvador Chronology and Weekly Report from El Salvador, 1986-1996

Series III: Index to Accountability, 1977-2000

Series IV: Photographic Materials, 1980-2010

Series V: Press Clippings, 1980-1993

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research use.

Terms of access:

Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Preferred citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materials guide.

Location of this collection:
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330, US
Contact:
(818) 677-4594
Website