San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 7, 2003

By G. ALLEN JOHNSON

There was a scene in "The Quiet American," last year's art house that won a
few Oscar nominations, in which Michael Caine's British journalist explains to
American agent Brendan Fraser, "The trouble with giving the people their
freedom to vote is, what if they choose Ho Chi Minh?"

That was a work of Graham Greene fiction set in 1950s Vietnam, but its
politics are spot on: Ever since the beginning of the Cold War, American foreign
policy has, rightly or wrongly, devoted much time and attention to preventing
unfriendly dictatorships through covert military operations. Nowhere is that
philosophy more evident than in Latin America, and the Roxie has booked two
complementary documentaries that raise tough questions about U.S. policy in the
region.

"Hidden in Plain Sight" focuses on the effect of the U.S. Army School of the
Americas, which has trained more than 60,000 Latin American soldiers. The
United States contends that it's an effective way to help bring democracy and
stability to Latin American countries, but critics call it the "School of
Assassins because they believe such handy techniques as torture and methods of
terrorism are taught there.

They may have a point: among the alumni of the SOA are former Panamanian
dictator Manuel Noriega and Salvadoran death squad leader Roberto D'Aubuisson.

"Plan Colombia: Cashing in on the Drug War Failure" examines the U.S. policy
of beefing up the Colombian military and spraying rebel-held coca fields, as
well as training police and military at the School of the Americas--the film,
completed before the Iraq situation became what it is, points out that
Colombia is the third-largest recipient of U.S. military aid.

Neither film is very cinematic--the subject matter is king, and it would play
just as well on television, so don't expect a "Bowling for Columbine" type of
look. This is nuts-and-bolts, left-wing documentary video-making, and they
fulfill their mission expertly.

"Hidden in Plain Sight" is the better work because Shimula [sic] has gone the
extra mile to include those who support the School of Americas, including
Maj. Gen. John LeMoyne, in charge at Fort Benning, Ga., where the school is (it
is now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation).
Among those who support the film's view who are interviewed are Oakland Rep.
Barbara Lee, investigative journalist Christopher Hitchens, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology Professor Noam Chomsky and Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano.

The best comment comes from Hitchens: "The incredible thing is everybody
knows where it is--and it's still there!"

"Plan Colombia's" most insightful salvo comes from Illinois congresswoman
Janice Schakowsky, who calls what's going on there a war: "This is an
under-the-radar kind of war that the United States is using its taxpayer dollars to
engage in."

Certainly worth thinking about in this day and age.