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would critcize Indonesia's recent crackdown on opponents. In aninterview in Tokyo shortly after leaving Indonesia, President

Reagan responded to a reporter's question in a similar manner:"I will call attention to the fact ... that with all of thecriticisms that are being made (of Indonesia's human rights

record)... the progress that has been made by Indonesia, the factthat they have become totally self-sufficient in providing forfor their 165 million people." This remark is not only adisservice to human rights, but has ironic significance in thatthe Reagan Administration has argued in other contexts, such as

Helsinki review meetings, that economic rights cannot and should

not be attained at the expense of civil and political rights.El Salvador: In spite of continuing serious abuses in El

Salvador, the Reagan Administration maintained its past policy ofdenying or minimizing government violations, exculpating thoseresponsible for abuses, and attacking human rights critics.Perhaps the most unfortunate feature of the ReaganAdministration's policy in El Salvador is its consistent failureto acknowledge abuses against civilians by the military in thecourse of military operations. In the past year the StateDepartment's several certification reports to Congress and itsresponse to individual letters from Members of Congress wereflawed by characterizations of victims as "guerrilla supporters,"which tends to justify attacks against them. As you know, theapplicable provisions of the Geneva Conventions extend protection

to all noncombatants, regardless of their perceived sympathies.One example of this approach is Ambassador Edwin Corr's responseto a letter from several Members of Congress about the Army's

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