José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz

Martínez de Hoz, scion of one Argentina's oldest cattle ranching families, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Pursuing higher studies at the University of Cambridge, he returned and in 1955, following the coup against President Juan Domingo Perón, he was appointed his province's Minister of the Economy of Buenos Aires Province.

Though democracy returned to Argentina three years later, the armed forces continued to exercise vetting power over most policy and in 1963, Martínez de Hoz became one of a series of conservative Argentine Economy Ministers during Jose Maria Guido's brief presidency (an interlude marked by squabbles among the military brass and recession).

Becoming an influential lobbyist for Acindar, one of Argentina's largest steel manufacturers, Martínez de Hoz became its CEO in 1968. Seven years later, after union labourers at Acindar's Villa Constitución plant elected a socialist shop steward, Martínez de Hoz retaliated by using his family's long-standing connections with the armed forces to have them brutally repressed. Supported by Metalworkers Union leader Lorenzo Miguel, security forces abducted the new shop steward, Alberto Piccinini, and about 300 others (most of whom were murdered).[3]

By 1975, Argentina had considerably developed, but was nevertheless in the throes of some of the worst instability since 1930. Argentine public opinion turned to the military, who deposed Isabel Perón's weak regime in a March 1976 coup.[4]

Inheriting a wave of violence and 700% inflation, Jorge Rafael Videla called on Martínez de Hoz as Minister of Economy.[5]

Anxious to restore business confidence, announced a plan to further open Argentina's markets, believing that the country's national industry was inefficient and uncompetitive internationally. He moved to lessen Argentina's trade barriers quickly, which he believed to be a cause of economic isolation. He enjoyed the personal friendship of David Rockefeller, who facilitated Chase Manhattan Bank and International Monetary Fund loans of nearly US$1 billion following his appointment.[6]

He eliminated all price control systems. The black market and shortages disappeared; and he repealed the exchange control regime. A single floating exchange rate was born.[7]

He freed exports (removed existing prohibitions and quotas and export taxes were repealed) and imports (removed existing prohibitions, quotas, and licenses and gradually reduced import tariffs).[8]

He decreed a general freeze on wages, and instituted a value-added tax while rescinding the inheritance tax. As a result of the changes instituted by Martínez de Hoz, inflation fell sharply; but, many local retailers and home builders became incapable of coping with the fall in demand and declared bankruptcy.[9]

He eliminated political tariffs for public services and subsidized prices for fuels, to begin an honest look at the economy and the subsidies and overprotections for privileged sectors of the economy.[5]

A year later, the billion-dollar trade deficit had turned around and business investment had soared by about 25%. However, real wages had lost nearly 40% of their purchasing power, and while consumer spending remained weak, the shock might have been worse but for hitherto high savings rates. Inflation revived again, and Martínez de Hoz responded in June 1977, with deregulation of the financial markets, removing checks on banks and transferring responsibility for any bad loans to the state, which took charge of their debt as needed.[10]

The Central Bank, like many key economic posts in the Martínez de Hoz era, was led by one of a number of Chicago Boys: Adolfo Diz. Diz enacted much of the Economy Minister's financial deregulation policy, while moving to limit domestic credit. He enacted the Monetary Regulation Account Law of 1977, which raised reserve requirements to 45% of deposits, thereby doubling borrowers' interest rates while eliminating yields on demand deposits.[11]

Total GDP grew 2.2% equivalent annually between 1975 and 1980. Between 1975 and 1979 there was a trade surplus, only in 1980 did the trade deficit appear. During the period, the lowest unemployment rates in the history of the Argentine economy were observed. Particularly from 1979, as a consequence of the second oil shock, the external debt increased strongly.[12]

Years later he explained in his books that his management "had a 'gradualist' character; he set out to implement a structural reform of the economy, and not just overcome a crisis. On April 2, 1976, three programs were announced: liberation and modernization of the economy, modernization of the state and stabilization of prices. They would have to be applied interconnected, although not necessarily simultaneously. The great courses of action were the subsidiary function of the State and the opening of the economy."[13]

Short-term financial speculation flourished, while chronic tax evasion and budget deficits remained high. Frequent wage freeze decrees continued to depress living standards generally and income inequality increased.[14] During his tenure, the foreign debt increased fourfold, and disparities between the upper and lower classes became much more pronounced.[14] The period ended in a tenfold devaluation and one of the worst financial crises in Argentine history.[15]

It took defeat during the disastrous Malvinas War in June 1982, to usher in more moderate leadership in the junta. In July, the new Central Bank President, Domingo Cavallo, rescinded the hated "1050". Thousands were saved from financial ruin by this change, but the economic damage would remain.

Business confidence was destroyed by the whole calamity and even though Argentina's productive Agricultural sector brought in over US$34 billion in trade surpluses over the next eight years, none of it sufficed to deal with chronic capital flight or the newly monstrous public debt (US$7 billion at the start of the dictatorship, it had grown to US$43 billion by the time of the restoration of democracy in 1983).[14]

Martinez de Hoz voting in the 1983 general elections

Martínez de Hoz was himself indicted in 1988 for his involvement in the human rights abuses at Acindar and spent 77 days in jail. Quickly freed, he finally benefited from a pardon by President Carlos Menem in 1990. Returning to world of high finance despite a 1992 conviction of operating a brokerage with a revoked licence, Martínez de Hoz became a member of the board of directors of two Arbitrage houses: Rohm Group and the Banco General de Negocios ("General Business Bank").

The General Business Bank, now defunct, later helped clients illegally wire up to US$30 billion out of the country prior to its December 2001 financial crisis.[20]

In 2006, a judge declared the pardon unconstitutional and revoked the suspension of the judicial process dictated before, thus leaving the way open to investigate Martínez de Hoz's alleged involvement in the kidnapping and extortion of Federico and Miguel Gutheim (a local textile mill owner and his son) in 1976, as well as the murder of Juan Carlos Casariego (one of his own assistants at the Ministry of Economy).

Martinez de Hoz was arrested on 5 April 2007, following a Supreme Court ruling deeming the 1990 presidential pardons unconstitutional,[21] and was given a preliminary sentence of house arrest (due to his advanced age) on 4 May 2010, pursuant to his indictment in the Gutheim case.[22]

• La dictadura militar en Argentina on the Ministry of Education website.
• Una pesada herencia, by Ernesto Hadida.
• "La Justicia anuló los indultos a Martínez de Hoz y Harguindeguy" (in Spanish). Clarín. 4 September 2006.
• "Argentine junta pardons revoked". BBC News. 6 September 2006.

Media related to José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz at Wikimedia Commons