Gregorio Selser; Author of Books on Latin American Affairs

Gregorio Selser, 69, an Argentine author of many books on contemporary Latin American history. Selser, a prominent leftist, fled Argentina in 1976 shortly before the military seized power. He settled in Mexico. Selser was one of the first authors to write about the life of Cesar Augusto Sandino, the Nicaraguan general who fought U.S. Marines to a standstill in the 1930s. His book “Sandino, General of Free Men,” was published in 1955. “The Crazy Little Army” followed in 1956. The Sandinistas, who claimed to base their philosophy on the nationalism of Sandino, made Selser an honorary Nicaraguan citizen when they won power in 1979. Other Selser books include “The CIA in Bolivia,” published in 1969; “The Abduction of Panama,” 1964; “Diplomacy, the Garrote and Dollars in Latin America,” 1962; and “Espionage in Latin America,” 1966. Despite leftist leanings, he worked for the conservative Argentine daily La Prensa for many years. In Mexico City on Tuesday, a suicide who had been battling cancer.