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Springboard Software, Inc.7808 Creekridge CircleMinneapolis, MN 55435 1989 TRANS Fiction Systems. All rights reserved.This manual and the software it describes may not bereproduced in whole or in part, in any form whatsoever,except for a backup copy of the software for archivalpurposes, without the written permission ofSpringboard Software, Inc.Springboard and Hidden Agenda are trademarks ofSpringboard Software, Inc.IBM is a registered trademark of International BusinessMachines.Tandy is a trademark of Tandy Corporation.

Hidden AgendaFace the challenge of leadership in Central America.

User Manual

CreditsThis product was conceived, designed, and coded byTRANS Fiction Systems. The following people wereresponsible for its development.TRANS Fiction SystemsHidden Agendaby Jim GasperiniSystems DesignGreg GuerinJim GasperiniRon MartinezProgrammingRon MartinezWilliam HerdleGraphicsAngela GreeneTitle VideoSteven KolpanSpringboard Software Inc.Software ManagerDan PattenDocumentationGerri Johnson, ManagerChristine Brunkhorst, LayoutLisa Stein, WriterAnthony Signorelli, WriterSoftware TechniciansMark Schneider, ManagerSpecial ThanksJody Wilson

DedicationIn memory of my father, Edwin L. Gasperini, who likedto say, "Young people today should train for careers thatdon't even exist yet."

Jim Gasperini

AcknowledgmentsFor long hours of advice, inspiration, backgroundinformation, and story suggestions, our chief consultantshave been invaluable: William Gasperini, Managuacorrespondent for In These Times, The Christian ScienceMonitor, and Pacifica Radio; Susan Besse, AssistantProfessor of Latin American History, City College of theCity University of New York.

To the extent that the world of Chimerica reflects CentralAmerican reality, their work has been invaluable. To theextent that it does not, the errors are our own.

We would also like to thank: Anne Teshima, whosepatience and support sustained TRANS in ways fewpeople will ever know, let alone comprehend; JeanneNorth, Emile Nava and the All Souls Central AmericaStudy Group; Carolyn Reed and the Upper WestSide/Tipitapa Sister Cities Project; Steven Golub; EllenOxfeld Basu and Dipu Basu; David Durrell; Lynel Homeand Dennis Long; Bill Fleming; Eric Ehrmann; EugeneEpstein; and the photogenic doormen of West EndAvenue and Riverside Drive.

For photographic sources: William Gasperini, JimGasperini, Jeff Perkell, and Kate Pourshariati. Ourthanks also to Elise Witt and the Small Family Orchestrafor the use of excerpts from their video "Notes fromNicaragua" (Pegajosa Productions, 1083 Austin Avenue,NE, Atlanta, GA 30307).

Contents1 Introduction2 About this manual

4 Before You Begin4 Hardware and software requirements4 Making a working copy

5 Quick Start5 Starting Hidden Agenda6 Basic operations7 On-line help8 Playing Hidden Agenda

12 Instructions12 Overview16 A game begins17 Signing-in ceremony19 Press conference20 The Presidente's office21 Desktop options24 Contacts36 Encounters43 Consultations53 Logbook54 Reports58 Drawer choices59 Save63 Restore63 Help

63 Quit64 Interrupts65 Memos66 Hidden Agendas67 Time in Hidden Agenda69 Calendar69 Verdict of History71 Ending the game71 Playing a new game

72 Author's Notes

76 About the Authors

Springboard License Agreement

IntroductionYou are about to step onto a stage populated with aworld of charactersgenerals and guerrillas,shopkeepers and workers, aristocrats and ambassadors.As soon as you appear on the stage called Chimerica, asmall nation in Central America, everyone's attentionfocuses on you. Chimerica has just overthrown athoroughly unpopular dictator, and you are the newPresidente. The fate of the nation is in your hands.

As a key character in dramatic circumstances, you willhave face-to-face encounters with other strong-willedcharacters. Full of advice about what they think youshould do, they will be quite frank about their reactionsto your decisions.

It will not be possible to please everybody. Will you givethe cotton cultivators what they ask for and ignore thewishes of the landless laborers? If you do, your schedulemay soon be interrupted by an angry crowd massedoutside the National Palace.

The next step is up to you. All of Chimerica...all of LatinAmerica...all the world...wait to see just what course ofaction you have in mind.

About this manualThere is no elaborate system of rules and procedures tomaster before you can begin playing Hidden Agenda.Most people will benefit from looking over theinformation in the Quick Start section, but you canmaster the mechanics of playing the game in a fewminutes.

Later sections of this manual offer more detaileddiscussion of game play, additional suggestions andbackground material designed to enrich the experienceand put it in context. You may wish to read this afteryou play through the game once or twice.

See the Reference Manual for historical information onChimerica, descriptions of political parties, charts, and aglossary of terms.

This manual has three sections:

Before you Begin describes the hardware andsoftware requirements and tells you to make theworking copy you will need to run Hidden Agenda.

Quick Start tells you how to start the program anddescribes basic keyboard operations and on-linehelp. "Playing Hidden Agenda" highlights theprinciple game features and actions you will performas Presidente of Chimerica. Read this section if youwant to jump right in and try Hidden Agenda.

Instructions provides an overview and explains eachprogram feature in detail.

Before You BeginHardware and software requirementsTo run Hidden Agenda, you need:

IBM, Tandy, or true compatible computer One 3-1/2" disk drive or two 5-1/4" disk drives 512K memory Color graphics adaptor card (CGA) or any graphics

card that emulates CGA 640 x 200 DOS 2.0 or higher

Optional hardware Hard drive PrinterFor information on how to set up your system, printer,or other hardware, refer to the related hardwaremanuals. You will find the specifications you need there.Making a working copyAs a convenience to registered users, Hidden Agenda isnot copy protected. This allows you to make a copy ofyour software to use as a working copy. Use yourfavorite copy utility to make a backup copy.Once you have made a backup copy of Hidden Agenda,be sure to write-protect your backup copy and youroriginal program disk. Put the original in a safe placeand work only with your backup. Please do not give acopy to anyone; that is a violation of copyright laws.

Quick StartStarting Hidden AgendaFloppy drive users

Insert your operating system disk in a drive and turnon the computer.

If you are using a 3-1/2" disk drive, insert theHidden Agenda disk into the disk drive.

If you are using two 5-1/4" disk drives, insert Disk 1into drive A and Disk 2 into drive B.

At the A> prompt, type ha or agenda and press Enter.Within a few seconds you will see the Hidden Agendaintroduction screen. At this point, you are ready tobegin the game.

Hard drive users

If you want to install Hidden Agenda on your harddrive, follow these steps:

Turn on the computer.

Create a directory for Hidden Agenda using the DOSMake Directory command. For example, typeMD \ HADIR and press Enter.

If you are using a 3-1/2" disk drive, insert theHidden Agenda disk into the disk drive. Then, usethe DOS copy command to copy all the files. Forexample, type COPY A:*. * C: \ HADIR, then pressEnter.

If you are using two 5-1/4" disk drives, insert Disk 1into drive A. Type COPY A:*. * C: \ HADIR and pressEnter. Then remove Disk 1 and insert Disk 2 intodrive A. Again, type COPY A;*.* C:\HADIRandpress Enter.

Basic operationsChoices are made in Hidden Agenda by selecting icons,buttons or drawers. The term select means you highlightan item by using the up and down arrow keys on yourkeyboard then choose it by pressing Enter. Whenever anitem is highlighted and you press Enter, an action takesplace. Be careful to notice what is highlighted before youpress Enter.

On-line helpOn-line help is available if you need more informationabout the program feature you are currently using.Whenever you need help, select the question mark icon.A help window will appear. After you are done readingthe information, press any key to close the window.

When you are in the Presidente's office, select the Helpdrawer for information on the office features.

Playing Hidden AgendaThis section is for players who want to jump right in andplay Hidden Agenda, with very little instruction beforebeginning. For more details on Hidden Agenda, read theInstructions section. For history and backgroundinformation on Chimerica, refer to the ReferenceManual.

1 Start the program.

2 Sign in.

Type in the name you will use during the game.

3 Hold your first press conference.

A group of reporters asks you three questions. Youranswers define your goals for your term as Presidente.Select an answer to each question.

4 Become familiar with your office.

This is your office in the National Palace. From yourdesktop select a desktop icon or drawer to move to otherareas of game play.

Here's a brief description of the desktop icons:

Contacts. Choose Contacts to review the dossiers(biographies) of members of the Junta of Insurrection,appoint them as ministers to your cabinet, or requestthat they resign.

Consultations. Choose Consultations to meet with theministers you have appointed, select issues to discussfrom their agendas, and make decisions about importantmatters of state.

Encounters. Choose Encounters to meet withInfluentialbusiness leaders, union officials,ambassadors from other countries, etc. Discuss issues ofgreatest concern to them.

Logbook. Read the logbook to review decisions you havemade recently.Reports. Read Reports to see what the domestic andinternational press say about you and review charts ofimportant social and economic indicators.5 Review the news.

Select the Reports icon. Choose Press Digests to see whatthe newspapers have to say about you.When you are finished reading the news, select theminiature desk icon to return to your office. (This is theway you'll always be able to return to your office, exceptwhen you are in the middle of an Encounter orConsultation or when an Influential decides to interruptyour schedule.)6 Appoint a cabinet.

Select the Contacts icon to appoint ministers to the fourposts in your cabinet.

Select Party Dossiers. Read the party dossiers. Thenreview the dossiers of the members of each party. Thesepeople are all members of the Junta of the Insurrection.Decide who to appoint to your cabinet posts. When thatperson's dossier is on the screen, select "Appoint to..."and a list of available posts appears (Agriculture,Defense, External Affairs, and Internal Affairs). Nowselect the post for that person.After appointing a full cabinet, return to your office.7 Face the people.

From now on, the game consists mostly of talking toInfluentials in the Encounters section and ministers inConsultations. In Encounters, Influentials decide whatissue they wish to discuss with you. In Consultationsyou have a choice: each minister presents an agendafrom which you can select an issue to discuss.From time to time an Influential will decide not to waitfor you to visit and will interrupt you. When thishappens, you have to make a quick decision either toaccept the Influential's proposal or accept the advice ofthe advising minister. (For further information, see"Interrupts" in the Instructions section of this manual.)You will also occasionally receive memos fromInfluentials and ministers telling you of some actiontaken without your consent. (For further information,see "Memos" in the Instructions section of this manual.)

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8 Make decisions and watch time pass.

Time in Hidden Agenda is divided into moves, seasons,and years. There are three seasons per year and threeyears in the gameunless you are voted out of office, oroverthrown! You can check what season and year it is bylooking at the calendar in your office.During an Encounter, Consultation, or Interrupt, eachdecision counts as one move. Every nine moves, ananimated screen lets you know that a season has passed.Time does not elapse when you are in the Contacts,Reports or Logbook areas.Though there is a lot more to know about the world ofHidden Agenda, this is all you really need to start thegame. Good luck, Presidente!

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InstructionsOverviewChimerica's struggle to oust the dictator Farsante isfinally over. By the time he left, his legendary corruptionand brutality managed to alienate all sectors ofChimerican society. None of the groups that opposedFarsante were strong enough to dominate thispost-Farsante era, so they have joined together in acoalition Junta of the Insurrection.

The Junta has decided that someone must leadChimerica in its hour of need. By popular mandate, thatsomeone is you. You are now Presidente.

Your powers as PresidenteThe powers granted to you by the Junta are vast but notunlimited. Your policy options in Hidden Agenda arepresented through dialogue in face-to-face Encounterswith members of the public known as Influential, or inConsultations with the ministers of your cabinet. In eachdialogue, someone gives a short speech explaining his orher position on the current issue and proposes what youshould do. You decide which proposals to accept, butkeep in mind that you do not have the power to makeproposals of your own.

The JuntaYour fellow Junta members represent three verydifferent political parties and usually argue radically

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different points of view. The Junta members you appointto each ministry determine which policy issues you hearabout, and they carry out your decisions. Each of thethree parties contains three Junta members which givesyou a total of nine people from which to pick yourcabinet. Since there are only four ministry positions, youcan make one party dominate the cabinet or you can tryfor a more balanced coalition. You can also elect tochange your cabinet by demanding the resignation ofone character and appointing another in his or her place.Options change as the game proceedsAs time goes on you may find your range of optionsdiminishing as certain characters depart into exile, die,or resign in disgust from your cabinet. Influentialsunhappy with the course of events may interrupt yourschedule and force you to quickly decide on an issue.Ministers may pretend to accept your decisions but thenproceed to follow "hidden agendas" of their own. TheJunta may lose confidence in you and demand yourresignation. Someone on the Junta may even try tooverthrow you. If this happens, whether you remain inoffice depends on how much support your policies haveamong the people of Chimerica.Passing timeEvery time you make a decision, time passes. Your termin office can last for up to three years provided youaren't overthrown or voted out of office. The Junta hasindefinite plans for elections, and you decide when or ifthey occur.

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Gauging your progressThere are several ways to gauge your progressthroughout the game.

Excerpts from four different newspapers provideclues about how your decisions have been received.

Charts track social indicators like the Infant MortalityRate and economic indicators such as the ForeignExchange Reserves.

The characters themselves tell you right awaywhether they are pleased with your choices. Theymay complain about the consequences of yourdecisions or praise you to the skies.

The Verdict of HistoryWhatever way the game ends, you will be able to readthe Verdict of History, an excerpt from an edition of anencyclopedia written nearly a century after your term ofoffice. It discusses the history of Chimerica and yourtenure as Presidente. After reading the Verdict, it is up toyou to decide whether you won the game or lost.

Playing Hidden Agenda againThe long-term challenge of Hidden Agenda is to play itmany times and compare what happens when you trydifferent approaches. For example, the game looks verydifferent when played with a cabinet dominated by the

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National Liberation party than if the Popular Stabilityparty advisors predominate.

A word about game-playing styleAlthough Hidden Agenda rewards a careful, methodicalapproach, such an approach is not required. The gamecan be played in many different ways. Some people readevery word of every character's biography before settingup a cabinet; others appoint the first face they see andmove on. You can gather information from as manysources as possible before making any decision. Forexample, you can read the historical information in theReference Manual for an overall picture of Chimerica'spast and present problems. Or, you can make quickdecisions on the spot. Another approach is to quickly zipthrough the first time you play to get a feel for the game,and then play again so you can figure out what all thefireworks were about. There is no right or wrong way toplay the game; each of these styles produces a rewardingexperience.

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A game beginsWhen you start Hidden Agenda (see Quick Start sectionfor information on starting) the following screenappears:

byJimGasperini

Gregory Guenn

Pon Martinez

Angela Greene

Hidden AgendaA P O S T - P E V O L U T I O N i P Y G A n E

Ron Martinez

Press Enter, and your signing-in ceremony begins.

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Signing-in ceremonyEnter your name. After typing in a name, press Enter tomove to the next name box.

In the 2nd Last name box, enter your mother's maidenname. If you make an error in entering a name and wantto go back and correct it, use the up or down arrow keyto move the cursor. When the cursor moves to a namebox, use the Backspace key to erase the name and type inthe correct name.A word about Spanish naming conventionsIn Spanish-speaking countries people use two lastnames, their father's surname and their mother's maiden

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name (2nd Last). The father's name comes first, and themother's name last, but the father's name is used theway we use "last" names. For example, the full name ofthe President of Costa Rica who won the Nobel PeacePrize is "Oscar Arias Sanchez," but he is usually referredto as "President Arias." "Sanchez" is his mother's name.

When a woman marries, she keeps her father's name. Inplace of her mother's name, however, she will usuallyuse her husband's name, prefaced with "de." MargaritaPenon de Arias, the wife of President Arias, was knownuntil her marriage as Margarita Penon Gongora.

You may want to follow this style in entering your name.

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Press conferenceYour first press conference begins immediately after thesigning-in ceremony. Your screen looks like this whenthe press conference begins:

Protect citizens froH violent repression

The reporters ask you three questions. Your answersestablish your goals as Presidente. Read the reporters'question, then select the response you feel is appropriate(see the Quick Start section for instructions on selecting

19

options). When the questions are finished, select thedesk icon and an animated screen appears and providesyou with information on the current season.

Your office appears on the screen as follows:

In the First ear of sour Presidency, theHarvest Season ends and the Dry Seasonbegins...

Press any key to continue, and you land squarely in thePresidente's office, ready to begin playing the game.

The Presidente's officeFrom your office you perform most of your actions. Yourdesk holds five desktop choices and four drawers. Thecalendar on the wall keeps track of game time elapsed.

The icon that represents your office is a desk. Wheneveryou want to return to your office, select the desk icon.Sometimes the desk icon appears dimmed. When thathappens, the icon is not active, and you cannot return toyour office at that point.

Desktop optionsThe five desktop choices lead to other screens asrepresented in the following charts:

20 21

Consultations

Contacts

Agriculture MinisterDefense MinisterInternal Affairs MinisterExternal Affairs Minister

AgricultureMinister Dossiers

Party Dossiers

DefenseInternal

_ External

r Ignacio Nunez LaranjeraChristian Reform I Liliana Ortiz Lanza

Francisco Ferrante Oberon

Nadona, Liberal -TManuel Calderon Iglesias

{Bernardo Whitmyre AlvaradoAntonio Alejos Espinales

Logbook

Francisco Rosario Rosanes

Meetings 1-9

Encounters Influentials

Landless LaborerThe TeacherCoffee GrowerUS AmbassadorGuard LeaderTrade Union LeaderTNC RepresentativeIMF RepresentativeThe CampesinoArmy Colonel

f PressDigests

Reports

ProgressCharts

USSR AmbassadorRights ActivistShopkeeperCoffee WorkerThe DoctorCotton CultivatorSub-comandanteThe BishopIndustrialistBankerCuban Consul

Chimerica AhoraEl IndependienteEdition MondialeUSA Yesterday

Military ExpensesSocial SpendingInfant MortalityLand DistributionFood CropsExport CropsHard Currency EarningsCurrency Reserves, etc.Loans and Aid

22 23

ContactsUse the Contacts option to appoint, fire, and reappointministers. One of your first tasks as Presidente is toappoint your cabinet ministers. Your cabinet will consistof you and the ministers of four departmentsAgriculture, Defense, Internal Affairs, and ExternalAffairs. You select your ministers from the members ofthe Junta of the Insurrection. The ministers advise youby presenting policy options on the issues that confrontyour government. They also carry out your decisions.

Once you select Contacts in the Presidente's office, youhave two options Party Dossiers and MinisterDossiers. A dossier is a description of the backgroundand political positions of a party or individual. If youhave not yet appointed any ministers, the MinisterDossiers will be inactive. The Party Dossiers are alwaysactive.

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Party dossiersThe Party Dossiers option allows you to review the threepolitical parties' platforms. The three parties are:

25

Christian Reform, National Liberation, and PopularStability.

When a party is selected, a description of the partyappears on the screen.

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Christian Reform Party:Ignacio Hunez LaranjeM |l

Li hana Ortiz LanzaFrancisco Ferrante Oberon

Forned in the 1940s as a "popularalternative," Christian mm had its heydaydurins the short-lived refornist sovernnentof Leonard Flores (1950-1954). Long the onlytolerated opposition party, it Managed toavoid banisnnent even during the worst of thedictator's excesses, Its appeal is strongestaHonj the snail urban niJdle class, though itis also favored by elenents of the coffeeproducers and the leadership of the CatholicChurch.

Party Dossiers

It gives you a general idea of the party's positions in thepast and its direction for the future.

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Minister dossiersThe Minister Dossiers option is active after you haveappointed at least one minister to your cabinet. Use thisoption to review minister dossiers or fire ministers.

Preparing to appoint ministersTo begin appointing ministers to your cabinet, you firstneed to select a party. Select Party Dossiers and review aparty's dossier.

Christian Morn P a r t y :Ipacio Nunez unuen

Li lima Ortiz LanzaFrancisco Ferrante Qberon

Forned in the 1948s as a "popularalternative," Christian Reform had its heydayduring the short-lived reforest govemhentof Leonard Flores (1959-1954). Long the onlytolerated opposition party, it Managed toavoid hnisment even during the worst of thedictator's excesses, Its appeal is strongestjhonj the snail urban Kiddie class, though itis also favored ky elements of the coffeeproducers and the leadership of the CatholicChurch,

Party Dossiers

Each party has three members who can be appointed toministerial positions. Select a member's name and press

28 29

Enter. The member's dossier appears and providesinformation on the member's past positions and futureplans.

Christian Morn, A forner teacher, wilder of Lilian* Ortiz it Lanzafour, and neither of the board of trustees ofseveral social service agencies,,, Widow offlrMando Lanza, popular university professor,politician and critic of the Farsantes, u)ui"assassinatjon in the last year of thedictatorship helped spark the dictator'sfinal fall fron power, Still carries thebanner of her outspoken and influentialhusband, but has now becow an inportantfigure in her own right,

flppoint To~Recent statenents indicate her support for:-assistance to needy farners-civilian control over the nijitary-increased funding for education and healthcare

-stable relation; with all countries,

Christian RefornParty Dossiers

Dossiers

You now have five choices:

Appoint Toto appoint this individual as minister

Christian Reform (or other party name)reviewanother party member's dossier

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Party Dossiersreturn to the party dossier screen toselect a different party

Dossiersreturn to the main dossier screen

Desk iconreturn to your office without making anappointment

It's up to you to decide what strategies to pursue inappointing ministers. You can try to build asbroad-based a coalition as possible, or to concentrate onpushing through a consistent program by appointing asmany advisors as possible from one party. Here aresome things to consider:

Broad coalitionif you appoint at least one ministerfrom each party, you will probably receive the broadestrange of advice possible in Consultations.

Focused platformto build a cabinet that thinks alike onmajor issues, you can appoint as many ministers aspossible from the party you support. This results infewer problems with ministers disagreeing with yourpolicy decisions. However, a focused platform willstrengthen the strong polarizing forces that already existin Chimerica, which may lead to an early coup attempt.

Appointing ministersThere are four ministerial positions to fill: AgricultureMinister, Defense Minister, Internal Affairs Minister,External Affairs Minister. (For descriptions of the

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ministerial positions, see the definitions in the Glossarysection of the Reference Manual.)A member's dossier must be on the screen in order tobegin the appointment process.

Select Appoint To and the four ministerial positionsappear.

Christian Morn, A forner teacher, mother of Lilians Ortiz de Lanzafour, and neiiber of the board of trustees of _several social service agencies... Uidou of Agriculture MinisteArnando Lanza, popular university professor,politician and critic of the Farsantes, nhoseassassination in the last year of thedictatorship helped spark the dictator'sfinal fall fron power, Still carries thebanner of her outspoken and influentialhusband, but has now becoiw an inportantfigure in her own right.

Recent statements indicate her support for!-assistance to needy fanners-civilian control over the Military-increased funding for education and healthcare

-stable relations with all countries.

Defense MinisterIntema Affairs Minister

Christian ReformParty Dossiers

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Select the position you want to appoint the member toand press Enter. The minister reacts to the appointment:

I Helcone this new opportunity to serve ny Liliana Ortiz de Lanzacountry with a deep sense of hunilits. I willendeavor to prove Myself equal to the task."

Christian MoraParty Dossiers

You can review the dossiers of all nine Junta membersfrom the three different parties, and select theindividuals you want to serve in your government.

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Firing ministersYou have the power to remove a minister from office. Tofire a minister, select the Minister Dossiers option. A listof the minister positions appears. Select the minister youwant to fire.

dimmedbutton

If a button appears dimmed, that means the ministerialpost has not been filled. A dimmed button cannot beselected.

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The minister's dossier appears:

National Liberation. Grey up in a well-to-do Julio Olivares Las Casasfahily.,, since taking his vows has teen a .tireless aduncate for the rights of thepoor,.. save refuse to the undergroundopposition during the Insurrection,..narrowly escaped arrest on numerous