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Operation Condor (Latin America)

excerpted from the book The Real Terror Network by Edward S. Herman
South End Press
In 1!" s#x Nat#onal Secur#ty States of $at#n %mer#ca& %r'ent#na( )ol#*#a(
)ra+#l( ,h#le( Para'uay and -ru'uay& entered #nto a system for the .o#nt
mon#tor#n' and assass#nat#n' of d#ss#dent refu'ees #n member countr#es.
The pro'ram was d#rectly #n#t#ated under the sponsorsh#p of ,h#le and #ts
head of the secret pol#ce /0IN%1( 2anuel ,ontreras. ,h#le pro*#ded the #n#t#al
fund#n'( or'an#+ed a ser#es of meet#n's #n Sant#a'o( and pro*#ded the
computer capac#ty and central#+ed ser*#ces. Howe*er( the -n#ted States
deser*es a 'reat deal of cred#t for th#s #mportant de*elopment( partly as the
sponsor and ad*#ser to 0IN% and other part#c#pat#n' secur#ty ser*#ces( but
also because 3perat#on ,ondor represented a culm#nat#on of a lon' sou'ht
-.S. ob.ect#*e&coord#nat#on of the stru''le a'a#nst 4,ommun#sm4 and
4sub*ers#on.4 In 1"5( -.S. 6eneral Robert 7. Porter stated that 4In order to
fac#l#tate the coord#nated employment of #nternal secur#ty forces w#th#n and
amon' $at#n %mer#can countr#es( we are...endea*or#n' to foster #nter&ser*#ce
and re'#onal cooperat#on by ass#st#n' #n the or'an#+at#on of #nte'rated
command and control centers8 the establ#shment of common operat#n'
procedures8 and the conduct of .o#nt and comb#ned tra#n#n' exerc#ses.4
,ondor was one of the fru#ts of th#s e9ort.
-nder 3perat#on ,ondor( pol#t#cal refu'ees who lea*e -ru'uay and 'o to
%r'ent#na w#ll be #dent#:ed and kept under sur*e#llance by %r'ent#n#an
4secur#ty4 forces( who w#ll #nform -ru'uayan 4secur#ty4 forces of the
presence of these #nd#*#duals. If the -ru'uayan secur#ty forces w#sh to
murder these refu'ees #n order to preser*e western *alues( %r'ent#ne forces
w#ll cooperate. They w#ll keep the -ru'uayans #nformed of the whereabouts
of the refu'ees8 they w#ll allow them to enter and freely mo*e around #n
%r'ent#na and to take the refu'ees #nto custody( torture and murder them8
and the %r'ent#n#ans w#ll then cla#m no knowled'e of these e*ents. -nder
th#s system( two former -ru'uayan Senators( one a former Pres#dent of the
Senate( ;elmar 2#chel#n# and Hector 6ut#erre+ Ru#+( were k#dnapped and
murdered #n )uenos %#res. 7e also note( .ust to keep the reader abreast of
the <ual#ty of th#s cooperat#*e enterpr#se( that both 2#chel#n# and Ru#+ were
tortured before be#n' murdered( and that 2#chel#n#=s dau'hter 2ar'ar#ta was
also se#+ed and 4d#sappeared.
)y >uly 1!" some ?@ -ru'uayan ex#les( re'#stered as refu'ees w#th -.N.
oAc#als #n )uenos %#res( had been taken #nto custody and d#sappeared(
surely murdered. Subse<uently( se*eral hundred more -ru'uayans were
p#cked up and ha*e not been heard from s#nce. %r'ent#ne author#t#es d#d not
acknowled'e these arrests( #n conform#ty 4w#th the pol#cy of the secur#ty
forces to w#thhold #nformat#on on arrests #n*ol*#n' #n*est#'at#on of
sub*ers#on4 />uan de 3n#s of the New Bork T#mes( parrot#n' the lan'ua'e of
fasc#st terror#sm1. 2any other cross&country d#sappearances ha*e also
occurred. %s reported by de 3n#s(
4,h#lean ex#les also were handed across the border to ,h#lean secret pol#ce
and ha*e not been heard of s#nce. 6en. >uan >ose Torres( a former Pres#dent
of )ol#*#a( was k#dnapped #n )uenos %#res and found dead #n an automob#le
trunk. 6en. ,arlos Prats 6on+ale+( commander&#n&ch#ef of the ,h#lean %rmy
under the late Pres#dent Sal*ador %llende 6ossens( was k#lled by a bomb #n
%r'ent#na. % s#m#lar network of #ntell#'ence Cs#cD operat#ons has also worked
between )ra+#l and -ru'uay. Persons abducted #n the southern )ra+#l#an
state of R#o do Sul( w#th cooperat#on from local pol#t#cal pol#ce( wound up #n
-ru'uayan .a#ls.4
0ata are sparse( but the s#x country murder network toll starts w#th
abduct#on&murders of -ru'uayans alone number#n' #n excess of two
hundred. Th#s terror network threw fear #nto the hearts of the many
thousands of pol#t#cal refu'ees who had resettled #n the 3perat#on ,ondor
states( as they saw themsel*es now w#thout a safe ha*en or any protect#on
by le'al process. They were now bene:t#n' from that 4coord#nated
employment of secur#ty forces4 that 6eneral Porter descr#bed earl#er as one
of the pr#me ob.ects of -.S. e9orts #n $at#n %mer#ca. %s th#s extens#*e and
terr#ble form of transnat#onal terror#sm Eowed from -.S. pol#cy e9orts and
perce#*ed #nterests( #t has not rece#*ed much not#ce #n the -.S. mass med#a.
Th#s murder network soon extended #ts operat#ons beyond the borders of
the s#x part#c#pat#n' countr#es. % secret report of an F)I a'ent ass#'ned to
)uenos %#res( descr#b#n' 3perat#on ,ondor( called attent#on to 4a more
secret phase4 wh#ch 4#n*ol*es the format#on of spec#al teams from member
countr#es to tra*el anywhere #n the world to non&member countr#es to carry
out sanct#ons( C#nclud#n'D assass#nat#ons( a'a#nst terror#sts or supporters of
a terror#st or'an#+at#on from 3perat#on ,ondor member countr#es.4 It #s
worth not#n' that the F)I a'ent report#n' on th#s matter not only appro*es
the enterpr#se /wh#ch he thou'ht 4a 'ood operat#on41 but falls eas#ly #nto
accept#n' the not#on that the *#ct#ms of #ts murder s<uads are 4terror#sts.4
0ata are lack#n' on the scope of th#s 'lobal phase of 3perat#on ,ondor(
wh#ch #s d#Acult to d#st#n'u#sh from un#lateral #nternat#onal terror#sm carr#ed
out by the %r'ent#ne or ,h#lean secret pol#ce or one of the#r contract a'ents(
often members of the ,uban ex#le terror#st network. G#dnapp#n's( murders
and attempted murders #n 2ex#co and Italy ha*e been procla#med by the
,uban S<uad ;ero from 1!H onward( some surely under contract w#th
0IN%( althou'h others were apparently to d#*ert attent#on from the real
/0IN%1 k#llers. 3rlando )osch has worked for and been protected by 0IN%.
The $etel#er&2oAtt murders #n 7ash#n'ton( 0.,. were carr#ed out by a
,uban&,h#lean a'ent team that may ha*e been part of 3perat#on ,ondor.
The ,I% was well aware of the #nternal /member country1 use and 'lobal
extens#on of 3perat#on ,ondor and headed o9 #ts act#*#t#es #n se*eral all#ed
countr#es l#ke France and Portu'al by #nform#n' the author#t#es. The ,I% d#d
not head o9 the 2oAtt&$etel#er murders( althou'h #t knew that 0IN% tr#''er
men had entered the -n#ted States. 7hyI It #s poss#ble that the ,I% knew of
the prospect#*e murders( and let them happen because #t was murder of the
r#'ht people&people such as 3perat#on ,ondor and the Free 7orld=s secret
pol#ce k#ll da#ly. It #s also conce#*able that the ,I% suspected someth#n' :shy
about to happen( but chose not to #n<u#re( because of the#r 4fa#th4 #n the
cho#ce of the#r fasc#st counterpart. It #s also poss#ble that the ,I% bun'led
and made no #n<u#ry( and that P#nochet and 0IN% murdered on the streets
of 7ash#n'ton( 0.,. assum#n' that 7ash#n'ton would not m#nd8 after all(
both 0IN% and 3perat#on ,ondor are -.S. o9spr#n'. How was P#nochet to
know that br#n'#n' h#s death s<uads r#'ht #nto the heart of the Free 7orld
was unseemlyI
7#th #ts hand forced( and obl#'ated to proceed #n the case of a well&
publ#c#+ed murder #n 7ash#n'ton( the -.S. 'o*ernment d#d a 'reat deal to
sub*ert the case. 0ocuments were leaked to the press wh#ch l#nked $etel#er
to ,uba( e9ect#*ely smear#n' h#m and creat#n' a false red herr#n' that was
used both to .ust#fy murder and to d#*ert #n<u#ry away from our warm fr#ends
#n ,h#le. %lthou'h the ,I% knew from the day of the murder that 0IN%
a'ents had come #n to do a .ob( th#s was h#dden from the press and from
other parts of the 'o*ernment as lon' as poss#ble( and the false tra#l of
su''est#ons of a left&terror#st murder was pushed by people who knew th#s
was a l#e. Thus the prosecut#on of the murderers was carr#ed out by a
'o*ernment that was so comprom#sed by #ts own l#es and suppress#ons and
hamstrun' by #ts own #n*ol*ement and collaborat#on w#th the ,uban and
,h#lean assass#ns( that #t was #ne*#table that the case would be con*en#ently
4lost.4 The -n#ted States 'o*ernment chose not to #nterfere w#th the death
s<uad at work on -.S. so#l before the fact&and #t was therefore not 'o#n' to
be able to prosecute successfully after the fact. The -n#ted States was one
of the sponsors of 3perat#on ,ondor( had tra#ned the ,uban terror#st tr#''er
man( and had been #nstrumental #n br#n'#n' #nto ex#stence the P#nochet
re'#me. Th#s set of relat#onsh#ps( w#th #ts potent#al for 4'ray&ma#l(4 and #ts
connect#on w#th our 4secur#ty #nterests(4 means that the terror#sts of
3perat#on ,ondor( l#ke the ,uban refu'ee terror network are our pro'eny.
7e are not l#kely to hurt our own.

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