8/11/2019 Operation Condor.doc

1/4

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%( 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( butalso because 3perat#on ,ondor represented a culm#nat#on of a lon' sou'ht

-.S. obect#*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. -nderth#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

8/11/2019 Operation Condor.doc

2/4

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#sm. 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+( commandern&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#natedemployment of secur#ty forces4 that 6eneral Porter descr#bed earl#er as one

of the pr#me obects of -.S. e9orts #n $at#n %mer#ca. %s th#s extens#*e and

terr#ble form of transnat#onal terror#sm owed 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 membercountr#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#on4 but falls eas#ly #nto

accept#n' the not#on that the *#ct#ms of #ts murder s

8/11/2019 Operation Condor.doc

3/4

8/11/2019 Operation Condor.doc

4/4