State-sponsored Terrorism and U.s. Complicity in Latin America

Operation Condor is the code name of an intelligence-sharing apparatus among governments of the following South American states: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Brazil (Peru and Ecuador joined in later on, with a less significant role). This network was functional in the second half of the 1970s and targeted communist subversion: hunted down, kidnapped, and assassinated political dissidents, suspected guerrilla leaders and regime critics.1

Sources. Thesis statement.

Reconstruction of events surrounding Operation Condor is a challenging task for a few reasons. First, Latin America and U.S. top officials are either reluctant to discuss the Operation or downright deny its mere existence. Second, survivors understandably refuse to testify as it would mean revisiting the trauma. Lastly, the U.S. government has been reluctantly and selectively releasing declassified files.

The United States played a central role in nurturing state-sponsored terrorism in Latin America under the banner of anticommunism and in the name of “security”. The U.S. financed Operation Condor, as well as organized and trained the military and intelligence forces of participating countries, modernizing and professionalizing them.

Onset: the buildup of tension.

Worried over history repeating itself (having another “Cuba” in its “backyard”), the U.S. began overthrowing the democratic regimes in Latin America. A series of government takeovers orchestrated by the U.S. between 1950s and 1970s prepared a strong foundation for the emergence of military terror campaign, in which Operation Condor was the culmination:

• General Alfredo Stroessner took power in Paraguay in 1954;
• the Brazilian military overthrew the government of Joao Goulart in 1964;
• General Hugo Banzer toppled President Juan Jose Torres in Bolivia in 1971;
• Augusto Pinochet overthrew President Allende in 1973;
• General Jorge Rafael Videla seized power in Argentina in 1976.2

At the height of Cold War communist threats became the most pressing issue for American foreign policymakers. Consequently, motivation to establish policies in order to maintain the U.S. sphere of influence in Latin America evolved into top-priority. The U.S. position is accurately expressed by an American diplomat and historian George F. Kennan: “it is better to have a strong regime in power than a liberal one if it is indulgent and relaxed and penetrated by Communists.”1

One of Latin America’s darkest periods: Operation Condor’s birthplace and implementation.

It is only logical to begin any analysis of rationale behind Operation Condor with its birthplace – Chile. Ruthless silencing of opposition that entailed abductions, torture and executions began after Augusto Pinochet’s 1973 military coup against democratically-elected socialist President Salvador Allende. The Nixon administration had helped sabotage Allende

1. Zanchetta, Barbara. 2016. “Between Cold War Imperatives and State-Sponsored Terrorism: The United States and ‘Operation Condor.’” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 39 (12): 1084–1102. doi:10.1080/1057610X.2016.1159069.
2. McSherry, J. Patrice. 2005. Predatory States: Operation Condor and Covert War in Latin America. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. (forced Chilean economy into bankruptcy) and then supported Pinochet as he dissolved parliament and started a cruel campaign against anyone who repelled the right-wing dictatorship regimes.

The Operation was drawn up at a secret 1975 meeting of intelligence chiefs from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay in Santiago, Chile. Member states coordinated mutual political surveillance and exchange of intelligence information, organized cross-border operations to interrogate, torture and disappear dissidents and set up teams to carry out assassinations around the world.

By the time Operation Condor ended in the early 1980s, as many as 60,000 people may have been killed.5

Evidence of U.S. involvement: removal of secrecy stamp from the past.

Declassified U.S. Department of State files have provided evidence of Operation’s broad scope and revealed that the U.S. not only knew of its existence and did nothing to stop it, but also gave organizational and physical support to the program’s participating countries. Some of the most compelling discoveries are:

• tens of thousands of Latin American officers were trained at the School of Americas (a U.S. army facility), which served a central continental anticommunist base and used the infamous torture manuals to plan operations;
• the CIA provided lists of suspects and other intelligence information to the participating states. The FBI searched in the U.S. for individuals wanted by DINA (Directorate of National Intelligence) – the secret police of Chile;
• the cables by then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger reveal, that in 1976 Kissinger was briefed on the Operation and instructed his ambassadors not to confront the military governments over assassinations and torture – and thus, the only chance to stop the terror was intentionally missed;
• the revealed collaboration between the CIA and DINA’s chief Manuel Contreras, who was a paid CIA contact until 1977.
• Rhymes, Edward. 2017. “Operation Condor: US, Latin American Slaughter, Torture Program.” teleSUR.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Operation Condor stands as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of state-sponsored terrorism in Latin America during the Cold War era. Orchestrated under the guise of anticommunism, this clandestine intelligence-sharing apparatus led to the abduction, torture, and assassination of political dissidents, leaving a trail of trauma and suffering across the region. The complicity of the United States in supporting and financing Operation Condor highlights the ethical dilemmas and moral responsibilities of powerful nations in shaping global affairs.

Despite efforts to conceal its existence and downplay its significance, Operation Condor has left an indelible mark on the collective memory of Latin American societies. The declassification of U.S. government files has shed light on the extent of American involvement in perpetuating state-sponsored terrorism, raising important questions about accountability and justice.

As we reflect on the legacy of Operation Condor, it is imperative to acknowledge the enduring impact of this dark chapter in history and to strive for transparency, truth, and reconciliation. By confronting the painful truths of the past and holding accountable those responsible for atrocities committed in the name of national security, we can work towards a more just and peaceful future for all.

Bibliography

1. Central Intelligence Agency. 2000. “CIA activities in Chile: Relationship with Contreras.” https://www.cia.gov/library/reports/general-reports-1/chile/#21
2. Kornbluh, Peter. 2010. “Kissinger blocked demarche on international assassinations to Condor states.” National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 312. https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB312/index.htm
3. McSherry, J. Patrice. 2005. Predatory States: Operation Condor and Covert War in Latin America. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
4. McScherry, J. Patrice. 2001. “Operation Condor: Deciphering the U.S. role.” Global Policy Forum. https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/168/28173.html
5. McSherry, J. Patrice. “Operation Condor: Clandestine Inter-American System.” Social Justice 26, no. 4 (December 1999): 144–74.
6. Rhymes, Edward. 2017. “Operation Condor: US, Latin American Slaughter, Torture Program.” teleSUR. https://www.telesurenglish.net/opinion/Operation-Condor-US-Latin-American-Slaughter-Torture-Program-20170615-0028.html
7. Rohter, Larry. 'Exposing the Legacy of Operation Condor.' The New York Times. January 24, 2014. https://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/24/exposing-the-legacy-of-operation-condor/
8. Zanchetta, Barbara. 2016. “Between Cold War Imperatives and State-Sponsored Terrorism: The United States and ‘Operation Condor.’” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 39 (12): 1084–1102. doi:10.1080/1057610X.2016.1159069.