AR 051 TELEGRAM 04844 FROM THE EMBASSY IN ARGENTINA THE HE DEPARTMENT OF STATE. - 1976/03/16

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Keywords: 1973-1976
• Keywords: AMERICAN REPUBLICS
• Keywords: AMERICAN REPUBLICS
• Keywords: FRUS
• Keywords: FRUS
• Collection: Argentina Declassification Project - The "Dirty War" (1976-83)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 05355613
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: April 3, 2019
• Document Release Date: April 12, 2019
• Publication Date: March 16, 1976

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Approved for Release: 2018/09/20 C05355613
EO 13526
3.3(b)(1)>25Yrs
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Document Number: 1976BUEN0S04844
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INFO OCT-01 ARA-06 ISO-00 EUR-12 CIAE-00 NSAE-00 DODE-00
/026 W
R 232000Z JUL 76
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6471
SECRETBUENOS AIRES 4844
128840
E.O. 11652 XGDS-2
TAGS: PINS, AR, BL, CI, PA, DY, BR
SUBJECT: SOUTH AMERICAC SOUTHERN CONE SECURITY PRACTICES
REF: STATE 178852
(NOT RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS/NOT RELEASABLE TO CONTRACTORS
OR CONTRACTOR-CONSULTANTS/WARNING NOTICE--SENSITIVE INTELLIGENCE
SOURCES AND METHODS INVOLVED)
1, EMBASSY BUENOS AIRES OFFERS FOLLOWING COMMENTS ON INR
REPORT NO. 526 OF JULY 19, 1976, AS TRANSMITTED IN REFTEL:
2. FIRST, WE AGREE WITH INR ASSESSMENT THAT PRESENT EVIDENCE
DOES NOT RPT NOT CONFIRM THAT SOUTHERN CONE SECURITY FORCES
ARE INVOLVED IN WELL-ORGANIZED CONSPIRACY TO ELIMINATE EXILE
LEADERS. IT SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED, HOWEVER, THAT LOCAL GOVERN-
MENTS HAVE MOTIVATION AND OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO, AND IT WOULD
BE EQUALLYS ERRONEOUS TO CONCLUDE THAT SUCH CONSPIRACY IS
UNLIKELY.
3. HOWEVER, INR ASSESSMENT UNDERESTIMATES DEGREE OF COOPERA-
TION BETWEEN REGIONAL SECURITY FORCES, IN OUR OPINION.
REPORT RECOGNIZES THAT REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE ORGANIZED TO
EXCHANGE INFORMATION AND TO COOPERATE IN CERTAIN AREAS
(OPERATON CONDOR"). IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO TAKE INTO CON-
SIDERATION RECENT REPORTS OF THE PRESENCE IN ARGENTINA OF
SECURITY FORCES PERSONNEL FROM URUGUAY AND CHILE, FOR EXAMPLE,
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WHO APPEAR TO BE ACTING AS ADVISORS TO THE ARGENTINE FORCES
IN CONNECTION WITH NATIONALS OF THEIR OWN COUNTRIES SUPPOSED
TO BE INVOLVED IN SUBVERSION. ONE RECENT REPORT CITED
ARGENTINE ARMY SOURCE REFERENCE TO A URUGUAYAN ARMY MAJOR
ASSIGNED TO THE URUGUAYAN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE SERVICE "WHO
HAS BEEN IN BUENOS AIRES FOR THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS COOPERA-
TING WITH ARGENTINE SECURITY FORCES IN ANTI-TERRORIST OPERA-
TIONS." ANOTHER REPORT
CITED PRESENCE IN BUENOS AIRES OF URGUAYAN DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE
SERVICE PERSONNEL WORKING IN CONJUNCTION WITH ARGENTINE SECURITY
SERVICE. INR SHOULD ALSO NOTE
WHICH MAKES CLEAR THE EXTENSIVE INTERCHANGE OF PERSONNEL AND ACTIVE
COOPERATION BETWEEN CHILE AND ARGENTINA ON SECURITY MATTERS. WE
CONSIDER THAT THE EVIDENCE IS HEAVILY WEIGHTED IN FAVOR OF THE
CONCLUSION THAT BOTH CHILEAN AND URUGUAYAN SECURITY PERSONNEL ARE
JOINING IN OPERATIONS OF THE ARGENTINE SECURITY FORCES AGAINST
TERRORISTS AND SUBVERSIVES, BOTH IN BUENMOS AIRES AND OTHER
PARTS OF ARGENTINA, ALTHOUGH WE CANNOT DOCUMENT THE CONDLH-
SION. IT IS PROBABLY THAT ARGENTINE SEUCIRYT PERSONNEL' IN
TURN HAVE TRAVELED TO NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES TO COOPERATE WITH
LOCAL SECURITY FORCES. WITHOUT QUESTION, REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS
HAVE RECOGNIZED AND RESPONDED IN KIND TO "INTERNALIZATION"
OF TERRORIST/SUBVERSIVE EFFORT, REPRESENTED IN SOUTHERN CONE
BY THE JCR.
4. IN ADDITION, THERE APPEARS ALSO TO BE MISUNDERSTANDING,
TO WHICH WE MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED, AS TO COMPOSITION OF THE
VARIOUS FORCES ENGAGED IN BATTLE IN ARGENTINA, IN PARA 4 OF
REFTLE, INR REFERS TO "...TRI-CORNERED BATTLE AMONG SECURITY
PERSONNEL, LEFTISTS AND RIGHT-WING ASSASSINS." THIS DESCRIP-
TION IMPLIES THAT THERE ARE RIGHT-WING EXTREMISTS OPERATING
COMPLETELY INDEPENDENTLY IN ARGENTINA. DURING PERIOD OF
TRIPLE A UNDER LAST PERONIST GOVT THIS WAS TRUE AS RIGHT-
WING LABOR GOONS WERE PROBABLY AS ACTIVE AS OFF-DUTY SECURITY
PERSONNEL IN MURDERING AND HARASSING LEFTISTS. IN OUR BEST
JUDGMENT, THE ONLY "RIGHT-WING ASSASSINS" OPERATING IN
ARGENTINA AT THIS POINT, HOWEVER, ARE MEMBERS OF THE GOA
SECURITY FORCES. THE BATTLE IS A TWO-SIDED AFFAIR, NOT TRI-
CORNERED. ONLY REAL QUESTION IS DEGREE TO WHICH SECURITY FORCES
PERSONNEL MAY BE OPERATING OUT OF GOA CONTROL.
CHAPLIN
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3.3(b)(1)
3.3(b)(1)