CHILEAN COURT INVESTIGATES DEATH OF DIPLOMAT TIED TO LETELIER CASE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81M00980R002000090068-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 4, 2004
• Sequence Number: 68
• Content Type: NSPR

NEW YO prT Id1E For Release 2004/10/12 : CIA-
DATE
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THE NEW YORK TIMES, wcviyciaL.sa, Lr4L1L\6e11 0, LY10
Chilean Court Investigates Death
Of Diplomat Tied to Jr etelier Case
SANTIAGO, Chile, March 7-A Chilean
diplomat who might have identified two
men wanted for questioning in the bomb-
ing that killed former Foreign Minister
Orlando -Letelier in Washington died five
months ago under mysterious circum-
stances.
The diplomat, Guillermo Osorio, had
signed a request to the United States
Embassy here that diplomatic visas be
granted to two teen carrying official
passports issued by his office.
The passports, with false names, were
used by two men who entered the United
States in July 1976 and who are suspect-
ed of having arranged with Cuban exiles
to blow up Mr. Letelier's car in Septem-
ber. The exiled Mr. Letelier was an active
opponent of the military regime here.
A Federal court in Washington asked
Chile's judicial authorities to question the
two men who used the passports. The
Chilean Supreme Court granted the re-
quest late yesterday and a member of
the court will be appointed to carry out
the questioning.
Identity of Men Not Known
By JUAN de ONIS
Special to The New York Tlmes
The identity of the two men, however,
is not known. The. names on the pass-
ports, Juan Williams Rose and Alberto
Romerad Jara, are false. A man named
in the local press as being one of them
on the basis of photographs has denied
any involvement. Rafael Undurraga
Cruzat, an electronics technician reported
to be the man named as Alberto Romeral
Jara, said he had never been in the Unit-
ed States. The other supposed missing
person, Michael Townley, was reported
,to be in Santiago, but has not made a
public appearance.
The death of Mr. _Osorio is the subject
of a court inquiry. According to legal
sources, 'the death certificate gave the
cause of death as a heart attack. Anew
autopsy was ordered after members of
his family said he had been shot in the
head, and the body has been exhumed.
The day the diplomat died in his bed-
room he had been to an official,, lunch
for visitin?; Peruvian military autligrities.
According to his wife, he came home ac-
companied by Gen. Juan Manuel Con-
treras Sep ilveda, who was then the head
of Chile's National Intelligence Director-
ate.
Family nembers -said he had been in
good spiris up to the day of his death,
particularl T after having been told he
was to be appointed to'an important am-
bassadorsl ip. Reports at the time that
he had Co omitted suicide were not dis-
pelled by the death certificate, which was
issued by the Chilean Forensic Institute.
Departr? ent of Justice investigators in
Washinton inquiring into Mr. Letelier's
death bel eve tha the 'two bearers of
-the passpc its were agents of Chile's se-
cret intelligence service., .then under
orders of 3eneral Contreras. The general
is now a I igh official in the Army Minis-
try and i close advilser to .President
Augusto P nochet.
Approved For Release 2004/10/12 : CIA-RDP81 M00980R002000090068-7