Brief Summary
This documentary excerpt outlines Operation Condor, a coordinated effort by South American dictatorships in the 1970s and 80s to suppress political opposition. Key points include:
- The formalisation of the plan in 1975 in Santiago de Chile.
- The involvement of the US through the CIA, support, and advice.
- The discovery of the "Archives of Horror" in Paraguay in 1992, exposing the extent of the operation.
- The prosecution of key figures like Jorge Rafael Videla.
- The establishment of memorials to remember the victims and learn from the past.
The Genesis of Operation Condor
In November 1975, representatives of South American repressive organisations met in Santiago, Chile, to formalise Operation Condor. This plan aimed to suppress dissent across the continent for the next decade. Operation Condor was an intelligence and coordination operation involving the military dictatorships of Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina.
US Involvement and Coordination
Manuel Contreras, director of the Chilean secret police, convened the meeting, but the true ideologues were linked to the US. The US, under the doctrine of national security and in its fight against communism, fostered the plan through CIA agents, providing support and advice. This cooperation allowed agents to move freely between countries to kidnap, torture, and murder citizens deemed subversive. Automotores Orletti in Argentina served as a key clandestine detention centre.
Uncovering the Truth and Seeking Justice
In 1992, the "Archives of Horror" were discovered in Paraguay, containing over 700,000 pages of documentation exposing the complicity between US intelligence and the region's de facto governments. In 2001, Jorge Rafael Videla became the first ex-dictator convicted for his role in Operation Condor. Augusto Pinochet, Alfredo Stroessner, and Manuel Contreras were also implicated. In 2012, a memorial to the victims of Operation Condor was inaugurated in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
