Operation Condor

Operation Condor was a CIA terrorist campaign in South America from 1975 to 1989. It involved CIA support for the overthrow of democratically elected left-wing leaders and the facilitation of a network of political, military, and covert support between the newly created capitalist regimes. It resulted in the deaths of 60,000–80,000 suspected leftists. And the disappearance, imprisonment and torture of tens of thousands more.

Countries

The governments of seven countries in South America were deposed by coups between 1954 and 1976, most orchestrated and supported by the CIA in order to remove left-wing-though not necessarily Marxist or Socialist-leaders from power. These states include:

Paraguay

Between May 4 and 7 1954 Alfredo Stroessner, a Paraguayan general, orchestrated a coup against then president Frederico Chavez, establishing a Military Junta that went on to commit numerous human rights violations including imprisonment, torture, murder and forced disappearance of members of opposition political parties and in particular the Communist party, suspected disloyal elements of the ruling Colorado Party, and organized peasants and workers. This coup was unique among these coups due to the fact that both Stroessner and Chavez were members of the same party-the right-wing Colorado party-and that CIA support for the coup has not been uncovered.

Brazil

From March 31-April 1, 1964 João Goulart of the Social Democratic Brazilian Labour Party and his government was ousted by the Brazilian military, who established a military dictatorship. This coup was directly supported by the CIA. The military government went on to suppress all left-wing political organizing, with hundreds murdered and between 30,000 and 50,000 arrested and tortured. Modern right-wing figures like Jair Bolsonaro have expressed support for the coup and supported or denied the human rights violations that followed.

Bolivia

In 1971 Socialist President of Bolivia Juan Jose Torres was overthrown in a military coup led by Hugo Banzer Suarez, a Nazi sympathizer and military leader who quickly established a repressive dictatorship that was responsible for the assassination of political leaders, including Juan Jose Torres in 1976, through death squads and massacring protesters including more than 120 Indigenous protesters in January 1974.

Uruguay

On June 27, 1973 Uruguayan president Juan Maria Bordaberry dissolved the General Assembly of Uruguay, established a military dictatorship, and banned Trade Unions and left-wing political organizations. Political repression, which had already existed under the Bordaberry government, increased, with most Trade Unionists and Socialist organizers being killed, arrested, or forced into exile.

Chile

On September 11, 1973 the democratically elected Marxist Salvador Allende was overthrown in a CIA supported coup, during which Chilean general Augusto Pinochet attacked the presidential palace and rather than be captured or killed by Pinochet's forces Salvador Allende killed himself. Pinochet created one of the most notorious anti-Communist governments in history, with more than 3216 Communist, Socialist, Trade Unionist, Anarchist, and anti-Junta organizers being killed or disappeared and tens of thousands imprisoned, tortured, or forced into exile abroad. The Pinochet regime even targeted these exiles abroad, even assassinating one, Orlando Letelier, in the Capitol of the United States.

Peru

On August 29, 1975 Juan Velasco Alvarado, a military leader with some left-policies, was overthrown in a military coup by Francisco Morales Bermudez. Bermudez and his military junta purged the military and government of supporters of Alvarado and suppressed Communism and other left-wing movements throughout the military rule and Alvarado was later prosecuted for crimes involved with the Dirty War.

Argentina

On March 24, 1976 Argentinian president Isabel Peron was overthrown in a coup directly supported by the United States. Jorge Videla took control of the presidency and enacted the most repressive regime in Latin America of that era, with as many as 30,000 political dissidents being murdered. In 1974 the Videla government began the Dirty War, a state terrorism campaign against political dissidents and Communists in particular, for which Videla and other members of the junta were prosecuted for crimes against humanity.

Operation Condor

Operation Condor began at a meeting in Santiago, Chile in 1975. It started as a surveillance agreement, with the countries involved tracking Marxist organizations operating within member countries. Quickly the organization became a network of assassination, kidnapping and suppression of Communist, Socialist, and other leftist organizers, especially those who had fled from their home countries to other countries involved with operation Condor. These cross-border operations resulted in more than 763 victims of kidnapping, torture, and murder, with many more leftist activists falling victim to capitalist repression within their own countries.

Henry Kissinger headed the United States involvement in Condor under the Nixon administration, which involved CIA information sharing as well as direct funding and arming with Condor countries. The CIA has also been directly linked to a Washington DC bombing that killed Orlando Letelier, and the 1973 murders of Charles Horman and Frank Teruggi.

Attacks on leftist exiles occurred outside of South America as well, with a Chilean opposition activist being assassinated in Rome and an office of Chilean opposition being bombed in Washington DC, in addition to assassination attempts in Portugal, France, Great Britain, Mexico, and Spain.

Similar Anti-Communist Campaigns

In 1977 representatives from West German, French, and British intelligence agencies met to discuss the creation of a campaign to target left-wing militant groups in Europe, with potential targets including members of the Red Army Faction in Germany, the Irish Republican Army in occupied Northern Ireland, the Red Brigades in Italy, and leaders of Amnesty International. This proposed program was never implemented, though Socialists were still targeted by these countries in covert operations.