Led by the dictatorial government of Augusto Pinochet in Chile, Operation Condor was a secret alliance of South American intelligence services in the 1970s that also included the military-led governments of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and later Peru. Originally intended for sharing intelligence on international left-wing revolutionary groups, Operation Condor agents tortured and murdered opponents with impunity.

Key Facts

1. Active from 1975-1980
2. Named in honor of Chile's national bird - the condor
3. Participating intelligence services used a global, pre-Internet, communication network called Telex for inter-service correspondence
4. Substantial evidence of Operation Condor actions was discovered by National Security Archive, Martin Almada in Paraguay, and through lawsuits against Pinochet
5. Debate continues about potential American involvement in Condor projects

Key Dates

1. September 3, 1973: Brazil proposes an intelligence-sharing operation during the 10th Conference of American Armies
2. November 25, 1975: Intelligence officers from participating nations meet with Manuel Contreras in Santiago, Chile
3. 1983: Operation Condor ends with the ousting of the Argentine dictatorship; some individual operations continue
4. December 22, 1992: Judge José Agustín Fernández discovers "Archives of Terror" in Paraguay police station

Operation Condor Links

1. Wikipedia: Operation Condor
2. Washington Post: An Assassination, A Failure to Act, A Painful Parallel (2002)
3. Logos Journal: The Undead Ghost of Operation Condor (2005)
4. The Nation: Pulling Back the Veil on Condor (2000)  
5. Human Rights in Latin America: Operation Condor: Clandestine Inter-American System (1999) 
6. BBC: Condor legacy haunts South America (2005)
7. L'Humanite: Latin America in the 1970s: "Operation Condor" (2007)

Operation Condor Blogs and Message Boards

• Mahalo.com: Operation Condor
• Media Monarchy blog: Kissinger's Extradition Sought over Operation Condor
• Atlantic Free Press blog: Returning to the Scene of a Crime - Chile Over 30 Years Later
• SqlSpace Breaking Political News: Documents Confirm US Involvement in South American Horror
• Sourcewatch wiki: Plan Condor

Operation Condor Books and Research

• Human Rights in Latin America: Sources on "Plan Condor"
• John Dinges: Operation Condor  
• Transnational institute: Operation Condor links
• National Security Archive: Documents about Operation Condor and Chilean dictator Pinochet
• Transnational Institute: The Hinchey Report: C.I.A. Activities in Chile
• NameBase: Operation Condor Documents
• La Tercera: La Operación Cóndor