DOS, "Letelier Case," SECRET/ROGER CHANNEL, drafted by INR officer Frank McNeil, January 22, 1987.
National Security Archive
This cable is sent to Brazil under the name of Secretary of State George Shultz. (All outgoing cables during Shultz's tenure contained his signature when he was in Washington, even though he is unlikely to have written them.) At the time, one of the DINA officials involved in the Letelier assassinat
Source: DOS, "Letelier Case," SECRET/ROGER CHANNEL, drafted by INR officer Frank McNeil, January 22, 1987. Date: Jan 22, 1987 Collection: Secret CIA Report: Pinochet "Personally Ordered" Washington Car-Bombing Oct 8, 2015
C05883722FIED U.S. Department of State Case No. M-2015-14753 Doc No. C05883722 Date: 10/01/2015 RELEASE IN PART [Handwritten: WDO30] [Handwritten: 1/22/87] SECRET Department of State OUTGOING TELEGRAM [Handwritten: 7] [Handwritten: 5166-6] [Handwritten: 1/24] [Handwritten: 405] [Stamped: DENY] [Handwritten: Dos] PAGE 01 STATE 028964 ORIGIN INR-08 INFO LOG-00 ADS-00 /B08 R 5712 DRAFTED BY: INR :FMCNEIL:LJP APPROVED BY: INR :FMCNEIL -------284217 221922Z /38 O 221909Z JAN 87 FM SECSTATE WASHDC TO AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO IMMEDIATE SECRET STATE 028964 ROGER CHANNEL DECAPTIONED SPECIAL ENCRYPTION FOR L:AROZAR FROM INR:MCNEIL E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR TAGS: PINR SUBJECT: LETELIER CASE
- SECRET - ENTIRE TEXT.
- I GOT LAST NIGHT [illegible] EIGHT REPORTS DATING FROM APRIL 78 TO AUGUST 78 DEALING WITH THE CHILEAN NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE (CNI) INVESTIGATION AND CNI'S SUBSEQUENT PARTICIPATION IN THE COVER UP DIRECTED BY GENERAL PINOCHET. [Handwritten: 15(c) 63]
- THESE REPORTS TALLY WITH MY RECOLLECTIONS. WHILE THEY ARE NINE YEARS OLD THEY WERE NONETHELESS SOURCED TO EXTREMELY SENSITIVE INFORMANTS. ACCORDINGLY, I HAVE BRIEFLY SUMMARIZED THEIR CONTENTS RATHER THAN REPEATING THEM EN TOTO. IF YOU BELIEVE YOU NEED FOR THE FERNANDEZ INTERROGATION ONE OR MORE OF THEM LET ME KNOW. A: APRIL 27 - REPORTS DETENTION OF CONTRERAS, VALDIVIESO, BURGOS, ESPINOZA, AND FERNANDEZ. NO DETAILS OF INTERROGATION. MORE INTERESTINGLY PINOCHET IS REPORTED TO HAVE TOLD MEETING OF ARMY OFFICERS AT THE RANK OF CAPTAIN AND ABOVE THAT HE PLANNED TO DETAIN SOME OFFICERS FORMERLY CONNECTED WITH DINA AS PART OF INVESTIGATION OF ISSUANCES OF FALSE PASSPORTS AND FINANCIAL IRREGULARITIES. HE SAID ANYONE THOUGHT GUILTY WOULD BE TRIED IN CHILEAN COURTS AND NOT THE US B: APRIL 28 - CONTRERAS TOLD A CONFIDANT HE AUTHORIZED THE ASSASSINATION OF LETELIER ON ORDERS FROM PINOCHET. OROZCO WENT TO THE US IN MID-APRIL 78; SUBSEQUENTLY HE DETAINED THE DINA OFFICERS NAMED ABOVE. FERNANDEZ WHO HAD FIRST DENIED ANY CONNECTION WITH TOWNLEY, ADMITTED THAT HE HAD DELIVERED DOLS 5000 TO TOWNLEY ON ORDERS OF ESPINOZA. FERNANDEZ SAID HE DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE MONEY WAS FOR OR ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT TOWNLY'S ACTIVITIES. ESPINOZA ADMITTED THAT HE HAD SEND FERNANDEZ WITH THE DOLS 5000 TO BE DELIVERED TO TOWILY. THE FUNDS TO BE USED BY TOWILY TO ASSASSINATE LETELIER UPON THE ORDER OF CONTRERAS. (NOTE: REPORT DOES NOT REPEAT NO STATE FERNANDEZ WAS WITTING) CONTRERAS ADMITTED THAT HE HAD ORDERED THE ASSASSINATION, BUT CLAIMED DIRECT ORDERS FROM PINOCHET. CONTRERAS INDICATED HE WAS PREPARED TO TESTIFY TO A COVER STORY THAT HE HAD SENT TOWNLEY TO INVESTIGATE LETELIER AND THAT WHAT HAD HAPPENED MUST HAVE OCCURED ON THEIR INITIATIVE. C: MAY 11 - OROZCO CONFRONTED CONTRERAS ON 24 APRIL ON STATEMENTS FROM ESPINOZA AND FERNANDEZ (AND COLONEL PANTOJA), TELLING CONTRERAS TO MAKE HIMSELF READY ON A PROSECUTION OF ILLEGAL ACTS COMMITTED BY DINE. CONTRERAS TOLD OROZCO ALL FOREIGN OPERATIONS HAD BEEN APPROVED BY PINOCHET AND THAT HE HAD LEFT SEALED DOCUMENTS IN SEVERAL PLACES IN THE EVENT OF HIS, CONTRERAS', DEATH. OROZCO INFORMED PINOCHET WHO SUSPENDED THE INVESTIGATION AND ORDERED THE RELEASE OF THE FORMER DINA OFFICERS. D: MAY 8 - DIFFERENT SOURCE SAME SUBSTANCE AS ABOVE, EXCEPT THAT OROZCO SAID THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO COOPERATE WITH THE US BUT INDICATED THAT THERE WAS NO LEGAL EVIDENCE AGAINST PINOCHET, ONLY CONTRERAS' WORD. E: JULY 23 - [illegible] APPRAISAL OF PINOCHET STONEWALL STRATEGY. RECOUNTS INFORMATION ABOVE, NOTES PRESSURE ON THE SUPREME COURT TO ASSURE THAT REQUESTS FOR EXTRADITION ARE REJECTED AND PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN AT HOME. WHEN CHILEAN GOVERNMENT YIELDED TO CONTRERAS' BLACKMAIL, PINOCHET MANIPULATED SUPREME COURT JUSTICES. REST CONSISTS POLITICAL ANALYSIS OF PINOCHET DOMESTIC SITUATION. [Handwritten: 15(c) 63] F: JULY 19 - SUPREME COURT JUSTICE BORQUEZ SAYS US PROBABLY HAS ENOUGH EVIDENCE ON FERNANDEZ TO WARRANT EXTRADITION, EXPRESSES CONCERN ON DIVISION ON THE COURT, AND NOTES MILITARY PRESSURE AGAINST THE EXTRADITION OF CONTRERAS BUT SUGGESTS MILITARY IS WILLING TO THROW FERNANDEZ TO THE WOLVES. G: AUGUST 15 - GENERAL CARRASCO (ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF) SAYS HE DOE NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT LILLIANA WALKER (JOIN THE CLUB). CONTRERAS IS UPSET ABOUT HIS DETENTION. PINOCHET PEDDLES THE CODELCO COVER STORY TO A MEETING OF GENERALS AND ADMIRALS. H: AUGUST 7 - IRRELEVANT POSTURING AND LEGAL HAIR SPLITTING ON EXTRADITION. SHULTZ [Handwritten: 1 WG 6N CIA] [Handwritten: B1] [Handwritten: B1] Chile Project (#S199900030) U.S. Department of State Release Excise Deny X Declassify: In Part In Full Exemption(s) B1, 2D, B3, 874 SECRET UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. M-2015-14753 Doc No. C05883722 Date: 10/01/2015