2000nn
104-10326-10017
2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
SECRET
MHFNO: 98-0457370
SENSIND:
SECRET
PAGE:
1
ERP:
STAFF
ACTION: IMS/ESG (020) INFO: CIC/CEG, CIC/CEGLA, CIC/LA, DO/IRO, IMDORECORD,
LA/FIG, LA/FIGSC, LIMITED, MDSX, ODPD
, ORMS/LA, FILE, C/LA (3/W)
98 0457370
ASP
PAGE 001
TOR 061908 FEB 98
IN 0457370
BUEN 55099
SECRET 061900Z FEB 98 STAFF
CITE BUENOS AIRES 55099
TO: PRIORITY DIRECTOR.
FOR:
CIC/LA
LIMITED DISSEM IMS/ESG INFO DO/IRO, CHIEF/LA, LA/FIG, LA/FIGSC,
-SLUGST WNINTEL
SUBJECT: CONTINUED PROTECTION OF OUR USE OF COVER
REF:
TEXT:
DIRECTOR 674771 98 0430861
1. ACTION REQUIRED: NONE FYI ONLY AND IN RESPONSE TO REF
2... THE RELEASE OF INFORMATION WHICH OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZES THE
FACT 
OF STATE 
COVER WILL BE ADELICATE ISSUE ACROSS THE DO, AND
*
--ALTHOUGH DAMAGE 
ASSESSMENTS IN THE<JFK ASSASSINATION>RECORDS REVIEW
BOARD (ARRB) ARE 
LIMITED TO ONLY FOUR COUNTRIES-- THE WORLD-WIDE USE
OF STATE COVER MEANS 
THE IMPLICATIONS WILL BE WIDELY FELT.
SENSE IT 
IS ALMOST SELF-DEFEATING TO ARGUE FROM FOUR SPECIFIC CASES
IN THIS
(MOSCOW, PARIS, 
MEXICO CITY, AND BUENOS AIRES) AND EXTRAPOLATE FOR
THE WHOLE DDO. 
NEVERTHELESS, WE WILL ATTEMPT TO RESPOND TO REF FROM
THE BA PERSPECTIVE
...
3. OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION OF CIA USE OF STATE COVER IN ARGENTINA
WILL 
PREJUDICE 
UNILATERAL OFFICERS' COVER AND ACTIVITY, WHICH --AS IN
MOST STATIONS-- IS THE 
COVER AND ACTIVITY WHICH MATTERS THE MOST IN
THAT THESE OFFICERS 
TEND TO HANDLE THE MOST SENSITIVE PENETRATIONS OF
THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT. 
OUR UNILATERAL OFFICERS ALSO HANDLE STATION'S
NON-OFFICIAL COVER 
(NOC) OFFICERS. THUS BY DEFINITION THE UNILATERAL
ACTIVITY CARRIED OUT BY 
THESE OFFICERS IS NON-COMPATIBLE, AND WOULD
CAUSE DAMAGE TO 
STATION'S RELATIONS WITH OUR VARIOUS LIAISON
SERVICES. 
CURRENTLY, STATION IS ENJOYING A PERIOD WHEREIN --AS A
RESULT OF 
PRESIDENT CLINTON'S VISIT HERE IN LATE 1997, AND THE CHIEF
OF THE PRINCIPAL 
LIAISON SERVICE'S VISIT TO HEADQUARTERS IN NOV 97--
LIAISON HAS DECIDED 
TO RE-ORIENT ITS ACTIVITIES AWAY FROM SMALL
LIAISON 
RELATIONSHIPS IT HAS WITH VARIOUS EUROPEAN SERVICES AND MORE
TOWARDS CIA. THIS 
STRATEGIC SHIFT, WHICH COULD HAVE LONG-TERM
BENEFITS_FOR_CIA
, WILL BE_DASHED-WHEN LIAISON_SEES THAT WE RUN
NON-COMPATIBLE 
OPERATIONS IN BUENOS AIRES. THE TRUST THAT TAKES AN
SECRET
13-00000
MHFNO: 98-0457370
A
SECRET
SENSIND:
ENDLESS NUMBER OF MEETINGS TO BUILD WILL BE GONE WITH THE FIRST
PUBLICATION 
LOCALLY CONFIRMING OUR USE OF STATE COVER.
PAGE:
4. MOREOVER, BILATERAL U.S.-ARGENTINE RELATIONS HAVE NEVER BEEN
CLOSER
; THESE 
WOULD BE TARNISHED, NOT IRREPARABLY BY ANY MEANS,
UNNECESSARILY, 
BY OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION OF CIA USE OF STATE COVER.
BUT
HISTORICALLY 
RELATIONS WITH ARGENTINA HAVE BEEN STRAINED,
ONLY DURING 
THE PAST FEW YEARS THAT A NEW PRESIDENT AND HIS BOLD
AND IT 
IS
FREE MARKET 
REFORMS HAVE PUSHED ARGENTINA SQUARELY INTO THE
DEMOCRATIC 
ORBIT. CURIOUSLY, THE CLOSE POLITICAL RELATIONS AND OUR
STEADILY-IMPROVING 
RELATIONS WITH LIAISON MEANS THAT BOTH PARTIES
- EMBASSY DIPLOMATS AND SENIOR LIAISON OFFICERS WONDER WHY WE NEED
TO 
SPY HERE 
IF WE CAN GET VIRTUALLY ANYTHING WE ASK FOR FROM LIAISON
OR FROM ARGENTINE 
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. INDEED, IN THIS RELATIVELY
OPEN, 
COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT, AN INDICATION THAT STATION WAS WORKING
ON INCOMPATIBLE LOCAL TARGETS 
WOULD BE ESPECIALLY DAMAGING.
5.
AT THE RISK OF BORING THE READER WITH DETAIL, EMBASSY BUENOS
AIRES IS 
SO OPEN A 
WORKPLACE THAT THERE IS NO REAL CLEARED ACCESS
AREA 
(CAA), BUT RATHER A "HYBRID" CAA, TO USE THE RSO'S PHRASE.
MEANS THAT 
FSN'S HAVE LONG HAD OFFICES ON THE THIRD FLOOR, WHERE THE
THIS
*
EXECUTIVE 
OFFICES AND REPORTING OFFICES (INCLUDING STATION) ARE
LOCATED. 
NEEDLESS TO SAY, STATION IS NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THE LOCAL
CONFIGURATION OF OFFICES, SINCE IT TENDS TO IDENTIFY OUR UNILATERAL
OFFICERS. 
IN THIS ENVIRONMENT, WHERE EMBASSY OFFICERS DO NOT HAVE A
FULL 
APPRECIATION OF THE ROLE/NEED FOR INTELLIGENCE IN SUCH AN OPEN,
FRIENDLY SOCIETY, OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION OF CIA'S USE OF STATE COVER
WOULD ONLY 
REAFFIRM THEIR POINT OF VIEW. OUR FEW UNILATERAL OFFICERS
WOULD 
ESSENTIALLY THEN BE DECLARED. STATION WOULD HAVE TO ATTEMPT TO
CHANGE 
OUR COVER PROFILE BY OBTAINING MORE NOC OFFICERS WHILE
REDUCING THE NUMBER OF UNILATERAL C/O's. AS HEADQUARTERS IS AWARE,
UNDER 
CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES THERE ARE FEW NOCS, AND THE SELECTION AND
TRAINING 
OF NEW ONES TAKES YEARS AND IS EXPENSIVE. IN THIS SCENARIO,
BUENOS AIRES 
WOULD NEVER RECEIVE ENOUGH PRIORITY TO WARRANT SENDING
THREE NOC OFFICERS TO REPLACE THE THREE UNILATERAL SLOTS WE CURRENTLY
HAVE. THE END RESULT WOULD BE THAT WE WOULD COLLECT VERY LITTLE
INTELLIGENCE 
ON MAJOR PORTIONS OF OUR OPERATING DIRECTIVE (OD).
SPECIFICALLY, INTERNAL POLITICAL REPORTING, WHICH IS A FIRST PRIORITY
OBJECTIVE, 
WOULD BE ZEROED OUT, AND REPORTING ON THE WP AND ES
TARGETS, BOTH SECOND PRIORITY OBJECTIVES, WOULD BE NON-EXISTENT.
THIS 
WOULD BE A SERIOUS LOSS TO THE USG, SINCE OUR WP REPORTING HAS
HISTORICALLY BEEN THE ONLY MEANS OF LEARNING TO WHAT EXTENT THE
ARGENTINES ARE RESPECTING INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS AND NOT REBUILDING
THEIR 
MISSILE PROGRAM. ON THE ES TARGET, WE WOULD LOSE SIGNIFICANT
REPORTING 
ON REGIONAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND THE IMPACT OF THE ASIAN
FINANCIAL CRISIS IN THE AMERICAS. PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANTLY, HOWEVER,
WE WOULD LOSE THE TRUST OF KEY HOST GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND OF SOME
SENIOR LIAISON OFFICIALS, WITH THE PREDICTABLE RESULT THAT IT WOULD
TAKE 
YEARS TO REBUILD THE RELATIONSHIP.
6. IN TERMS OF A SECURITY THREAT, BUENOS AIRES REMAINS THE ONLY
CAPITAL IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE THAT HAS BEEN THE VICTIM OF TWO
HIZBALLAH BOMBINGS, KILLING HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE. A TERRORIST
INFRASTRUCTURE EXISTS-IN-THE TRI-BORDER AREA OF ARGENTINA, BRAZIL,
AND PARAGUAY, WITH TIES INTO BUENOS AIRES AS WAS-PROVEN TWICE
SECRET
TWO
2
13-00000
MHFNO: 98-0457370
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SENSIND:
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IN THIS
OR THREE TIMES PER YEAR STATION OBTAINS REPORTING OF ANOTHER-THREAT
ON LOCAL JEWISH 
OR U.S. INTERESTS, INCLUDING THIS EMBASSY.
ENVIRONMENT, PUBLICATION OF CIA USE OF OFFICIAL COVER MIGHT ENDANGER
PEOPLES' 
LIVES, SPECIFICALLY STATION OFFICERS' HAMAS, GAMA'AT AL
ISLAMIYAH, AND HIZBALLAH ARE ALL ACTIVE LOCALLY. IN ADDITION,
ARGENTINA HAS 
AN ARAB POPULATION OF OVER 700,000.
WORLD, THE CUBAN EMBASSY IS LARGE AND ACTIVE; WE ARE CERTAIN THEY
WOULD SEEK TO 
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ANY U.S. COVER GAPS.
HAD ANY SIGNIFICANT COVER GAPS IN THE PAST,
STATION HAS NOT
AND THUS ANY ONE OF THIS
MAGNITUDE WOULD HAVE A LARGE, IMPACT.
IN THE DIPLOMATIC
7. STATION HOPES THE ABOVE IS USEFUL IN MARSHALING ARGUMENTS
AGAINST THE PUBLICATION OF THE ARRB RECORDS.
FILE: NONE. DECL ON: X1. CL REASON: 1.5 (C) CL BY: 0705909
DRV HUM 4-82.
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