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1104-10326-10017

2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

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MHENO:

98-0457370

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-RAGE :

1

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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

TOR:

PAGE 001

061908Z 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,

-SLUGS: WINTEL

SUBJECT S

CONTINUED PROTECTION OF OUR USE OF COVER

LREE: DIRECTOR 674771

98 0430861

TEXT:

1.

ACTION REQUIRED: NONE, FYI ONLY

AND IN RESPONSE TO REF

& TRE RELEASE OF INFORMATION WHICH OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZES THE

FACT OF STATE COVER-WILL, BE, A DELICATE. ISSUE ACROSS: THE-DO, AND -

*--ALTHOUGH DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS IN THE<JEK ASSASSINATION› RECORDS REVIEW

BOARD (ARRB) ARE LIMITED IO 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

(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,-

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. I

THE TRUST THAT TAKES AN

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ENDLESS NUMBER_OF MEETINGS TO BUILD WILL BE GONE WITH THE FIRST

PUBLICATION LOCALLY CONFIRMING OUR USE OF STATE COVER.

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.

HISTORICALLY RELATIONS WITH ARGENTINA HAVE BEEN STRAINED, AND IT IS

ONLY DURING THE PAST FEW YEARS THAT A NEW PRESIDENT AND HIS BOLD

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.

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.

THIS

MEANS THAT

ESN'S HAVE LONG HAD OFFICES ON THE THIRD FLOOR, WHERE THE

* 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.

WOULD ESSENTIALLY THEN BE DECLARED.

CHANGE OUR COVER PROFILE BY OBTAINING MORE NOC OFFICERS WHILE

REDUCING THE NUMBER OF UNILATERAL C/O'S.

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

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

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

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 INIO BUENOS AIRES AS WAS-PROVEN-TWICE... TWO

2

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MERNO: 198-0457370

OR THREE-TIMES PER YEAR STATION OBTAINS REPORTING OF ANOTHER-PHREAT

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. IN THE DIPLOMATIC

WORLD, THE CUBAN EMBASSY IS LARGE AND ACTIVE; WE ARE CERTAIN THEY

SEEK TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ANY U.S. COVER GAPS: STATION HAS NOT

HAD_ANY-STGNIFICANT COVER GAPS IN THE

PAST, AND THUS ANY ONE OF THIS

MAGNITUDE WOULD HAVE A LARGE, IMPACT.

STATION HOPES THE ABOVE IS USEFUL IN MARSHALING ARGUMENTS

AGAINST THE PUBLICATION OF THE ARRB RECORDS.

FILE:

DRV HUM 4-82.

NONE: DECL ON: X1. CI REASON: 1.5 (C) CL BY: 0705909

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