CIA HELPED CHILE RECRUIT CUBAN KILLERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000200930012-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 7, 2010
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: February 24, 1980
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/07: CIA-RDP90-00806R000200930012-4
A,F-TICit yj . D
03 PAGA ALAI
WILMINGTON SUNDAY NEWS JOURNAL
24 February 1980
were shot to death in
Africa home in Novembt
Another couple, Chi
leader Bernardo Leight
wile Ana, were seriousli
an unsuccessful asst
attempt in Rome in Octo
The South African g
that controlled BOSS is n
power, and the new gov
trying to solve the Smit
By JOE TRENTO -':::
:' WASHINGTON ?A-hit'-team of Cuban terrorists;
involved.' in. at least . a . dozen: murders since- 1974,
was recruited with Central Intelligence Agency help
for the -secret: police of. South-:Africa and. Chile,, a
Sunday News Journal investigation has discovered.:..`
The victims include ' Chilean exile leader: Orlando
Letelier and a'high -ranking South African: official who
uncovered a majorgovernment scandal:..- ?, .-?;.;. .
South Africa's Bureau for State Security (BOSS) and.
its Chilean counterpart, called DINA; began hiring
CIA-trained anti-Castro fanatics in, 1973. to carry out
.contractkillings..',?
Sunday News Journal reporters followed a chain of
evidence that included weapons, gold.'coins, and pass
ports-and other documents that linked: the contract hit-
team with South Africa's and Chile's secret`police.; .;.
The News Journal investigation included interviews
with secret government witnesses now in hiding under
false identities, with current and former South African
and Chilean intelligence agents and with present and
former officials of..the'.CIA_ the Justice.and State
Departments. said that he could not discuss details ! can guia nrugerrands to.live on
These sources say the CIA helped form the hit team - of the relationship between the CIA !: - while at large.
}
by arranging introductions for operatives of BOSS and and other governments. "Sources Testifying under the name of]
DINA to leaders of the Cuban nationalist movement in and methods are something we just Carlos. Casado, Canete gave that'
Miami and Union City, N.J. In return-, DINA killed at . can't talk about, and that's what you information in secret to a grand
least 17 agents of the Cuban Intelligence Service and are getting into." -jury in March 1978, but did not'
BOSS provided information about Communist activi- Juan Prado, press attache at the repeat it at the public trial.
ties in Africa.' Chilean embassy in Washington, = The convicted Cubans defended
FBI and Justice Department officials scythe CIA'did . said he had no information about -themselves by claiming that the-
not inform them that Cuban Nationalists-were receiv- 'any links and would not discuss the Letelier-Moffit killings were a CIA-
ing arms, money or false passports even after the hit matter further on the telephone. ;,operation from the- beginning. The
team killed Chilean exile Letelier and an American in a Informed by the Sunday News ' Justice Department has insisted the
'1976-Washington, D.C., car .bombing .- 'Di '. - - Journal of the hit team's operations, murders were plotted by agents of
Tlis FBI has been hunting two Cuban NafionaIists for a member of the Senate Select Com= the Chilean government. = -:1
the Washington assassinations-~nd is looking into how - mittee on Intelligence, : charged : The CIA started working closely
their: flight was financed and how-.they- are linked to ? with CIA oversight, said last week.':. in -1960. with'. ahti-Castro Cubans;
Omega?7-and ZERO; two-.Cuban Nationalist Movement .:"This may have been an.attemptby. -training them in Miami and G uate
-groups claiming credit fora number of. terrorist actsthe CIA to -get around.. the prohib ' mala before the Bay of Pigs' inva
=including one of the assassination attempts: . ~ ition? on assassinations. -.The. idea., y
;Justice .IJepartrnent,and.EBI-officials.sayyprivately . that they. turned In intelligence sign. The CIA also played a large
.theyp.are incensed-by. the-lack of:eoope ration:from. the sources who had been on their pay-- Allen d d role i the overthrow of the arx . in
,CLk. fn- the continuing probe of -.terrorism and. in the : e government in 'ChileD in..
roll is outrageous ,~.:A 1973.
,search for the missing Letelier murder suspects :::- -;=, , The prohibition on assassinations
'."We have professional killers,,trained by one of our came.in a presidential. executive FBI' and -Justice Department
-own government agencies, on:the lbw,!; said one FBI
order after a,1975 Senate .probe._-, sources ' said the relationship.,
agent familiarwith the case:
revealed - CIA involvement . in between the CIA, DINA and the
7' .The known:-victims of-the.hit team include .Former : attempts on the lives of foreign Cubans explains why the CIA was
:.Chilean Gen. *Carlos Prats and his wife, Cora, killed in leaders.. ;:" reluctant to help track down Paz
an October- 1974 bombing in. Buenos-'Aires; Chilean '- ' " and Suarez, the two Cubans who
Minister of Defense Oscar Bonillo, blown up with five remain at large.: ,i,:.: ; ; , ; t; ? ;:
other'.people,,in a helicopter. iri.Chile7in=.March1975;
:Roan Kapen Moffit and.Orlando Letelier; who died-in.
.the'Septemt-- 1e10. tv.:e ..:......... --- ...,.,.~.:_... --A .:UED
:S:inth Afriray Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/07: CIA-RDP90-00806R000200930012-4
The new gove
in New.York,,Nli
"It is politically imperat
country to solve this case
Louis Le Gerange, Sou
minister of police, said;
investigation has, expan
seas becausei"may'i
international plot." Le Ge
last week that he' has two
tors.in London exploring
national connection." :
Spencer. told the Suni
Journal that BOSS "had a. ,,..a,
relationship with DINA and would
exchange favors."- Spencer said
BOSS was disbanded last year and
reorganized as a -less powerful
National Intelligence Service.
"I can only tell you that many of
the former BOSS officials have gone
underground. The murder of the.
Smits has not been solved. Our gov-
ernment has no idea of who did it,
Spencer said. .
STAT
the Cuban nationals. ,
These lawyers say that the CIA
was not required to give them any
information not directly related to J
the Letelierbombing.
Ricardo'Canete; a
protected wit -
new in the Letelier bombing, told
the Sunday News Journal that Vir-
gilio Pablo Paz and Dionisio Suarez;-
the fugitives wanted in the Letelier
killing, had been using CIA-supplied