Editing Condortel (section)

==Connections to the CIA==
The CIA’s involvement with Condortel was integral to Operation Condor’s success, reflecting U.S. Cold War priorities in Latin America:

Technical Assistance: The CIA supplied Condortel’s infrastructure, including computers and secure communication lines, as confirmed by a 2000 CIA report. Journalist A.J. Langguth (1978) states the CIA acted as an intermediary for Condor’s death squads, with Condortel facilitating these connections.

Crypto AG Oversight: The 2020 Washington Post report details how Crypto AG’s rigged machines, used by Condor nations, allowed the CIA to monitor Condortel traffic. This gave the U.S. real-time access to Condor’s plans, including assassinations.

Knowledge and Complicity: Declassified CIA cables, such as one from August 1976, show the agency was aware of Condor’s assassination plans, including Phase III operations in Europe and the United States. Henry Kissinger, U.S. Secretary of State, was briefed but canceled a warning to Condor nations, as revealed in 2010 declassified documents, indicating tacit approval.

Training and Coordination: The CIA’s influence extended through the U.S. Army School of the Americas (SOA), where Condor operatives, including Brazil’s SNIE officers, trained in counterinsurgency and interrogation. While Condortel was a technical tool, its users were shaped by CIA-backed programs, as noted in 1960s U.S. Army manuals found in Paraguayan archives.

Brazilian Context: Brazil’s SNIE (Serviço Nacional de Informações), established in 1964, used Condortel for Condor operations, such as the 1978 Habegger abduction. The CIA’s support for Brazil’s 1964 coup (Operation Brother Sam) and its provision of Condortel infrastructure aligned with Brazil’s anti-communist stance, though Brazil withdrew from active Condor participation by 1977, per a December 1977 CIA cable.

Connections to the Brazilian Advanced War College (ESG)
[[Advanced War College (Escola Superior de Guerra, Brazil)]], founded in 1949, trained Brazil’s military elite and developed the National Security Doctrine, which justified repressing “subversives” and aligned with Condor’s objectives. 

Ideological Alignment: The ESG’s doctrine, emphasizing internal security and hemispheric defense, mirrored Condor’s anti-communist goals. ESG graduates, such as presidents Ernesto Geisel (1974–1979) and João Figueiredo (1979–1985), oversaw Brazil’s Condor participation, including SNIE’s use of Condortel for intelligence sharing.

Training Overlap: Many ESG instructors and graduates attended the SOA, where CIA-backed counterinsurgency training included techniques used in Condor operations. The ESG’s curricula, influenced by U.S. advisors via the 1952 Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement, likely incorporated communication and intelligence strategies compatible with Condortel’s framework, though no records confirm ESG training on Condortel specifically.

Regional Cooperation: The ESG promoted military coordination through forums like the [[Conference of American Armies (CAA)]], which fostered trust among Condor nations’ armies. While the CAA and ESG were not Condortel operators, their facilitation of military networks supported Condor’s infrastructure, including Condortel’s use by SNIE.