Batallón de Inteligencia 601
The Batallón de Inteligencia 601 (Spanish for "601 Intelligence Battalion") was a special military intelligence service of the Argentine Army whose structure was set up in the late 1970s, active in the Dirty War and Operation Condor, and disbanded in 2000.[2] Its personnel infiltrated and collected information on guerrilla groups and human rights organisations; and coordinated killings, kidnappings and other abuses.
The Batallón was under the orders of Guillermo Suárez Mason and ultimately reported to junta leader Leopoldo Galtieri.[3] The unit took part in Luis García Meza Tejada's Cocaine Coup in Bolivia in 1980 and trained Contra units in Lepaterique base in Honduras in the 1980s. It also trained members of the Honduran Battalion 316.[citation needed]
Declassification of documents
[edit]On 1 January 2010, President Cristina Fernández of Argentina ordered that documents pertaining to Batallón 601 be declassified.[2] The documents presented before federal Judge Ariel Lijo contain data on 3,952 civilians, from university professors to concierges, and 345 army personnel who worked for Battalion 601, according to the director of the National Archive of Memory.[citation needed]
See also
[edit]- Agustín Feced
- Archivo Nacional de la Memoria
- Argentine Army
- Dirty War
- National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons
- Operation Charly
- Operation Condor
- Army Intelligence Service
References
[edit]- ^ "Argentine Military Believed U.S. Gave Go-ahead for Dirty War", The National Security Archive, The George Washington University. Electronic Briefing Book No. 73 - Part II, CIA classified documents released in 2002.
- ^ a b "Argentina reveals secrets of 'dirty war'". BuenosAiresNews.net. 29 January 2010. Archived from the original on 14 May 2013.
- ^ "Argentina: Secret U.S. Documents Declassified on Dirty War Atrocities", The National Security Archive, The George Washington University.
External links
[edit]- (in Spanish and English) Declassified US Department of State files