30 years being watched: Uruguay talks about massive espionage of the CIA in its territory

A massive espionage system with CIA involvement has operated for at least 30 years in Uruguay. Deputy Gerardo Núñez, president of the parliamentary committee that investigates the case, explained to the editors the details of these systematic leaks of information.

The reform of the intelligence system became the focus of parliamentary discussion in Uruguay shortly after a three million page archive was revealed that demonstrated the power of the Armed Forces in Uruguay between 1985 and 2004. The information revealed a system of party espionage politicians, trade unions and social movements.

Congressman Gerardo Núñez, president of the Committee of Investigation on military espionage in Democracy of the Uruguayan Chamber of Deputies, explained in an interview to Sputnik Mundo the mechanisms of these leaks.

A series of secret documents suggests that, in addition to direct agents, many people were remunerated not only with money, "but also with travel abroad, vacations for the informant and his family or purchase of houses," among other incentives, Nunez said. Telescope program.
According to documents found in the archive, the US intelligence agency would have given at least 37 bribes to obtain information from the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs of Uruguay.

The investigative commission, led by Núñez, sent a letter to the Uruguayan Foreign Ministry to evaluate whether it is possible to call on US Ambassador Kelly Keiderling to ask for explanations.

The three million pages were found starting in 2005, with the arrival of Frente Amplio, the ruling party since then.

"We know the methodology according to which these practices were carried out, but we would like to know the solid foundations that motivated the launching of such a systematic, planned and organized work," said the parliamentary.

Agents and informants were often military personnel who received data in social organizations, while others even belonged to them. According to Núñez, some, besides passing on information, also "destroyed" it from within their institutions, for example, causing disturbances and manifestations.

The documents also mention illegal searches by people who disguised themselves as water company officials to enter the homes of partisan members or organizations. In other cases, spies came in to make technical studies of buildings "certainly to move forward with other operations against intelligence."

The Commission's investigations will continue until at least December 2017, but given the huge volume of documents, it may extend for a longer period, Núñez told the Telescope.