Eu Reproduced at the National Archives 73 mummy-fur Snug CONE - ss FICATION - For eachr address check one ACTION INFO DATE a meme 211 5 Attnx Euhlic Sa eey i i963 hi 2 i - CASLE 13 has ere glnw 1 ACTION DATE SENT 1 '7 FROM 6 19 63 1 SUBJECT - he Rural SeCurihy Service9 g I Administrative Depaxtment of Security DAS 11 so here history the Renal Seeuriee Service ei 3 77 6 nes anti Ede Bamrhea has never been told 9 am I 1 Z fcl in v ee o 3 hhe ete hhei lenee of thig organization ia the Eastern 3 f Plains of him g hi Miami and-the leaf-eons- learned therea it is le 5 1 that thia ggheeief reyoeh'may he of- uai-eo this ls especially true in view of pr esent elomhlae legislation calling for a plan to expand the Rural Security Service into other aeeas o1 Colombia where their special experienee in rural intelligence work may be o value l 2 The Manges of Solombia have a history of extreme violence basedop ou Liberal vs Conservative riealry which goes back many yearso The dominant political party in the Llanoo is the Liberal Party and the periods of violence there have resulte in the past item efforts of conservative #6 le Govemenhs in Boget to subjugate the are by military force _ Periods of Liberal central in Bogot have resulted in relative tranquilioy in the 3 a Llanos Sometimes the violence in local distnietgof the Llanoe as the of the Departmental aothoritieso For example9 in 1949 the Governoteof' oyae sent his Departmental Police into the Agzzf Prefecture of Casaeare a part of the Llanosgto remove people from the land they occuple r Nearly all of these police were killed in violence g l which lasted until an anny unit was sent to peeifyu aeanare in April of xi I 1950 This was the Cahellerla Paez a cavalry unit9 which followed a moderate policy and'was reasonably well received in Casanare the south however in July of 1950 the Conservative Government in Bogot PAGTK PAGES - when DRAFTED f PHONE N0 DATE Wo vkm JHDoney jm Llaoh g fegm'g 12 Possum Director q 1 AID AND OTHER CLEARANCES CPLF HF 16 1932 n57 9 4 2 3 9 alie wuzr '31 vi twinge 33 3 cea arre meuvaHDoney naut- W - dale- 9-62 W10 HECTO Do not type below this line a PRINTED 10-62 'w vw Bogota If if le sent- a group of officers into the Department of Meta who fol low d'a policy the ROJAS Binilla government in the Llanos were noted for their ignorance of formed guerrillagangsand fought the authorities Without quarters In 1 Renee retired from the Army in 1 952s presmnehly for political reasons 7 from 1935 to 1954 Reproduced at the K 7 I ale w To all 2115 co ENTIAL 2 d g-A ln wf 1 A- a 3 of brutal violence until Novenber of 1951 Boring this period the Llanos were aflame with violence and according to the version accep t g by gnome 53 371334 one there today the most brutal atrocities were emitted by the military authorities It is said also that gangs of bandits were put in military uniform and allowed to roam freely in the Llanos As a result the peeple November 1951 as the result of a change in government policy Col Alfonso RMASrEartine s was sent to the Llanosg as Chief of the Civil and Military Govermneit lie innuedi'ately established a moderate policy and peace was restored but in Jolya 1952 he was reported as a result of becoming identified With Liberal politics fol Rojas is the present Chief of DASInifJulyg after the retrieval of Col Raises the violence was resumed in the ileum and continua-d until the agreement reached by an amnesty with the their sinister Rojas Pinilla in zleprtemher9 1953 under which the guerrillas in'thet Elma diliin up their arms and were left in peace o their land Thea-period girth fell on this amnesty was marked by cooplece lawlessness which made life for the people in the Llamas almost as intolerable as during the preceding Violence The officials appointed as mayors and judges by the law as well as venality and the Polio and Military authorities were not welcome because many of the same officers who were blamed for some of the worst atrocities continued to be received with honor by the Government This is the period when Col Eduardo ROMAN Beaurto retired from the Amy and came to Casanare to establish himself in civilian life 3 Gel ROMAN was born in Bogota in 1914 and served in the Colombian Army He first served in the Llanos at Tame in 1938 He graduated from the United States Army Infantry School at Ft Riley in December 19% He lost his right-hand as the result of an accident and was later sent to the United States for rehabilitation Col ROMAN retired from the Army in 1954 and went to Casanare in the Llanos to establish himself in the cattle business By 1959 he had become such a dominant political figure in Casanare that he was appointed Prefect 6 As shown above conditions in Casanare in 1954 were not conducive to the cattle business nor even to human safety and Col and his neighbors began to consider what measures they could take Having spent considerable time in the United States ROMAN was familiar with the origins of the Texas Rangers and this combined with his military training and experience made him the natural leader of a group of uigilantes formed along the lines of the Texas Rangers for the purpose of pacifyng the area around E1 Yopal and Agua Azul where 001 ROMAN has his ranch These vigilantes were recruited from CONFI AL 3 in tixe'areag many of whom had been the foremost guerrillas in 'aetion against the Government a short time befores Ihe results were so quick and so satisfying that demands or expansion of the seaside began to arise r the surrounding areasa Sola however began to worry about th' extraolegal character of his organization and approached the Federal overnment in Bogotda which by then comprised a military junta following the overthrow of the ROJAS Pinilla dictatorship The junta denied finaneial support to vigilantesg but gave it official sanction and it continued to expand into neighboring areaso In 1957 President LLERAS Camargog the irst president under the curre1t National Prone9 and a Liberal9 apgroVed a budget or the group to consist of thirty men to-be known as_the Rural Security Service9 but under one organizational control or the Garabineros of the National Police Thereafter several polisieal asters 5 intervened so havo their influence upon the future of the Rural Seeurity 5 Boga s5 211g 7 iv The Colombian Intelligenee Service 316 had been created in 19539 and while it had been of no soonest as an intelligence service it had not suffered the popular resentment thee was bestowed upon the Departmental Police9 espeeially in the Llanoso For this and other political reasons President LLERAS Gamargoa in 19609 created out of SIC a new organization9 the Administrative department of Security and gave all criminal investigative jurisdiction as well as all other investigative and many nonminvessigative responsibilities to this newly naned organizations Almost9 it would seems as an afterthought he tacked the Rural Security Service on to the use organisation but not in the regular line of organizational command He put is as a speeial unit direesly under the Chief of And the new'chief of DAS was none other than ehe man who brought peace-mo the Llanos in 1951 and was forced to retire isom the Army in 19529 Gels Alfonso RDJAS Martineag Thus9 under a Liberal Presidents all police investigative and security functions were consolidated into one organization with a Liberal chiefa under the Conservative President who automatically followed LLERAE Gemargo in the National Fronts Col Rojas has managed to put himself in a formidable political positions partly because he holds the key to peace and tranquility in the Llanosg and partly because many of his moss competent group chiefs are like Col ROMAN9 retired Army officers of liberal persuasiono These men if they wished3 could leave DAS in a state of complete turmoilg and undoubtedly President Valencia knows its 6 Under Decree 414 of February 1961 the Rural Security Service was organized in partial form on paperg since no legal definition of the organization had ever been issued Under this decree the Rural Security Service was assigned jurisdiction over cattle thefts in the Llanos in addition to its responsibilities as an operating Field Office of DAS This a JOHNSON ACTG CPLF deie- HF 1982 mega-pa a uni-aarIii Reproduced at the National Archives JW - decree further provides that a plan be submitted for the expansion of the Service into other areas having a rural security problem A rural school is provided at Agua Azul whicha by striking coincidence is where Col ROMAN has his ranch Bogota To was 2 115 7 The AIDIPS investigations adviser spent nine days in May 1963 inspecting operations of the Rural Security Service from its headquarters at El Yop lg utilising the Cessna 185 airplane operated by the Rurales as they are called He toured eight of the sixteen posts of the 3urales in the Lianne including Greene an the Meta Hirer where the Rosales hating have a launch which they designed and had built especially for operations on the Meta river This launch cost about $59000 and is a flat bottomed steel heat with a projecting bow for running up to the river bank to load and unload horses It can easily carry eight men and horses fully equipped and draws only two feet of water when loaded It has living quarters for a crew of hour This launch is said to he the only-craft at Greene which can navigate the river when at low level They also have two fast speed boats which accompany the launch for operating up the tributaries of the Meta The Cessna 185 operated by the Rurales is fitted to carry six adults and 300 lbs of cargo in a capsule underneath The pilot is a fullablooded indigenous Indian who is well known in the Llanos The Enrales have their own civic action progran in the Llanos where they act in emergencies to carry medicines or move the sick As a result of the excellent relations which the Rurales have with the cattlemen they maintain very feW horsee These are furnished along with food and lodging and other assistance wherever they go Attached to this report9 for Washington9 are photos of ner Rurales returning to erased from a mission9 the launch operated by the Rurales on the Meta river9 and some Rurales and HAS officials in front of the headquarters of the Rural Security Service at El Yep l 8 Pram observations of operations of the Rural Security Service in the Llanos it is evident that they are well lads devoted to theirmission9 and well accepted by the populace They are the only law enforcement agency which is active there except for the large towns where the National Police and the Army have units They have brought to the Llanos a genuine tranquility and good law enforcanent which would not exist there without them They have exercised initiative and daring9 and have developed the mobility needed in the area The headquarters of the Rural Security Service at El Yopal has technical capabilities which are at least up to the level of other DAS Field Offices As an example there is-attached for'Washington as Exhibit D a report of an investigation of a civil airplane accident which occurred near El Yopal which investigation was handled by the Rurales in the absence of any other authorities 9 In addition to the political circumstances mentioned in paragraph 5 chores 3 there are several fortuitous circumstances which have contributed to the I oome Reproduced at the National Archiueh'r r vBogota AIDIW TOAID A 2115 cons NTIAL 5 7 success of the Rosales The Llanos includes one half the-area of Colombia9 but has only 2% of the population The Rosales are only 208 in number but are still twice as numerous in proportion to the population as are the DAB urban detectives They enjoy the wholehearted cooperation of almost the entire population of the Llanos Furthermore they have few crimes to investigate outside of cattle thefts and very little work arising from other responsibilities assigned to DAS i e bodyguards foreigner control oerti ficates of conduct They are not responsible for frontier control since DAS has urban field offices along the Venezuelan border The Rnrales have received more than double the per capita budget support of the rest of DAS mainly on season of the large distances and need for mobility Combine these facts with the special relationship between Col ROMAN and the Chief of has and the success of the-Enrales as compared to the rest of DAS is understandable 10 Several important weaknesses'of the Rural Security Service should be rooted Outside of the headquarters at E1 Yopal the Service has no teehnioal capahilities such as fingerprinting and photographing no radio communicaa tions facilitiesa sediment depend on the DA8 airplane for communications Ondy the headquarters at El Yop l has CW contact with Bogotd The training school for the Rurales is not yet built and is badly needed The land has been purchased and one third of the cost of construction total $309960 has been provided This school should have as its main objective the inorease of technical and intelligence capabilities in the Rural Security Service because the production of intelligence at present is very low and the potential is very high The Rosales do not have sufficient fire power or rural operations since they now depend mainly on their revolvers plus a few Madsen machine pistols They should have some carbines and should consider the shotgun for close operations ll Efforts to utilize the Rurales in current violence areas have met with some successes but numerous problems Two Departments Hails and Tolima have been involved in these efforts and about fifty Rnrales remain in feline at present The Investigations Adviser has studied the reports in the Rural security Service files regarding these actions and has consulted members of the United States Military Group There are different versions of the facts regarding operations of the Rurales in these areas9 but the following obseru vations seem to be legitimate and valid Rurales from the Llanos cannot expect to operate with equal success in areas where they are not familiar with the terrain and where they are not indigenous to the area The Rural Security Service cannot spare present personnel from the Llanos for service in other areas Additional budget support and additional recruiting should be provided for other areas DECLASSNUED Pi CFLF Gaielieu I 31 Ha I RepyoducedattheNahonalArchwes 1 - a - A - - - 7-3li Bogotd Team A 2115 WEI Rurales from the Llanos are a disciplinary problem in other areas 9 become homesick demoralized and become involved in incidents with other authorities In dome instances the Military or National Pdlice personnel may be at fault The Rurales need training in technical and intelligence matters9 and must learn better coordination with DAS headquarters and with other authorities with whom they are working but they should not be detached iron operational control These sews to be agree- ment that the Resales do have the ability to dig out informer ion regarding the'handits and establish contact with them The experience of the hurdles in Huiis el ear-1y indicates that they should not enter on area Eugen cl eases mandate iron the local civil authorities to operate against bandits Bandits in sane areas are a political force connected with civil or other authorities In any case the conditions should be determined by the Chief of DAS It fo ows from the above observations that the Rurales new in Tolims should he returned to their posts in the Mouse 12 This brings the report on the Rural Security Service up to date with the exception of an enpos of the Ielime Plan The Tolime Plan was devised by Col ROMAN chief of the Rural Security Services as the result of his con- viction that the Rural Security Service if given adequate funding for 200 men in Tolima could mop up the bandits in that area witl n about six months from the time funds actually become available Col ROMAN would propose to do this without assistance or interference Col ROMAN states that he will stake his career on this plan and claims to have bipartisan political support which includes thatof the Governor of Tolima The budget for the six months of the Tolima Plan including personnel 9 operations 9 and logistics is posed This figure includes $19270 000 00 pesos for equipment and amunitions and one helicopter Whether or not the Tolima Plan will ever receive high level support in the Government of Colombia depends on a number of factors art to a great extent upon the success or failure of present efforts to suppress banditry in Tolima It is presented here for information only and is of interest because it offers an inexpensive alternative to the multimillion dollar effort now in operation Exhibit is a copy of the budget for the Tolima Plan furnished by Col ROMAN 13 Enclosures for AID Washington OPS A Fhoto of Rurales of the DA3 Rural Security Service Orocu Meta river Hay 1963 Photo of Launch of the Rural Security Service Meta river May 1963 Bogot Alum TOAIDA 2115 CONF TIM 7' C Phate of Ratales and BAS afficialsg Headquarters9 Rural Security Service E1 pr31 D Gapy af InvestigativeVRepozts Rural SecuriQy Service E1 Yop 1 _ reconstruction E any of Budget The Tolima Plan jThe Tnlima P1an s submitted for tha infarmation of AIDIW and does ant imply Pablie-Saf ty sugpazt at 9f the-Plan as presented The idea 0f he Rurales having sale jurisdiction in a defined sects of the vioience area warrants cansidnratian as a test in the even civilian support is assured Public Safety hawever although believing that the Rurales working independently in the violence area would be effectiveg seriously questions the time schedule number of personnel and budget suggested in the Tolima Plans pgxticularly in Such a large area as Tolima Jf zih ASYG CONFIDENTIAL 1932 - - This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu