7 8 76 T PE PRIORITY•URGENT o DIRECTOR FROM LEGAT BUENOS AIRES 109-2 109-103 NR -08 SE FOR J IGN POLITICAL MATTERS-ARGENTINA IS-ARGENTINA ARGENTINE TERROR ST ACTIV ITIES FPM-ARGENTINA DURING THE EARLY MORNING· HOURS OF JULY 4 · 1976 'THREE ' ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND TWO SEMINARIANS WERE BRUTALLY WK--j ERED - IN TliE RECTORY OF 1f t· 1 PATRICK ' S CHURCH IN BELGRANO · · · · ··- · 1·· BUENOS AIRES FEDERAL CAPITAL INITIAL REPORTS INDICATED ' 'DIAT A MESSAGE BAD BEEN SCRAWLED ON A DOOR IN CHALK TO THE EFFECT THAT THE CLERGYMENli D BEEN ASSASSINATED IN RETJ LIATION FOR THE TERRORIST BOMB ATTAeK-AGAINST THE F ED$tAL POLICE OF ARGENTINA FPA DEPARTMENT OF FEDERAL SECtJRITY DFS HEADQUARTERS ON JULY 2 197 6 WHICH AS OF JULY 8 -1976 CLAIMID 21 LIVES 'I'llERE WAS WIDESPREltD ' S ECULATI' THAT THE AUTHOR S OF ASSASSINATION OF THE CLERGYMEN HAY HAVE BEEN MEMBERS OF THE ARGENTINE SECURITY I FORCES CARRYING OUT RETALIATION FQR THE JULY 2 1976 FPA DFS - J 3 - Bua -109--2 109-103 80-21 RWS gjk 3 Marcote J@J mi ' - EtN lS UN WHERES - J - I ON AlNED IAED EXCEPT RW I 0 SE r r- a 3 - 'frJ - -- - - --- - '- - - - - 0 'I - · _ ea _- - - 0 I I -· i - II 109-2 109-103 PAGE TWO S llEA UARTERS BOMBING OR LEFTIST TERRORISTS WHO ASSASSINATED TO THE CLERGYMEN IN ORDER ' ' i MAKE IT APPEAR THAT THE ARGENTINE iILI'fARY GOVERNMENT WAS RESPONSIBLE THEREBY DISCREDITING TllE ·aoVERNMENT r 1 ON JULY 7 1974' INFORMATION WAS PASSED TO THE U • S i I EMBASSY BUENOS AIRES FROM AN EXTREMELY SENSITIVE SOURCE WHICH INDICATED THAT THE FIVE CLERGYMEN HAD BEEN ASSASSINATED BY i - Al UNIT OF THE ARGENTINE ARMY INTELLIGENCE SERVICE AAIS WHO DISCOVERED THAT 'l'HE CLERGYMEN HAD BEEN HARBORJ NG 'I ' MONTpNERO GUERRILLA LEADER MARIO EDUARDO FlRMENICH T ON WAS ALSO PASSED TO THE U II INFORMA- s EMBASSY BY THIS SAME SOURCE INDICATING THAT THE AAI S HAD ALSO MuRDERED THREE ROMAN CATHOLIC NUNS WHO HAD FACILITATED FIRMENICH'S ESCAPE 1 FROM ST PATRICK'S ON y 4 1976 U fJ II ON I A JULY 7 1976 A C IU'IDENTIAL SOURCE ABROAD WHO IS - RA ING I' ' OFFICER OF THE FPA DFS PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING I INF nµ TION U -tAFTER- -THE- JULY 2° -1976 MONTONERO--GUERRILLA ORGANIZATION BOMB NG OF FPA DFS HEADQUARTERS NUMERoUS FPA OFFICERS DIBA KED UPON ACTIVI'-rIES _TO RETALIATE 11 I NI AGAIN·ST THE TERRORIST - U' · - - - -- -- - - -- ·· - - - - --- -- - - --···------ -- - - - - -- - 1ff»rr - - 't r --- - -- - -- -- --· - -- - - - - -- -- ---- -·· - --- - - - ---- 0 · •w ' · · _ ··x··· · · ' ' • • ·' ' J · ·ti I BUE 1 09-2 109-103 PAGE THR sEe8ET TARGm' FOR THE JULY 2 1976 BOMBING WHEREIN MANY OF THEIR FRIENDS WERE KILLED AND MAIMED A GROUP OF SIX FPA NON• COMMlSSIONED OFFICERS HAD INFORMATION INDICATING THAT TWO SEMINARIANS A'M'ACllED TO ST PATRICK'S PARISH l N BELGRANO WERE AcrIVELY ENGAGED IN PROPAGANDA AcrIVITIES AT THE OFFICE OF THE THIRD WORLD MOVEMENT LOCATED A F SW BLOCKS FROM ST PATRI ' S CHURCH s ·· U THE THIRD WORLD MOVEMENT IS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE 1 MARXIST-ORIENTED · J'HESE SIX FPA NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS WITHOUT ANY HIGHElt AUTHORITY DECIDED TO CARRY OUT A RETALIATORY ATTACK AGAINST THE TWO SEMINARIANS WHICH RESULTED IN THE JULY 4 1976 MURDER OF THE THREE PRIESTS AND TWO SEMINARIANS IT WAS EMPHASIZED THAT THE ASSASSINATION OF THE CLERGYMEN WAS CAJlRIED OUT WITHOUT ANY SANCl'ION OR AUTHORITY OF FPA SUPERIOR OFFICERS OR ANY ENTITY OF THE ARGENTINE GOVERNMENT· INFORMATION CONCERNING THE ASSASSINATION OF THREE NUNS OVIDED O THE U S EMBASS ON JULY 7 1976• AS NOl'ED ABOVE 11s ' COMPLETELY ERRONEOUS IT BEING NOl'ED THAT NO CATHOLIC NUNS WERE ASSASSINATED OR MISSING DURING THE PERTIN PERIOD l U it U _ __ - - -- --- ·· £ e •• SECR£r BUE · 109-2 109-103 PAGE FOUR l SE -- THE SOURCE OFFERED HIS PERSONAL OPINl' ON T JIA T I IMFORMATION PASSED TO TBE·U S EMBASSY ON J1Jl Y 7 1976 WAS PROBABLY A MISGUIDEl EF FORT TO MISINFORM Ur S EMBASSY REGARDING THE Au EGEn PRESENCE OF A RANKING TERRORIST LEADER AT ST ' PATRICK'S PABI611 IN ORDER TO GET SOME JOSTIFICATiON TO Tb ATROCIOUS MURDER OF THI FIVE CLERGYMEN ON JULY 4 1976 ® U •CJ UltUl'llD Bi 5931 XGDS-2 ADMINISTRATIVE •• JlDBX THE SOURCE IS COMISARIO MAYOR ' CARLOS VICENTE MARCarE ACTING DIRECTOR FPA· DFS oo U COORDINATED LOCALLY THE FOREGOING INFORMATION WAS PERSONALLY DI SCUSBED l - WITH AMBASSADOR HILL WHO WAS DEEPLY DISTURBED AT ITS CONTE iT INFORMATION PROVIDED TO THE U S EldBASSY DURING THE MQJlNING OF JULY 7 19 6 REFERRED TO ABOVE WAS ALLEGEDLY MADE AVAILABLE TO THE EMBAS·S Y' S SECURITY OFFICER BY A MEMBER OF PRESIDENT VIDELA' B PRESS OFFICE DURING THE MORNING OF JUlaY 8 1976 THE AM84SSADOR ADVISED ME THAT JIB WAS VISITED BY THE- PAPAL NUNCIO WHO eONFIRMED THAT THE STORY CONCERNING THE THREE S HAVING BEEN ASSASSINATED IS COMPLETELY WlTHOUT jU 1-h -·--- -- ---------- - --- - - - - - -- - -- -- - J I ' BUE 109-2 109-103 PAGE FIVE ·S FOUNDATION AS WELL AS THE ALLEGATION THAT MARIO FIRMENICH WAS BEING HARBORED AT ST PATRICK'S PARISH ' THE PAPAL NUNCIO TOLD THE AMBASSADOR THAT ONE OF THE TWO ASSASSINATED SEMINARIANS DEFiNITELY HAD QUESTIONABLE CONNECTIONS· AND THAT THE ROMAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY IN ARGENTINA INCLUDING CARDINAL ARAMBURU 'I WERE CONVINCED THAT THE MOTIVATION FOR THE ASSASSINATION OF THE FIVE CLERGYMEN ON JULY 4 1976·WAS POLICE RETALIATION F 'm JULY 2 1976 FPA DFS BOMBING w IT · INFORMATION CONCERNING THE ALLEGED HARBORING OF MARIO FIRMENICH BY THE ASSASSINATED CLERGYMEN AT ST PATRICK'S E PARISH AND -ONEOUS INFORMATION CONCERNING THE MURDER OF THREE CATHOLIC NUNS WAS REPORTED BY THE U S EMBASSY IN BUENOS AIRE t IN·A U S DEPARTMENT OF STATE TELEGRAM ON JULY 7 1976 THIS U S DEPARTMENT OF STATE TELEGRAM WAS HIGHLY CLASSIFIED AND WAS ft ESTRICTED FROM ORMAL DISTRIBUTION AND DISSEMINATION l U END I 11 I 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