SECRET CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WASHINGTON as D c OfflCE OF OEl'Urf DIIECTOI Of CENrUL INmUGEHCE MEMORANDUM FOR Walt W Rostow Chairman Policy Planning Council SUBJECT Office of National Estimates Memorandum Security Conditions in Mexico -- and elsewhere in Iatin America 6 May 1966 I thought you would be interested in the attached whose central message is conveyed in the opening paragraph Richard Helms Deputy Director DECLASSIFIED Authority By ' # letter NOV 211978 CIA NABS Date g - 1 7J - • ' C I I 81' I W CEH RAL INTELLIGERCE 1 mxnANDUM FCB mE DlRECTCB I SU JBCT SecuriV Conditions ill Maxi CO Latin America 8D4 elaevbere 1D OUr most recent security ccmd1t lons est lmate SNIE 81 66 ill earmection with Presi mt Johriaon•a n ait to MelC 1 co •· posed little difficulty ill tbe writing all4 proved accurate ill the tact But ve have a1nce becal19 ccacerned that the good experience in Mexico City m ight lead to an errolleOus aasumpt1on that the amouDt of risk ¥0ald be Just about tbe some in other major LatiD American coantr1ea l l 'bere are importaDt tactora contributi Jg to a favorable aecuri v a 1 tuation 1n Mexico which a1mply do not app to other major Latin American countries In Mexico OROOP l S-Eue4 cJf - ExclucJed trm anamattc cbmeracling and cleclaesU'icaUm C the acm naerrb party Y1rtuall1' IDOIIOP l1sea i ol 1 ti ca 11114 11 an outata 41Dg torce l'or etabilit ' Top aovv i 1 eaaera are strcma determ1Ded men CODvereant vit h t be usea of panr Securit¥ forces are tcae a 8114 wll•traine4J vbm ao orc1erec1 t hey carr v out m1aa1oaa vitboGt oYel'IIIICh regvcl tor lepli au Same SpecU'ica Concel'lliy the Preat aent•• Viett 2 Die scope and tboro'Qgbmee ot tbe prei arat1om 11116a bT Mexican aecurit¥ authorities tor Preld dmt Jobneon 1a Viait to Maxi co Cit¥ drew favorable officials ¢a aeDt trail US Secret Service Ot course aelected Muican ott1c1ale -- aa well aa a IUllber ot otticial a in Vaabington •• lm9V eaae de¥• ill ad vm lce that t he viaiting party voa14 inclllde the Prea1c1eut biwir 1n ac1ditton to Mra J'd aaon am Sec retar r ot state Dse mee8Ul'es thq t ook were therefore tar•readd Dg aa Ruak well ae secure 'lhe press touad out 1n advaDce oft be plezme4 mmouncemmt that the Prea1 mt vaa 101D too butt be leak va• oat ill Mexico• 3 Sane ot the atepe the Mexican OftiWt took in adYBIICe v0Ul d have been out ot the quest ton in 118111' COUDtriee 1be poUce detaiMd about 500 potential trouble-makers almoet S-E-C-Brir4' ----- f ' • all ot tb• men vitb crjminaJ record a ratber napect political vien tJ1an people To beD'lla the political side ot ot the problem the eecur1ty authorities let it be lmowD tbat t bey wanted to talk vitb 48 lea lers ot various amall le ttlat poli- tical group1DgS like ¥ to take part 1D anti-OS c1aDoDatraticma Forty-seven ot tbeae individuals appeared 8114 wre in• fol'med 1D no uncerta1D tems that they would be held peraoneJJy reapona1b1e tor any 1meeemJ7 act1V1tiee bJ' t heir DM9 Arlbipe Naxlcan security police raided the Cawmm1-rt i arv•a pr1DtiDg shop to contJ acate propaganda leaf J eta· beilJg i repared tor t be rlait and 1n another foray picked up a huge baZJDer that tbe C fflllllm1 st J'Ollth organization vaa reac y1ng 4 'Dle lT87 and pos1tion1Dg of Maxi can security per• sormel particular T tor the Preaic1ent 1 s arrival am trip fl-en airport to city center was care worked out Buie pro- tection aloD8 the route was by 6 000 police Membere or the govermnent party's youth organization were much in evideDce amoug the crovda l lu I ng t be way Larae additional nmbera ot l Olice vere on hand tor supporting du ties and had tbere been a requ Lrement at least ll 000 U111J the City or its enviroDs - 3S i 9 Bae-t t%'00p8 were available 111 l ' 5 All these measures sutticed to forestall 8111' gl arillg irJci mt or 41aturbance but there vere a number ot abortive attaspta to get eanetblllg • tarted IQ•DODNDH police acttm nipped these in Ule bud and eo rapi that moat ot the visitors and the Meld can public were not aware ot more than one or tvo Severa1 anall•scal e student demcnstrationa wen qui broken up ot the group apprce cbed to within a1x blocka US Embassy before the police took away tbeir sigDa alMl turned tbem aside A tev ot ber stuaents got access to the um vereit ra41o statiai and began to broaclcaat ant1 J'obnann remarks but in less than a minut e govel IID8Dt mom tars cut tbe electrical supp cy Die man who began at one po1Dt to run after the presidential automobile seemed to be tryag to about about Castro or Vietnam but before be could malm bis be lost it to a policeman's stick 6 Om add1 t1onal point worth not l Dg concerns the be• bavi or ot Meld can Preaident Diaz Ordaz Be was ot course ul t1mateq responeible for the effective precautions taken Beyond that be made a point ot atay1Dg r ibpically close Preaident Johnson during their public appearances as to tboup to underl 1De the proposition that an attack on the US Preai mt - 4 SB8RIPI - vouJ4 al so be 811 attack on tJle Prealaent ot llald co bre ee 1D Maxi co a fair Dllllber ot people who are rab1 anti-OS but who vauld not for a nment couicler a riol eDt act1cm agaiJ ust their ow chief' ot state 'lhe Contrast in other Major ls tin American Countries 7 Die eaaent lal points ot 41tterence vith 01 her mJor Latin American countries are two tbq baw J arpr aDd orgam zed anti-govermmt groupa which are better• Dt 1 •Yauee their security aervicea are leas ettectlve t haD t he lfuicen • 'lbe daager 1a probably al so somewhat greater of a violent act on the part ot an individual a1mpq because anti-US NDtiment and criticim ot t he US edndntatrat1on are more vehement and widespread 1D moat ot these other countries t ban 1D Mexico a 'lbe nature alld extent oft be security probl ell 1D these other Iatin American countries variea ot couree traa cme to the otber and may 1n any OM of them change quickly 'l'he Cb1Jean police are as good or better than the Muicana in moat tunct1ons But they do aot have an equivalent in• tell1gence capability and 1n sane activities ml pt be hampered by legal coziaiderattona and traditional respect tor the ri@Jlta of the inc11 nauai - 5 8 i Q Poic'I' --1 • In ChUe bitterness toward tJ1e US is present atro Jg membersbips ot tbe large socialist also mD llg am011g am ccmmrn1 et parties the and sane of the younger tolk ot tbe less extreme left In Ar tina certain tousJi Perom sta elellents would probabl 7 have to be reckoned Vith along vi th the tar le tt certa1 the Argentine m 11 tary would be resolute 1n taJdng thorough security- measures but the lllia gowrment Jlli slt be less so In Venezuela the activists of the C C'll'lll N at am Castroist parties can still despite the increased ettectiveness ot tba security- forces undertake euccessful hit-and-run operatioaa 91e problem in Colanbia coul d be a canplicated one involvug both le tt and right extremists Brazil or Peru would be leas difficult than the countries mentioned above -- tbough more difflcul t than Mexico 9 'lhis does mean we tbinlt it l ke J I tbat President Jobnson would be endangered or seriously embarassed on a v1a1t to ODe ot these countries But the degree of risk -- very small Protection 1n certain of the smaller COWltries e g cost a Rica Paraguay would be easier and in others e g the IkD fnjcan Repqblic Panama Bol1v1a harder However it seems l 1kely that if at sane tuture elate the Prea1c1ent does make a Latin American trip one or more ot tbe larpr countries will be involved - 6S i nQ R I 'I •· in t be Mexican case - would probabl 1' be appreciab larger 1D an r of them and several times larger 1D acme plaDs am arrangements ID au eftllt should be so devised as to glve the aecuri ey- forces maxinnlD QppOrtmd 1 ¥ t o prov t t protection Beyond this 1t appears to us that tihe clangers of iDJury to tbe Preaiclent •a perSOD or to the tJS emugb 1ma8e wmld be large to require that they be care veiped against the obJectives that the presidential visit vaa desigaied to acbieve - 7 - jl