The Foreign Service Journal, January 2006

abroad and stay quiet — or in some cases in return for being pressured to carry out intelligence missions on behalf of Argentina abroad. In this particular case, McSherry reports that Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon opened an inquiry into her death in Madrid, so perhaps there are more details available in the public record concerning this matter. • Regarding the allegation that I was involved in a coup in Bolivia, I traveled to La Paz to arrange security for Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, who was attending an OAS confer- ence held in that capital city. The coup plotters politely waited until Secretary Vance left town before they proceeded. I had no knowledge nor did the embassy of the impending action until after the fact. So when my Argentine source asked me about the political situation in Bolivia prior to the coup, I had no idea that he was attempting to learn whether the U.S. was aware of Argentina’s involvement in the plot. Now, having learned of Argentina’s involvement from Mc- Sherry’s book (if this information is accurate), I understand why he asked the question. • Without revealing my source’s identity (though I can say his name was not “Ribeiro,” as McSherry claims), I can confirm that he was a civilian contract employee of the Argentine Army, not an Army officer. He was a source for the embassy’s security office long before I was assigned to Buenos Aires. I took pains to cultivate a social relationship with him and got to know him, both as a contact and a personal friend. On those occasions when he revealed some intimate detail concerning Argentine “dirty war” operations, it was often in a casual moment while we were discussing other matters more central to my function concern- ing the security of embassy personnel in Buenos Aires. I do not believe he was under instruction to reveal these J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 73