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Vernon Walters
CIA Deputy Director; Liaison to South American Military Dictatorships; Operation Condor Coordinator
Intelligence Officer; Military Diplomat; Cold War Operative
Overview
Vernon Anthony Walters was a U.S. Army lieutenant general; CIA Deputy Director (1972-1976); and career military intelligence officer who served as a critical liaison between American intelligence services and South American military dictatorships during the Cold War. Fluent in nine languages; Walters was used as a presidential interpreter and back-channel diplomat by multiple administrations. As CIA Deputy Director under Richard Nixon; Walters was directly involved in the Watergate cover-up; initially agreeing to Nixon's request to have the CIA pressure the FBI into halting its Watergate investigation (a plan that ultimately failed). His most consequential role was as the American liaison to Operation Condor; the coordinated campaign of political repression and state terrorism by South American military dictatorships (Argentina; Chile; Brazil; Paraguay; Uruguay; and Bolivia) that killed an estimated 60;000 to 80;000 people between 1968 and 1989. Walters personally met with junta leaders including Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet to coordinate intelligence sharing and political assassination programs. He later served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (1985-1989) and Ambassador to Germany (1989-1991) under President George H.W. Bush. Walters was also connected to Operation Gladio; NATO's secret "stay-behind" armies in Europe designed to resist potential Soviet invasion but which became involved in false-flag terrorism and political manipulation.
Key Affiliations
Controversies & Concerns
Directly involved in Watergate cover-up; agreed to Nixon's request to use CIA to obstruct FBI investigation
Served as American liaison to Operation Condor; meeting with South American junta leaders to coordinate political repression
Personally met with Augusto Pinochet and other dictators to facilitate intelligence cooperation
Operation Condor killed an estimated 60;000-80;000 people through assassination; torture; and disappearance
Connected to Operation Gladio; NATO's secret stay-behind armies linked to false-flag terrorism in Europe
Used diplomatic positions to facilitate U.S. support for authoritarian regimes during Cold War
Related Investigations (2)
Known Associates & Connections
Richard Nixon
Served as CIA Deputy Director; involved in Watergate cover-up for Nixon
Augusto Pinochet
Met with Pinochet to coordinate Operation Condor intelligence sharing
Henry Kissinger
Worked with Kissinger on South American policy and Condor program
Sources & Documentation
2 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports
Personal Information
- Born
- January 3, 1917
- Birthplace
- New York City, New York, USA
Education
- •Self-educated polyglot; fluent in nine languages; no college degree
Key Timeline
January 3, 1917
Born in New York City
1941-1945
Serves in World War II as military intelligence officer and interpreter
1972
Appointed CIA Deputy Director under Richard Nixon
June 1972
Involved in Watergate cover-up attempts using CIA to obstruct FBI
1973-1976
Serves as liaison to Operation Condor military dictatorships in South America
1976
Leaves CIA after Watergate investigations
1985
Appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations by Reagan
1989
Becomes Ambassador to Germany during fall of Berlin Wall
February 10, 2002
Dies at age 85