Leaked cable describes "Operation Bolivar's Shadow"

Earlier this week, I managed to get access to some of the Wikileaks cables that are yet to be released to the media. I can't vouch for their accuracy, but they look real to me. I'm still sorting through many of them, but the one below is likely to be major news and I'm posting it here as an exclusive.




O 140018Z JAN 10 ZDS
FM SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0342
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 7932
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 8433
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 7900
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ JAN LIMA 3423
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0155
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL 4021
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 0042
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0025
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0171




Classified By: Assistant Secretary Valenzuela for reason 1.4 (D)


1. (C) Summary: POTUS continues to question the value of Project Bolivar's Shadow. He has ordered a complete evaluation of the program with possible termination next year. The Secretary is requesting input from all the embassies in WHA. End Summary.




HISTORY OF BOLIVAR'S SHADOW


2. (S) The U.S. didn't start the events in April 2002 in Venezuela, but once Hugo Chavez left power, our counterparts in the intelligence community made the determination to implement Project Bolivar's Shadow (PBS), a plan that had been sitting on the shelf since the late 1990's. Chavez instantly agreed to the two billion dollar buyout in return for disappearing from the public eye and never revealing his true identity.(see note 1) All we needed was a replacement.


3. (S) Enter Harold Johnson. A 15 year CIA veteran who also spent four years in the Marines, Harry looked similar enough to Venezuela's president and could do perfect imitation of him. A bit of surgery and makeup and he was ready to be reinserted back into Venezuela's political space just days after the coup. The operation was originally intended to create a smooth transition back to democracy in late 2002 or early 2003, but once he was in place, the determination was made by then President Bush to keep PBS operational as long as possible.


(SBU) The first year was rough. We couldn't tell anyone in the Venezuelan opposition (or as Harry calls them, "those idiots") about the operation and they almost took Harry down through the oil strike. However, over time he managed to regain full control of the situation. By the time of the recall referendum in 2004, Harry told us to stay out of it and he would handle the election himself. And he did, with "Hugo Chavez" winning by a convincing margin and just enough suspicion of fraud that the opposition would boycott legislative elections the following year. Harry ran that better than anything we could have planned.




GAINING ALLIES


4. (S) The elections of Evo Morales and Rafael Correa would have been disasters for U.S. policy if it wasn't for Harry. Both of those gentlemen are intelligent and capable leaders who could have led a real anti-U.S. movement in the hemisphere. Having "Hugo Chavez" around to gain their trust and keep them trapped under ALBA was a brilliant move and helped convince U.S. Congressional leaders, some of whom were getting a bit concerned about the price of the program, to continue funding it. (see Note 2)


5. (C) PBS has been useful for preventing leaders from being elected as well. For example, Harry's announced support for Peruvian candidate Ollanta Humala put that election in the bag. However, the $800,000 in a suitcase to CFK in Argentina was a mistake, leading the presidential couple to guess the truth about the whole matter. Fortunately, nobody believed them when they brought it up in a private meeting and the Argentine government still doesn't have enough evidence to go public without everyone thinking they're crazy.


(SBU) The biggest challenge, however, was Colombian President Uribe. We told Harry on multiple occasions to back off, but he always insisted that provoking Uribe helped keep him in character and prevent others from guessing his identity. He probably had a point, but we lost an ally when we had to convince the constitutional court to disallow Uribe's reelection just so there wouldn't be a war between the two countries.


6. (S) The biggest wins for Harry's alliances have been his relationships with leaders outside the hemisphere. Those replica swords of Bolivar are simply giant listening devices. His purchases of Russian and Chinese weapons have given us insights into their inner workings. Harry even spread a computer virus to Iran by emailing Ahmadinejad a message filled with Bush jokes.




ASSESSMENT


6. (S) The CIA measures PBS as a success. Eight years later, the oil is still flowing freely from Venezuela, other radical leaders are neutralized by their alliance with our asset and "Hugo Chavez" continues to appear just enough of a threat to justify increased US presence in the region. It's hard to argue with those results.


7. (S) However, there are problems. The cost overruns are astronomical and Congress is once again threatening to cut the budget. The doctors are questioning Harry's psychological state after eight years of playing this character. His last message to us via codewords hidden within his rants on Alo Presidente indicated that he's ready to retire. Additionally, President Obama doesn't like the facade. Former President Bush used to get a good laugh out of the whole thing (see Note 3), but the current POTUS doesn't think the benefits are outweighing the costs.




RECOMMENDATIONS


8. (SBU) We need analysis and recommendations from each of the embassies in the region as to how "Hugo Chavez's" loss in the election in 2012 or ouster in protests will impact US interests. Please have them sent by next Friday.


(SBU) While the 2012 Venezuelan political change will be portrayed as a "win" for US policy, we all know what a big loss it will be losing Harry as an asset. We still have a few months to go, so if you have a need for PBS to help influence your country's local politics, please pass along those items ASAP and "Hugo Chavez" will be sure to say something useful for you.




END CABLE


Note 1: As we all know, the real Hugo Chavez had plastic surgery done, moved to Los Angeles and began filming a comedy series opposite John Cryer.
Note 2: It was hard to convince certain members of Congress that having Harry show up for hearings would blow the whole program.
Note 3: President Bush personally insisted Harry use the 'sulfur' line at the UN. It worked like a charm.
Note 4: Happy April Fool's Day

Source: http://www.bloggingsbyboz.com/2011/04/leaked-cable-describes-operation.html

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