Operation Condor: The Pact That Terrorized a Continent

A secret pact. A continent in fear. A relentless fight to remember.

Operation Condor: The Pact That Terrorized a Continent exposes the clandestine machinery of fear that united South America's military dictatorships in the 1970s and '80s, tracing how intelligence networks coordinated across borders to hunt down political exiles, turning supposed refuge into peril and entire nations into surveillance zones.

Drawing on archival breakthroughs and the stories of emblematic victims, Francesca Lessa and Sebastián Santana Camargo illuminate not only the reach of these regimes' transnational terror but also the quiet, unyielding courage of families, lawyers, and investigators who refused to let the disappeared vanish from memory. Brought into English by Alejandro Reyes and enriched by Santana Camargo's haunting illustrations, this edition of the acclaimed Plan Cóndor project marries forensic historical research with intimate human testimony to deliver a stark, resonant narrative of repression, resistance, and the long, stubborn pursuit of justice.

This is history as witness: a chilling account of how dictators learned to collaborate across borders—and how ordinary people fought back with nothing but memory and determination.

• Based on groundbreaking archival research, revealing the full scope of Operation Condor's cross-border coordination

• Told through the stories of victims and survivors, ensuring that statistics become faces and names

• Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand state terror, resistance, and the ongoing struggle for accountability

Available in multiple formats:

• Paperback & Hardcover: Beautifully designed print editions presenting the complete, unabridged text made to last, featuring Santana Camargo's haunting illustrations.

• Ebook: DRM-free EPUB compatible with Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, and all major e-readers.

• Audiobook: Professionally narrated, complete and unabridged, available on all major audiobook platforms.

A beautifully crafted edition for your shelf, your device, or your ears or the perfect gift for anyone who believes that to remember is the first act of justice.

About the Author

Francesca Lessa is a leading scholar of human rights and state violence in Latin America, driven by a profound commitment to justice and memory. Associate Professor in International Relations of the Americas at University College London, she has spent more than a decade documenting the transnational terror networks behind Operation Condor, blending archival investigation with testimony from survivors and families to illuminate how ordinary people confront extraordinary violence. This book continues the groundbreaking work she first published in Spanish, bringing English-language readers a powerful account shaped by evidence, empathy, and moral clarity. She holds a PhD from the London School of Economics, an MA from SOAS, and a BA from Royal Holloway, University of London.

About the Illustrator

Sebastián Santana Camargo is an award-winning Uruguayan visual artist, illustrator, and activist whose work often explores themes of memory, state violence, and collective resistance. His striking imagery has accompanied human-rights initiatives across the Southern Cone, bridging visual language with historical truth. In this book, his illustrations serve as a kind of visual testimony, conjuring shadows of the disappeared and echoing the silences that haunt the continent’s past. His art does not merely accompany the text; it deepens its emotional resonance and preserves stories that refusal alone could never erase.

About the Translator

Alejandro Reyes is a seasoned translator and editor with a deep background in Latin American history, politics, and literature. Known for his nuanced ear and his ability to carry tone and emotional weight across languages, he brings clarity and sensitivity to Lessa’s prose. Reyes honors the original text’s precision while making its urgency and humanity vivid for English-speaking readers. His work helps ensure that the voices, memories, and truths at the heart of this story reach a wider world, where their lessons are as necessary as ever.