Reply #11: The story I read was that the Ambassador found out at a dinner

[Boo Boo]

with Ledeen, and the Italian(s)---Ledeen was an old acquaintance of the Ambassador's---and they (Ledeen and his pal(s)) started discussing their prior meeting. The Ambassador was stunned, because that sort of thing is way outside of standard operating procedure. If Rhode and Franklin wanted to meet with members of a foreign government they were, as a matter of government policy, to notify the CIA Station Chief. That's when the cables went out.

I've no idea about the time frame between the original meeting and the dinner with the Ambassador.