Re: CIA Contra Crack and LA Gangs (fwd)

[Brad Dolan <bdolan@use.usit.net>]

On Tue, 20 Aug 1996, Rich Graves wrote:

> On Tue, 20 Aug 1996, Brad Dolan wrote:
> 
> > Goofy guy agrees with Morris about X, therefore Morris' well-documented 
> > claims about X and Y are false? 
> 
> Lots of footnotes to "confidential interview" do not make a valid study. How
> many "well-documented" studies of the Kennedy assassination and UFO
> sightings have you read? 
> 
> I followed this wild goose chase to exhaustion back in 1986-7. I've
> forgotten most of it, but I'm sure I have some notes and maybe some tapes
> lying around. Yes, some contras and some sandinistas and some martistas and
> *lots* of the senderos and M-19 ran drugs. That's what happens when you
> criminalize a political movement -- political figures become criminals in
> order to survive. (When the crime they're involved is simply free trade in
> criminalized agricultural products, it just adds another layer of irony.)
> 

Those products should be legalized of course - but that would deprive the 
CIA etc. of a nice hidden source of income.


> There's a kernel of truth and plausibility to most conspiracy theories,
> including this one. (It's a big mistake to say *all* conspiracy theories.) 
> However, the money involved was rather small, the process was basically skew
> to politics (both sides did it all), and I have never been convinced that
> the CIA -- or even North's coterie in the NSC, which as you know ran a
> number of ops that the CIA would never have gone for -- was in on it. 
> 

If you don't believe the principled left (Morris, etc.), the principled 
right (Tyrell, etc.), the mainstream media (see below), or my personal 
local observations, I think you've made up your mind and are beyond 
convincing.

> (ObConspiracy: H. Ross Perot actually was involved in funneling money to the
> contras. He was rather open and proud of it. Is he mentioned in Morris's
> book?)

Briefly.

bd

> 
> -rich
> 
> 

Wall Street Journal, 5/3/94, Letter to the Editor

STILL A STRONG SCENT ON THE MENA TRAIL

We are glad that Edward Jay Epstein saw the CBS News report on Mena, 
Ark., which he discussed in his April 20 editorial-page piece.  "On the 
Mena Trail."  Our story, like others on Mena, raised questions.  They 
won't be answered until reporters follow the money - millions of dollars 
generated out of the operations at Mena.  That could either put it to 
rest, or lead to a story at least as important as Whitewater.

The original report on Whitewater by Jeff Gerth of the New York Times was 
ignored for many months.  The Mena story probably will suffer the same 
fate unless other journalists pick up the trail.  That might not happen 
if readers conclude, as Mr. Epstein seems to, that the only place Mena 
could lead is to Whitewater. What if Mena has nothing to do with Whitewater?

Our sources agree with Mr. Epstein on a number of things:  There was most 
likely a CIA-sponsored Contra operation run out of Mena, as well as a 
huge parallel cocaine-smuggling operation, money laundering, and a 
Justice Department coverup.  Much of this happened on Mr. Clinton's watch 
as governor.

But Mr. Epstein says that after smuggler Barry Seal was killed there was 
really no one else to go after.  Investigators never targeted Mr. Seal.  
They knew he was working for the federal government and was therefore 
untouchable.  Instead, they targeted Seal's associates - the bankers and 
businessmen who allegedly laundered his drug profits and illegally modified
his planes so he could smuggle tons of cocaine into the U.S. They were 
never prosecuted by either the federal government or the state of Arkansas.

Mr. Epstein says that no one is claiming that Mr. Clinton blocked legal 
proceedings in this matter.  But as the CBS News story revealed, Mr. 
Clinton was asked by a state prosecutor for help to pursue the case 
against Seal's associates.  Help was promised but never arrived.

Arkansas Rep. Bill Alexander tried to save and then re-start an 
investigation of Mena.  Mr. Clinton did not seize on this issue and offer 
support, despite the fact that a Republican administration was apparently 
sponsoring a Contra aid operation in his state and protecting a smuggling 
ring that flew tons of cocaine through Arkansas.

Mr. Epstein suggests there is no reason to believe Mr. Clinton knew 
about Mena.  But the governor's own state police began investigating at 
Mena in 1984.  Isn't it reasonable to assume that he was made aware of 
the investigation?  Mr. Clinton did acknowledge learning about Mena as 
early as April 1988; Ross Perot, who had done his own investigation of 
Mena, was concerned enough about the drugs-for-guns operation to call Mr. 
Clinton.  And former Clinton staff people have told CBS News that the 
governor was aware of what was going on there.

Mena is a perplexing and difficult story.  There is a trail - tens of 
millions of dollars in cocaine profits, and we don't know where it 
leads.  It is a trail that has been blocked by the National Security Council.

The FAA, FBI, Custons, CIA, Justice, DEA and the IRS were all involved in 
Mena.  They won't say how they were involved, but they will tell you 
there is nothing there.

Bill Plante, CBS News Correspondent
Michael Singer, Producer, CBS News
New York