Word: contra
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...knew of the diversion of Iran arms proceeds to the contras? Scowcroft conceded in an interview that the report "only scratches the surface of the contra diversion." The board was able to determine that at least $23 million in profits from the arms sales was available for diversion. This includes $3 million from the first two Israeli shipments and $20 million from the four U.S. deliveries. In each case "the price charged to Iran was far in excess of what was paid to the Department of Defense." The board reports that "nothing is known" about the disposition of the Israeli...
North was an obsessive master of detail, organizing everything from building a 6,520-ft. runway in Costa Rica to controlling the movements of a Danish- registered ship for the purpose of carrying weapons to the contras, and writing up talking points for negotiations with shady arms merchants. Whenever the Administration's enthusiasm seemed to be flagging on either the Iran or contra front, North whirled into action, proposing new policies for extricating the hostages and novel ways to raise more millions for the Nicaraguan rebels, sometimes employing the most outrageous of lies and schemes to keep the action going...
...each turn, North's flamboyance was offset by a passion for secrecy. From the National Security Agency he obtained top-secret encryption devices to create a secure communications link to the private operators in his contra- supply operation. The report suggests that Poindexter sought to keep Secretary of State George Shultz and Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger -- and sometimes even the President -- in the dark about North's activities. This secrecy was compounded by the lack of any governmental supervision or internal review of the NSC operation. The result, says the commission, was an "unprofessional" program that failed to achieve...
...money from private fund-raising organizations to various shadowy corporations. The chart suggests a link between two fund-raising organizations run by North's ally, Conservative Carl ("Spitz") Channell, and such corporations as Lake Resources, Udall and Trans World Arms, all of which have been connected to the contra-supply effort. Between the fall of 1984 and the end of 1986, North helped raise tens of millions for the contras...
...colleague describes North as a "crisis junkie," and his twin programs toward Iran and Nicaragua provided plenty of outlets for his considerable energies. Indeed, his contra-supply operation provided the means for his involvement in the arms-for-hostages dealings. In November 1985 a plane that North had scheduled to carry arms to the contras was pressed into service to make a delivery to Iran. From that time on, North basically used the existing contra logistical network to help ship arms to Iran. It was the linking of the two -- a violation of the cardinal intelligence rule against mixing operations...