Luis Posada Carriles, the Cuban American National Foundation, and narcoterrorism

Articles in the Press on Posada Cariles, 6/05

Solidarity Group In Panama Denounces Escape Plans of Posada and His Gang, 8/2/01

Luis Posada's arrest in Panama: CANF supported terrorism, 11/00

Links to sources on Posada

The CANF, drugs, and the October 1997 plot to kill Castro

Terrorists’ accomplices run the CANF
Granma, 5/25

Links to Posada's CIA boss, Felix Rodriguez, and the Ilopango drug trafficking

Cong. Rangel calls for an investigation into the CANF - 7/13/98

Class Action Suit against the CIA

Letter to Janet Reno

Links to resources on Coca Contra

Luis Posada Carriles
and the Cuban American National Foundation:
Coca Contra lives on

Luis Posada Carriles is a career narcoterrorist who spent time in a Venezuelan jail for the 1976 bombing a Cubana airliner, killing all 73 on board. He escaped after 8 years in 1985 thanks to a bribe from Jorge Mas Canosa, the now deceased head of the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF)[1]. He has been tied to the importation of large quantities of cocaine into the US in support of the Contras in Nicaragua in the 80's ("Coca Contra") and to a series of bombings in Cuba just recently. Posada was interviewed by reporters from the New York Times in 1998 and told them of his ties to the CANF, a tax exempt right wing group created under Reagan and a beneficiary of substantial federal funds for running Radio and TV Marti, which beam their propaganda to Cuba. The Times ran two articles, on July 12 and 13, 1999. They have caused a sensation and led to Posada's retraction of his interview. The Times has him on tape and stands by their story. In addition, elements of his interview had already appeared in autobiographical writings done with a publicist.

Posada has been tied to large scale cocaine trafficking in support of the Contras in Peter Dale Scott's book, Cocaine Politics. Posada was second in charge of a major Contra resupply operation at Ilopango Air Force Base in El Salvador. He was recruited there by his old friend Felix Rodriguez, a long-time CIA operative who was the CIA liaison with the Bolivian forces that captured and executed Che Guevera. Rodriguez was in charge of the Contra resupply operation and its cocaine trafficking component at Ilopango, a nerve center for the Contra resupply operation, and Posada became his second in command.

For some updates on the later course of these trends, check out: Miami FBI Office: terrorism, drugs, and politics, updated 3/25/00: Miami FBI head, said to be brother of CANF attorney, personally entrapped INS officer Faget. Nice touch: Miami FBI spokesman had a felony drug trafficking warrant out on him from Canada in '98!

NarcoNews does a great job of covering the drug war in South America, but does not cover much of the Cuban American angle. It does however provide good overall context.

[1] See in Spanish: "Gusanos de Miami e intelectuales mexicanos: Confunden derechos humanos y contrarrevolución" by Salvador del Rio at www.m3w3.com.mx/SIEMPRE/2279/columna/Columna10.html

Posada Carriles in the News

Cuban militant's case will remain in El Paso  6/20/2005 Houston Chronicle: "Posada's attorney wanted the trial moved because he said holding it in El Paso would cause hardships for Posada and that his client wants to be closer to his family in Miami. Prosecutors said holding Posada in South Florida would present security risks."

Luis Posada Carriles  6/20/2005 Latin American Studies: clearing house on this topic

US Congress members support Posada Carriles’ extradition  6/17/2005 Granma

The CIA and the Bombing of Cubana Flight 455 - Why Bush Wants to Harbor Posada Carriles  6/16/2005 Counterpunch

Posada sought to stand trial  6/16/2005 Miami Herald: "Venezuela presented a new challenge to the Bush administration on the Posada Carriles case by formally submitting an extradition request."

Posada Carriles: The double acquittal myth  6/16/2005 Progreso Weekly: "On the eve of the pronouncement of his sentence on August 8, 1985, he fled from the San Juan de los Morros penitentiary, located in the State of Guárico, where he had been confined after two previous failed escape attempts. No verdict was entered against Posada Carriles because according to the Venezuelan Penal Code judicial proceedings cannot continue without the presence of the accused. The court issued an arrest warrant against him."

Venezuela’s Deep Throat - An exclusive interview with Venezuelan investigative reporter Alicia Herrera  6/16/2005 Progreso Weekly: "Ernesto Villegas, who anchors “In Confidence” a Venezuelan Channel 8 program, invited me again in late April to be on his show. To my surprise, I saw that he was presenting some documents that were sent to him anonymously, with evidence of the guilt of the Barbados terrorists. They are documents that were hidden by the accomplices of the case and the terrorists at the DISIP (Venezuelan political police) at the time of the trial. Probably, all these years they were waiting for the right moment."

The New CIA Revelations About Posada Extradition US-Style By RICARDO ALARCÓN  6/14/2005 Counterpunch

Posada renews asylum bid at a hearing held in Texas  6/14/2005 Miami Herald: "Cuban militant Luis Posada Carriles refiled a formal request for political asylum, and a judge said he is considering moving him to a facility closer to Miami." [Judging by previous proceedings against anti-Castro paramilitaries, this is a sure sign in Posada's favor.]

The Asshole in El Paso - Posada Carriles: Why He Matters  6/9/2005 Counterpunch

The Charmed Life of a Mass Murderer - Posada Carriles and Bush's Anti-Terror Hoax  6/9/2005 Counterpunch

Posada Carriles nunca fue absuelto en Venezuela  6/6/2005 La Jornada, Mexico: exposes US government lies about Posada's legal history in Venezuela, where he was actually never found innocent of the airplane bombing.

A Living Monster Of Our Making  5/30/2005 AfroCubaWeb: by Alberto Jones

Chavez slams 'negative' U.S. move over Cuban exile  5/30/2005 Reuters: "Left-winger Chavez, a fierce critic of President Bush, expressed disappointment at the U.S. decision on Friday to reject Venezuela's request that Posada be arrested for extradition. "They've given a sign, a negative one," Chavez said. "It's a worrying sign," he said during a cabinet meeting broadcast live on state television. Venezuela plans to deliver a formal extradition request for Posada to U.S. authorities on Tuesday. Chavez accused Bush, whom he mockingly referred to as "Mr Danger," of "sheltering a terrorist." The U.S. government told Venezuela on Friday its request that Posada be arrested for extradition was "clearly inadequate," because it lacked supporting evidence. Chavez scoffed at this. "And what about those CIA and FBI documents that you have over there, Mr Danger? ... You know the truth much more than we do," he said. He was referring to declassified U.S. intelligence documents which cite informants as saying that Posada, who once worked with Venezuela's security services, had plotted to bomb a Cuban airliner with other Cuban exiles."

Cuban militant worked for US in Contra supply network  5/30/2005 Tallahassee Democrat: "Using the "Ramon Medina" alias, Posada worked closely with another militant Cuban exile known as "Max Gomez" at the major Contra staging area at Ilopango Air Base in El Salvador. "Max Gomez" was actually Felix Rodriguez, a longtime CIA operative who took part in a 1967 operation in Bolivia that led to the capture and execution of Castro's revolutionary ally Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Posada needed a job, and Rodriguez had a destination," said Thomas Blanton, director of the National Security Archive, a nonprofit organization at George Washington University that collects and publicizes government documents. "If Rodriguez is the CEO of the operation, Posada is the chief operating officer." [Predictably, this US paper neglects to mention the large scale narcotics trafficking Posada and Rodriguez organized out of Ilopango.]

Mexico Supports Venezuelan Extradition Request  5/29/2005 Venezuela Analysis: "Despite the fact that Cuban terrorist Luis Posada Carriles illegally entered the US via the Mexican border in March, Mexico is not interested in prosecuting him for what Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez referred to as a relatively minor offense in a statement last week. In the event that the US would deport Posada to Mexico, Mexico would turn the former CIA agent over to the Venezuelan authorities. "We would be practically obliged to do this," stated Derbez, explaining that, "[w]e have an extradition treaty with Venezuela." Derbez went on to clarify that "[P]osada would have to go to Venezuela because the Venezuelan case is very clear, there is a crime, which is compounded by his escape from prison.""

Chávez threatens ties with U.S. over Posada  5/23/2005 Miami Herald: "Venezuela's president said he'll reconsider diplomatic ties with the United States if Cuban exile Luis Posada Carriles is not extradited."

Send Posada Carriles to Venezuela - Beating Around the Bush  5/22/2005 Counterpunch: "There's no valid reason why Posada should not be extradited to Venezuela now. There's no necessity to wait while lawyers mess around with Homeland's insignificant illegal entry claim or any asylum claim. The case should be promptly submitted to the extradition judge. It seems like the Administration is using these immigration cases, with Posada's cooperation, to try to delay decision on the extradition request in hope of avoiding evidence of CIA's involvement in the bombing from becoming public in a Venezuelan proceeding. Part of its plan seems to be to make reporters and the public think the US can't extradite until the immigration proceedings are ended and they have some policy preventing extradition. Neither of which is so."

The crimes of Bosch and Posada - Washington knew beforehand of the plot to sabotage the Cubana airliner  5/20/2005 Granma

Former rebel: Posada ordered torture  5/20/2005 Miami Herald: "A former Venezuelan leftist guerrilla fighter has accused Cuban exile militant Luis Posada Carriles of ordering his torture."

Posada charged with illegal entry  5/20/2005 Miami Herald: "Immigration authorities have charged Cuban exile militant Luis Posada Carriles with entering the United States illegally and have ordered that he be held without bond."

Exiles reluctant to publicly back militant Posada  5/19/2005 Miami Herald: "Eager to avoid the blistering that Miami's Cuban community took in 2000 as a result of the Elián case, exile leaders are preaching restraint when it comes to Posada, 77, a militant accused in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban jetliner and other acts of terrorism. A group that had sponsored street demonstrations in 2000 was asked to back off, for example, and Spanish-language radio stations on Wednesday appeared intent on building interest in Friday's scheduled assembly of civil societies in Cuba -- rather than fueling outrage over Posada's fate."

Assata and Posada: Two different colors, two different stories  5/18/2005 SF Bay View: "The generally unacknowledged factor of Posada and Bosch’s blowing up of the Cubana airliner, however, is this. If tourists to Cuba take the time to visit Havana’s Sport’s Palace, guides will inevitably take them to the memorial wall. From there, visitors will be greeted by row after row of young, mostly Black faces staring back at them – photographs of Cuba’s Olympic athletes who were returning from the Pan American Games in Venezuela and were on board the airliner Posada and Bosch likely bombed. Therefore, by putting a $1 million bounty on Sister Shakur, who, they say, is linked to the killing of one white person, while allowing Posada and Bosch remain free in the U.S. after killing at least 73 mostly Black people, the U.S. has once again exposed itself as a government that continues to capitulate to and accommodate itself to racism."

What the CIA Could Learn from Venezuela: The Luis Posada Carriles Case  5/13/2005 Venezuela Analysis: "Luis Posada Carriles is a fugitive from justice in Venezuela and an international terrorist, so defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and therefore cannot be granted political asylum under U.S. law."

Bush, Posada & Terrorism Hypocrisy  5/10/2005 Consortium News: "The New York Times has finally put the case of fugitive terrorist Luis Posada Carriles on Page One, observing that the violent anti-Castro Cuban’s presence in Florida “could test” George W. Bush’s universal condemnation of terrorism. But that principle already appears to have been tested and failed. Without doubt, Posada – who reportedly has been hiding in South Florida for six weeks – is getting the benefit of a conscious U.S. policy of benign neglect, a Bush version of the “I know nothing” approach made popular by Sgt. Schultz, the German prison guard in the TV comedy “Hogan’s Heroes.” If Posada were a suspected Islamic terrorist – not a CIA-trained right-wing Cuban exile – there’s no question that the Bush administration would be showing zero tolerance for his presence inside the United States. Certainly, the U.S. government wouldn’t be waiting around patiently for the terrorist to check in with immigration authorities."

LUIS POSADA CARRILES - THE DECLASSIFIED RECORD  5/10/2005 National Security Archives: "The National Security Archive today posted additional documents that show that the CIA had concrete advance intelligence, as early as June 1976, on plans by Cuban exile terrorist groups to bomb a Cubana airliner. The Archive also posted another document that shows that the FBI's attache in Caracas had multiple contacts with one of the Venezuelans who placed the bomb on the plane, and provided him with a visa to the U.S. five days before the bombing, despite suspicions that he was engaged in terrorist activities at the direction of Luis Posada Carriles. Both documents were featured last night on ABC Nightline's program on Luis Posada Carriles, who was detained in Miami yesterday by Homeland Security. In addition, the Archive posted the first report to Secretary of State Kissinger from the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research on the bombing of Cubana flight 455. The report noted that a CIA source had overheard Posada prior to the bombing in late September 1976 stating that, "We are going to hit a Cuban airliner." "

Terrorist Cuban Exile Luis Posada Carriles Seeking Political Asylum in U.S.  5/9/2005 Democracy Now: "ANN LOUISE BARDACH: I think I saw the June 1976 document about him being in Santa Domingo, from memory, back in 1998. Actually it ties -- the one I think I recall that we got at The New York Times back then had to do with the Cubana shoot-down, where there was that big meeting in Santa Domingo, the DR, and that that was discussed. I'm not sure it’s a new document. I think it has been declassified for some time. But yes, I am aware of what they're referring to. I can only say that the information -- Posada denied blowing up the airliner, but I have never found an intelligence official whether in the F.B.I., the C.I.A., certainly the Cuban intelligence, Venezuelan intelligence, who did not believe that Posada and Bosch were involved. They're basically two guys who worked for their detective agency after he sort of got in trouble with the Venezuelan government, he started a private eye detective agency, and the two guys who planted the bombs on the plane, who were Venezuelan, worked for Posada and Bosch. And I have never – and I even did an interview, which is cited in my book, with the former head of Latin American intelligence for us, and he just said to me, he said, look, there were no other suspects. But Posada and his lawyers will properly point out that eventually over time, over ten years, he won an acquittal here, an acquittal there. Venezuelan justice is very peculiar. Same thing with Orlando Bosch. I mean, there are people who will tell you that you can get an acquittal in Caracas back then, you know, for around $45. I'm not exactly sure, but Venezuelan justice is very peculiar, labyrinthan, and it was very susceptible to what is called mordidas, and there was a tremendous crusade in Miami to free these guys. But again, he and his lawyers say they did not do it. I have never heard anyone else in the intelligence world who did not think, au contraire, that he did do it. What is interesting in the memos I saw back in 1998 was, I remember one where he's informing and sending tips to the C.I.A. throughout 1976, and I just remember one where he said that Orlando Bosch may be involved in blowing up a civilian airliner, I think he identified the country, leaving from Panama."

Posada has something on Bush, says expert on Kennedy case  4/29/2005 Granma: "Dankbaar, also a Dutch businessman, who has made a documentary on the assassination of Kennedy titled Second Look, has shown how one of the three individuals arrested by Dallas police shortly after the crime placed Luis Posada Carriles in Dealey Square in that same city at the moment of the assassination."

Hijo de cubano asesinado por Posada Carriles exige justicia  4/22/2005 Jiribilla

An Exclusive CounterPunch Interview with Ricardo Alarcon About One of the World's Most Wanted Terrorists - "Is Posada Still Working for the White House?"  4/19/2005 Counterpunch: "The explosion took place probably more rapidly than they had expected because they eared and saw the explosion when they were in the taxi going from the airport to town. That perhaps has provoked their extremely instable attitude. They were very, very nervous. That is what the driver reported. And at some moment they asked the driver not to go to the hotel but to go to the American Embassy and, at a particular moment, something struck the mind of the driver. He listened when one of the individuals signalled a building, when approaching downtown Bridgetown, and referred to the American Embassy. In Bridgetown, at this moment, there were very few embassies. The US and very few countries had a representation there. We didn't at the time. This was noted by the driver because it is rather strange that somebody who is entering the country should know this, unless he had been there before. Then they went to the Embassy, according to this driver."

El Departamento de Estado instruyó a los medios de prensa para que difundieran que la presencia de Posada Carriles en Estados Unidos era una operación de la inteligencia cubana  4/15/2005 Tricontinental

Cuba pide a EU entregar a Luis Posada Carriles  4/12/2005 La Jornada, Mexico

Moscoso obtained $4 million for pardoning Posada and his accomplices  4/7/2005 Granma: "The pardon of international terrorists Luis Posada Carriles, Pedro Crispín Remon Hernández, Gaspar Jimenez Escobedo and Guillermo Novo Sampol was negotiated in Miami by Ruby Moscoso, sister of the then Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso, for the sum of $4 million, according to documents published on the internet."

Posada Carriles: a Hot Potato  3/31/2005 Radio Miami: "The news arrived to the media just a few hours ago, but the rumor has been going around Miami for a few days. Luis Posada Carriles, the most infamous terrorist of Cuban origin is already in the U.S., and he is ready to request political asylum over there. He had remained clandestinely in Central America, possibly Honduras and El Salvador, after having been pardoned in Panama by the then Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso, who released him from prison. He was serving a sentence for terrorist acts in that country."

A Cuban Perspective on Gary Webb - The Journalist Who Exposed the Crimes of Luis Posada Carriles  1/5/2005 Counterpunch

Posada Carriles said to be in Honduras  8/31/2004 Granma

Panamanian justice rules that Posada and his accomplices should stand trial  9/8/2003 Granma

Posada and his accomplices, active collaborators of Pinochet’s fascist police  3/26/2003 Granma: "DINA’s objective was to physically eliminate opposition both inside and outside the country. This was how Luis Posada Carriles, Guillermo Novo Sampoll and Gaspar Jiménez Escobedo – all of them founders of the Coordination of United Revolutionary Organizations (CORU), along with pediatrician and killer Orlando Bosch – actively participated in a significant number of support tasks for Pinochet’s junta, as advisors or providers of mercenaries, explosive materials and logistical support. A declassified FBI report, dated April 29 1986, confirms a meeting between exiled Cubans and Pinochet on March 17, 1975. Pinochet offered them financial assistance on the condition that they unified the various counterrevolutionary groups. He also promised to mediate in their favor before heads of state in Paraguay and Uruguay, both countries living under cruel dictatorships."

Posada reaffirms his determination to continue with his terrorist acts  3/7/2003 Granma: "Posada recently reiterated his intentions in an interview with Miami’s Canal 23, in which he defended terror with impunity, which comes as no surprise to anybody in the city where the FBI protects terrorists and arrests those who infiltrate terrorists’ ranks to put a stop to their criminal plans."

Posada conspires in prison  12/19/2002 Granma: "During a visit to El Renacer prison to record a television report on a cultural event for Mothers Day (a December festivity in Panama), a Panamanian TVN television camera team was witness to an unexpected meeting between Luis Posada Carriles, the hemisphere’s most dangerous terrorist, and known Miami terrorist Ignacio Castro Matos."

The lost illusions of Posada and his accomplices  12/10/2002 Granma: "Traumatized. There aren’t many other words to describe Posada Carriles and his three henchmen on leaving the court on Thursday, December 5 after discovering the extent of the deceit practiced on them over the months by their defense attorney drugs lawyer Rogelio Cruz… Cruz, a former state attorney and millionaire who lost his position some years ago due to his links with Colombian drug cartels and a series of financial maneuvers that could have sent him to jail, is confronting a team of top-level lawyers in this country, doctors and university professors who are exercising their skills on behalf of various popular groups. And without charge, out of solidarity with trade union, student and indigenous organizations and the Cuban Revolution."

Behind Posada: Drug Trafficking  12/4/2002 Granma: Coca Contra, again - "Panamanian sources confirm links between José Valladares Acosta, accomplice of terrorist gang leader Luis Posada Carriles and Orestes Cosío, recently deported from the United States for drug trafficking and involvement in three murders • The extremely dangerous terrorist has always maintained links with drug trafficking circles in Miami - the U.S. drugs capital."

Posada in El Renacer, 60 meters from the Panama Canal  8/7/2002 Granma: "For many observers, Posada Carriles’ arrival at El Renacer Rehabilitation Center and reunion with the rest of his terrorist gang, looks like another attempt to illegally spirit him out of the country. The move adds to the Panamanian authorities’ unjustifiable rejection of an extradition request by the Cuban government, a lack of response to the Venezuelan government’s extradition request, the many legal irregularities and constant visits to Panama by big-time Miami mafia members."

Cuban warns of Posada Carriles’ possible escape  6/24/2002 Granma: Posada was Felix Rodriguez #2 at Ilo Pango air force base in El Salvador, the source of much Coca Contra trafficking in the 80's. Felix is a long time CIA employee close to George Bush senior and the CIA rep in on the Che take down.

Nota del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores: Luis Posada Carriles  6/23/2002 AIN, Cuba: narcoterrorist Posada about to flee - "El Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores ha conocido que en días pasados, el señor Rogelio Cruz, abogado defensor del connotado terrorista Luis Posada Carriles, anunció que su defendido ha sido trasladado a una clínica privada en Panamá alegando su deteriorado estado de salud."

REICH-POSADA-BOSCH - The Axis of Deceit  4/5/2002 Granma

Posada and his Gang in Panama-12 Mar 2002  3/12/2002 Radio Havana

El Salvador pedirá la extradición de Posada Carriles  3/9/2002 El Nuevo Herald: The Cubans say this is to free the narcoterrorist, as he has many friends in El Salvador.

POSADA CARRILES - Four bloody decades  2/28/2002 Granma: "...a professor at Tufts University, also an investigative reporter, who exposed himself to the worst reprisals by revealing previously unpublished information about the "private lives" of the CIA and the Miami mafia. In two alternative Internet publications, Professor Jerry Meldon released a "biography" of the best known Cuban exile drug traffickers, especially the central figure: arch-terrorist Luis Posada Carriles. Basing himself on a series of declassified secret documents, Meldon bravely describes Posada Carriles’ relationship with the late Jorge Mas Canosa, founder and leader of the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) and frequent guest at the White House under Reagan, Bush Sr. and Clinton."

PANAMA PAVES THE WAY FOR RELEASE OF TERRORIST LUIS POSADA CARRILES  2/22/2002 Radio Havana: the endless power of the Miami narcoterrorists - "The government of Panama appears to be preparing the way for the release of international terrorist Luis Posada Carriles and three of his accomplices. During the nightly roundtable discussion -- broadcast live on Cuban radio and television Thursday evening -- it was revealed that the four terrorists will face reduced charges and could be released awaiting trial."

Destacan en Cuba decisión venezolana de tramitar extradición Posada Carriles  12/26/2001 AIN, Cuba: Posada, narcotraficante extraordinario, apoyado por Miami

Venezuela initiates extradition procedures for terrorist Posada Carriles  12/26/2001 Granma: ""Luis Posada Carriles fled the San Carlos Garrison [in Venezuela] on September 8, 1982, where he was being held. On that occasion he was captured and brought before the courts once again, but he managed to escape [again] on August 18, 1985," Dávila said." Word is he was aided by Jorge Menos Canosa, mas o menos.

Denuncia Cuba estratagemas para no enjuiciar a Posada Carriles  11/22/2001 Agencia Cubana de Noticias: Details the stratagems of the Miami Mafia, including the CANF, to get Luis Posada Carilles, one of the most horrendous terrorists in the Americas, off the hook from having attempted the assassination of Fidel and 2,000 Panamanians with a large bomb.

THE RETURN OF THE CONDOR  1/5/2001 Prensa Latina: "Cuban-American terrorist Luis Posada Carriles' recent detention in Panama, for leading a commando group that brought explosive devices into that country to attempt to assassinate Cuban President Fidel Castro during the 10th Ibero-American Summit is daily acquiring greater importance. In the many recent trials against dictatorships of the South, these same people appear to be accomplices in the so-called Operation Condor."

New York Times interview with terrorist Luís Posada Carriles  7/12/1998 Free the Five: "Over the years, Posada estimated, Mas sent him more than $200,000. "He never said, 'This is from the foundation,' " Posada recalled. Rather, he said with a chuckle, the money arrived with the message, "This is for the church."

Solidarity Group In Panama Denounces Escape Plans of Posada and His Gang, 8/2/01

Granma, 5/25/01

That mafia organization is led and financed by unconditional supporters of killers Orlando Bosch and Luis Posada Carriles • In order to improve their image, they are Americanizing their message, now that U.S. public opinion has discovered their true face.

NOW that it is politically liquidated, the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) will have to invent a new name for its organization, since it is led and financed by people born in the United States and is intimately linked to terrorists such as Orlando Bosch and Luis Posada Carriles.

The case of Elián González has revealed to U.S. public opinion who are the figures who have controlled and supported the most reactionary and dirty-dealing sector of the Cuban exile community in the United States, having dared to challenge the U.S. government and inciting disdain for the patriotic symbols of the country that took them like spoiled children.

The Cuban press has commented that Joe García will be named CANF executive director. This man, as a journalist revealed in Havana, directed the Exodus program to take Cubans living in third countries to the United States.

Alberto Hernández, an accomplice of terrorists, will continue to be president of the CANF. This individual raised $200,000 USD to bribe judges in the trials of Orlando Bosch and Luis Posada Carriles.

The CANF hoped to establish an operations center on the Nicaragua-Honduras border to act against Cuban civilians, by attacking innocent people.

García, whom Cuban reporter Reynaldo Taladrid called a brother-to-the-death of Orlando Bosch, has been accused of sexual assault.

When the Exodus program became the center of a scandal, in which Joe García’s shady maneuvers related to the medical insurance of Cubans using his clinic in Miami came to light, he lost the Miami-Dade elections to candidate Miguel Díaz de la Portilla. The latter’s campaign was centered around attacks on Mas Canosa.

Joe García then moved on to Jeb Bush’s team, as part of a commission monitoring large corporations. Now that Al gore has lost ground in the campaign, according to recent surveys, the CANF is trying to get on the good side George Bush, who could very well be the next president, stating that it is going to Americanize its message.

The CANF has raised $3 million USD for elections. As Taladrid pointed out, this money is invested so that the organization can then achieve what it wants.

Links to sources on Posada

ALLEGATIONS OF CONNECTIONS BETWEEN CIA AND THE CONTRAS IN COCAINE TRAFFICKING
TO THE UNITED STATES (96-0143-IG): Volume II: The Contra Story
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/cocaine2/contents.html
On the CIA site, the CIA's forthright answer to all these scurrilous allegations! Actually contains many damning admissions...

Extract from The Guardian on Posada at Ilopango air base

The Miami Herald on Posada's Cuba bomb campaign

Granma on Posada revelations in the New York Times, 7/17/98

Conmoción en Estados Unidos por
artículos del New York Times sobre
actividades terroristas contra Cuba

El periódico The New York Times publicó los pasados días 12 y 13 de julio extensos artículos basados en una entrevista realizada al terrorista de origen cubano Luis Posada Carriles, que han causado una gran conmoción en los medios de prensa y la opinión pública norteamericanas, así como reacciones en muchos otros países.

En sus declaraciones al diario norteamericano, Posada Carriles -cuya extensa hoja de servicios contra el pueblo cubano, además de su participación en sabotajes, planes de atentados y otras acciones similares en la guerra sucia contra Cuba, incluye la organización del sabotaje al avión de Cubana en Barbados en 1976 que costó la vida de 73 personas inocentes, entre ellas los adolescentes que integraban el equipo juvenil de
esgrima de nuestro país- reconoce explícitamente, con absoluto cinismo, su participación en estas acciones terroristas y el financiamiento y apoyo recibido de la Fundación Nacional Cubano Americana, y explica la
evidente apatía de las autoridades norteamericanas en investigar su actividad terrorista contra Cuba por el hecho de lo que llamó "su vieja relación con las agencias norteamericanas de inteligencia y los órganos
encargados de hacer cumplir la ley".

En el primero de los artículos, el diario señala:

"Un exiliado cubano que ha llevado a cabo una campaña de estallidos de bombas e intentos de asesinato dirigidos contra Fidel Castro, dice que sus esfuerzos fueron respaldados financieramente durante más de un decenio por los líderes cubano-estadounidenses de uno de los grupos de cabildeo más influyentes de los Estados Unidos.

"El exiliado, Luis Posada Carriles, dijo haber organizado una ola de estallidos de bombas el año pasado en hoteles, restaurantes y discotecas de Cuba que ocasionaron la muerte de un turista italiano y la alarma del gobierno cubano. El señor Posada fue entrenado por la Agencia Central de Inteligencia en demolición y guerra de guerrillas en el decenio de 1960.

"En una serie de entrevistas grabadas en un complejo amurallado del Caribe, Posada expresó que la colocación de bombas en los hoteles y otras operaciones habían sido apoyadas por líderes de la Fundación
Nacional Cubano Americana. Su fundador y jefe, Jorge Mas Canosa, quien murió el año pasado, fue acogido en la Casa Blanca por los Presidentes Reagan, Bush y Clinton."

Sigue diciendo el New York Times:

"Aunque la Fundación, que no paga impuestos, ha declarado que trata de derrocar al gobierno comunista de Cuba únicamente por medios pacíficos, Posada manifestó que los líderes de la Fundación discretamente financiaban sus operaciones. Mas Canosa supervisaba personalmente el flujo de dinero y el apoyo logístico, dijo.

"`Jorge lo controlaba todo', expresó Posada. `Cuando yo necesitaba dinero, yo decía: Dame 5 mil dólares, dame 10 mil, dame 15 mil, y ellos me los mandaban.'

"A través de los años, Posada calculó que Mas Canosa le había enviado más de 200 mil dólares. `El nunca dijo: Esto es de la Fundación', recordó Posada. Por el contrario, recordó con una risita sarcástica, el dinero llegaba con el mensaje: `Esto es para la iglesia.'"3

Según los autores de los artículos, "por primera vez, Posada describió también el papel que había desempeñado en algunos de los más importantes hechos de la Guerra Fría en los que los exiliados cubanos fueron participantes clave. Fue entrenado para la invasión por Playa Girón en un campamento en Guatemala, pero no llegó a desembarcar en las playas cubanas [...]. Fueron exiliados cubanos como Posada los reclutados por la CIA para los subsiguientes atentados contra la vida de Castro.

"Encarcelado por uno de los más vergonzosos ataques anticubanos -la colocación de una bomba en un avión civil de Cubana en 1976-, escapó más tarde de una cárcel venezolana para formar parte del eslabón
principal de la cruzada anticomunista de la Casa Blanca en el hemisferio occidental iniciada por Reagan: las actividades clandestinas del teniente coronel Oliver North para suministrar armas a los contras
nicaragüenses."

Seguidamente el diario comenta:

"Parte de lo que dijo sobre su pasado puede verificarse mediante documentos del gobierno recientemente desclasificados, así como mediante entrevistas con ex miembros de la Fundación y funcionarios de los Estados Unidos."

Una de las afirmaciones de Posada Carriles que el periódico resalta es la que se refiere al hecho de que "las autoridades estadounidenses encargadas de hacer cumplir la ley mantuvieron una actitud de benévolo abandono con relación a él durante la mayor parte de su carrera, permitiéndole que siguiera libre y en actividad".

El New York Times apunta: "La Fundación de los exiliados, creada en 1981, ha tratado de presentarse como la voz responsable de la comunidad de exiliados cubanos, dedicada a debilitar al régimen de Castro mediante la política y no la fuerza. Gracias a ese enfoque y a millones en donaciones para las campañas, la Fundación se convirtió en una de las organizaciones de cabildeo más efectivas de Washington y en el principal arquitecto de la política estadounidense hacia Cuba.

"Cualquier prueba de que la Fundación o sus líderes repartían dinero a los republicanos y los demócratas y al mismo tiempo apoyaban sabotajes con bombas, pudiera debilitar las afirmaciones de legalidad que hace el grupo."

Luego señala el periódico: "Los comentarios de Posada sugieren que la promoción que la Fundación hace en público de que lleva a cabo una oposición estrictamente no violenta contra Castro, fue una ficción
cuidadosamente elaborada. [...]"

"En las entrevistas y en su autobiografía, titulada Los caminos del guerrero, Posada dijo que había recibido apoyo financiero de Mas Canosa y de Feliciano Foyo, tesorero del grupo, así como de Alberto Hernández, sucesor de Mas como presidente.

"[...] En su autobiografía, Posada dijo que los líderes de la Fundación ayudaron a pagar sus gastos médicos y de subsistencia y su traslado de Venezuela a América Central después de su fuga de la cárcel en 1985.

"En ocasiones, dijo Posada, el efectivo era entregado desde Miami por otros exiliados, incluido Gaspar Jiménez, que estuvo encarcelado en México en relación con el asesinato en 1976 de un diplomático cubano en ese país. Jiménez es ahora empleado de la clínica médica que el doctor Hernández tiene en Miami, según empleados de la oficina de la clínica.
A continuación los autores de los artículos recuerdan:

"Cuando las bombas comenzaron a estallar en los hoteles cubanos, el Gobierno de ese país aseguró que los ataques habían sido organizados y pagados por exiliados que operaban desde Miami, afirmación que
reforzaron con la grabación en video de un agente que confesó haber realizado algunas de esas acciones.

"Hace poco, informaciones aparecidas en el Miami Herald y la prensa estatal cubana vincularon la operación con Posada. Sin embargo, él declaró al New York Times que las autoridades estadounidenses no habían hecho ningún esfuerzo por interrogarlo sobre el caso. Atribuyó en parte la falta de acción a su vieja relación con las agencias norteamericanas de inteligencia y los órganos encargados de hacer cumplir la ley.

"`Como pueden ver', dijo, `el FBI y la CIA no me molestan, y yo soy neutral con ellos. Siempre que puedo ayudarlos, lo hago.'"

El periódico señala que "Posada hizo declaraciones contradictorias respecto a sus contactos con las autoridades estadounidenses. Primero habló de sus sólidos lazos con las agencias de inteligencia de los Estados Unidos y de una íntima amistad con al menos dos oficiales activos del FBI, incluido, dijo, un importante oficial de la oficina en Washington. `Conozco a una persona de posición muy alta allí', declaró.

"Después pidió que esos comentarios fueran omitidos del artículo y dijo que hacía años que había tenido esas relaciones cercanas.

Un funcionario del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos declaró que la CIA no ha tenido relación con Posada `en décadas', y el FBI también negó sus aseveraciones. `El FBI no tiene ahora ni nunca hemos tenido una relación prolongada con Posada.' [...]

"Documentos desclasificados publicados en Washington por los Archivos de Seguridad Nacional apoyan la insinuación de Posada de que el FBI y la CIA tuvieron conocimiento detallado de sus operaciones contra Cuba desde principios de los sesenta hasta mediados de los setenta.

"G. Robert Blakey, asesor principal del Comité Especial sobre Asesinatos creado en 1978 por la Cámara de Representantes, manifestó que había revisado muchos de los expedientes secretos del FBI sobre los cubanos anticastristas a partir de 1978, y había observado muchos ejemplos en los que el Buró se había hecho de la vista gorda con relación a posibles violaciones de la ley. Como él mismo expresó: `Cuando leí algunas de aquellas cosas, y yo soy un viejo fiscal federal, pensé: ¿Por qué no se acusa a nadie por esto?'

"En cuanto a un punto Posada fue directo y no tuvo arrepentimientos: todavía insiste en tratar de matar a Castro y cree que la violencia es el mejor método para poner fin al comunismo en Cuba."

Al respecto el diario neoyorquino señala que "Posada admitió con orgullo haber sido el autor de los ataques con bombas a los hoteles realizados el pasado año", a los que calificó de "actos de guerra" destinados a privar a Cuba del turismo y las inversiones extranjeras. Y agregó que las bombas estaban dirigidas también "a sembrar la duda en el extranjero acerca de la estabilidad del régimen, a hacer que Cuba pensara que él tenía agentes en las fuerzas armadas y a estimular la oposición interna".

En cuanto a la muerte del turista italiano, Posada la calificó de "accidente fortuito". Dijo: "Ese italiano estaba sentado en el lugar equivocado en el momento equivocado." Añadió que "tenía la conciencia tranquila". El diario cita sus palabras textuales: "Duermo como un bebé."

Posada describió a Raúl Ernesto Cruz León, el ciudadano salvadoreño detenido por las autoridades cubanas como autor de varias de estas explosiones, como "un mercenario", y afirmó que Cruz León
"estaba trabajando para él, pero dijo que `tal vez otra docena' que respondía a él permanecía en libertad".

Posada declaró al periódico que "los atentados a los hoteles fueron organizados desde El Salvador y Guatemala. Los explosivos se obtuvieron mediante sus contactos en esos países, y subordinados suyos reclutaron a su vez a correos como Cruz León para que llevaran los explosivos a Cuba y los hicieran detonar en objetivos cuidadosamente seleccionados."

Más adelante el New York Times recoge lo siguiente: "Posada dijo que Mas Canosa sabía muy bien que él estaba detrás de los sabotajes con bombas efectuados en los hoteles el año pasado."

Posada reconoció que tiene no menos de cuatro pasaportes de varias nacionalidades y con diferentes nombres. Admitió también que tiene un pasaporte norteamericano, pero no habló de cómo lo había obtenido ni reveló el nombre que usaba en ese pasaporte, diciendo solo que lo usa ocasionalmente para visitar los Estados Unidos "extraoficialmente".

En un segundo artículo publicado en esa misma edición del 12 de julio, el New York Times recoge las declaraciones de un hombre de negocios de origen cubano llamado Antonio Jorge Alvarez, residente en Guatemala, quien aseguró que había visto con creciente preocupación cómo dos de sus socios, actuando en coordinación con un individuo que resultó ser Luis Posada Carriles, compraban explosivos y detonadores y se felicitaban cada vez que una bomba estallaba en Cuba. Incluso llegó a escuchar a estas personas hablar del asesinato de Fidel Castro durante la conferencia cumbre iberoamericana de la isla Margarita.

Alvarez contó al periódico que alarmado, acudió a los oficiales de seguridad guatemaltecos. Cuando no respondieron, escribió una carta que a la larga llegó a las manos de oficiales del FBI de los Estados Unidos. Pero allí la carta despertó lo que Alvarez calificó de "una respuesta sorprendentemente indiferente".

Sobre este asunto, señala el diario, Posada expresó confianza en que el FBI no estuviera analizando sus operaciones en Guatemala, porque "la primera persona con la que querrían hablar sería conmigo".

En el artículo se refiere que Alvarez está disgustado. "`Yo creo que están todos confabulados, Posada y el FBI', dijo. `Arriesgué mi vida y mi negocio y ellos no hicieron nada.'"

Finalmente, en un artículo publicado el 13 de julio, el New York Times detalla la trayectoria anticubana de Luis Posada Carriles: integrante de una segunda ola de desembarcos durante la invasión por Playa Girón que no pudo entrar en acción, formación en técnicas de demolición, propaganda e inteligencia en una escuela de instrucción de la CIA en Fort Benning, participación en planes y acciones encubiertas contra Cuba en las décadas del 60 y 70 organizados por la CIA desde territorio de los Estados Unidos y de otros países del hemisferio, el ya mencionado sabotaje del avión cubano en Barbados, el trabajo junto a otro connotado agente de la CIA de origen cubano, Félix Rodríguez, en la operación secreta de abastecimiento de la contra nicaragüense, la organización desde territorio centroamericano de nuevas operaciones anticubanas a finales de los años 80, entre otras de sus contribuciones a la guerra sucia contra nuestro país.

El periódico cita a Posada:

"La CIA nos enseñó de todo, de todo. Nos enseñó sobre explosivos, asesinatos, bombas, sabotajes. Cuando los cubanos trabajaban para la CIA, se les llamaba patriotas."

Numerosos medios de prensa norteamericanos y de otros países se han hecho eco de estos artículos del New York Times y han comentado la significación de las revelaciones contenidas en ellos. La Fundación Nacional Cubano Americana ha negado las acusaciones, y el propio Posada Carriles ha intentado retractarse. Sin embargo, el New York Times sostiene la veracidad de sus artículos. Como ha llamado la atención un portavoz del periódico, las conversaciones grabadas con Posada existen y están en su poder.

from http://www.granma.cu/1998/98julio/posada-e.html

Model letter to Janet Reno supporting an investigation

Please forward all responses to CAAEF at: caaef@igc.org or see P/F info at end of letter.

I hope many of you will agree to have your name or organization on the letter. Many of us are working hard at keeping this issue alive inside Washington. This is one step - please stay posted for more to come.

Please pass this to others you think will sign on. Note the deadline to have your information in is 11 p.m. on Monday, 20th. The letter will be hand-delivered on Tuesday, 21st July.

You are also encouraged to send your own letter, however we would like to get a good showing of solidarity from our communities.

Thank you all for your support!

Paddy

=====================================================

Send a message: "YES add my name __________ and organization ____________ to the Janet Reno letter." Call 202-543-6780 or fax your OK to 202-543-6434 or simply respond by e-mail to caaef@igc.org NO LATER THAN MONDAY JUNE 20 at 11 PM!!
--------------------------------------
(LETTER)

July **, 1998

The Honorable Janet Reno
Attorney General of the United States
U.S. Department of Justice
Constitution Avenue and 10th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20530

Dear Attorney General Reno:

We are writing as members of the Cuban American Community to express our deep concern about recent news reports of financial links between people living in the U.S. and Luis Posada Carriles, the alleged mastermind of a series of bombings targeting Cuban hotels, restaurants and night clubs last year. In total, 12 bombings occurred in Cuba between April and September 1997. On September 4, 1997, a bomb exploded at the Copacabana Hotel, claiming the life of Fabio di Celmo, an Italian citizen. We request a full investigation of these reports, and if warranted, the prosecution of those involved in violations of U.S. law.

According to the New York Times, Posada Carriles admitted to receiving financial support for acts of international terrorism over the course of several years from the late Jorge Mas Canosa, founder and long-time Chairman of the Cuban American National Foundation(CANF). Additionally, the New York Times claims to be in possession of independent evidence that indicates that financial support for the specific purpose of planting bombs in Cuba last summer came from a number of other individuals within the United States.

We are particularly disturbed by reports that the FBI responded indifferently to credible evidence of the involvement of American citizens when it was presented to them by a Cuban American businessman based in Guatemala at the time of the bombings. We believe that had such evidence come to your attention, it may have helped avert the injuries and loss of life caused by the bombings.

These revelations follow on the heels of an apparent foiled assassination attempt against Fidel Castro by several Cuban Americans who were arrested by the U.S. Coast Guard off the coast of Puerto Rico in October of last year. Recent media stories have reported that one of the rifles found aboard the cabin cruiser La Esperanza, which was owned by a member of the Executive Board of CANF, was registered to the President of CANF. As Cuban Americans, we share a great concern for the situation of our loved ones on the island. However, we strongly oppose the use of violence as a means of demonstrating political opposition. Regardless of the nature of the Cuban government, we can not condone actions that violate international and U.S. law, and most importantly, place our loved ones in danger.

We have committed ourselves to the humanitarian cause of reconciliation between Cubans in exile and our brothers and sisters on the island. We disapprove of any person who from U.S. soil conducts or finances acts of violence against Cubans or Cuban Americans.

We call on you to do all in your power to investigate and prosecute any person under U.S. jurisdiction that is found to be involved in acts of violence against the Cuban state and people. Further, we call on you to condemn in the strongest terms the use of terror to achieve political goals.

We look forward to further contact with you on this issue.

Sincerely,

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*
* CUBAN AMERICAN ALLIANCE EDUCATION FUND, INC.
*
* CAAEF (East Coast) CAAEF (West Coast)
*
* 614 Maryland Ave., NE, #2 3161 Bridle Dr.
*
* Washington, DC 20002 Hayward, CA 94541
*
* Tel(202)543-6780 e-mail: caaef@igc.org Tel(510)538-9694
*
* Fax(202)543-6434 WebPage: www.cubamer.org Fax(510)538-9614
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Links to resources on Coca Contra

Powderburns; Cocaine, Contras and the Drug War
by Celerino III Castillo . To purchase ==>

Very readable account of the Contra resupply effort and the role of Cuban Americans among others.

Luis Posada Carriles
and the Cuban American National Foundation:
Coca Contra lives on

Posada Carriles in the News

Solidarity Group In Panama Denounces Escape Plans of Posada and His Gang, 8/2/01

Links to sources on Posada

Extract from The Guardian on Posada at Ilopango air base

The Miami Herald on Posada's Cuba bomb campaign

Granma on Posada revelations in the New York Times, 7/17/98

Model letter to Janet Reno supporting an investigation

Links to resources on Coca Contra

Contacting AfroCubaWeb

Copyright © 1997 AfroCubaWeb, sa
Last modified: February 24, 2007

Luis Posada Carriles and the Cuban American National Foundation: Coca Contra lives on

Posada Carriles in the News

Solidarity Group In Panama Denounces Escape Plans of Posada and His Gang, 8/2/01

Links to sources on Posada

Extract from The Guardian on Posada at Ilopango air base

The Miami Herald on Posada's Cuba bomb campaign

Granma on Posada revelations in the New York Times, 7/17/98

Model letter to Janet Reno supporting an investigation

Links to resources on Coca Contra

Contacting AfroCubaWeb

Copyright © 1997 AfroCubaWeb, sa Last modified: February 24, 2007

Luis Posada Carriles
and the Cuban American National Foundation:
Coca Contra lives on

Copyright © 1997 AfroCubaWeb, sa
Last modified: February 24, 2007