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Exopolitics - Deep Politics - Drug Running for black Budgets and Profit
Chip Tatum's "License To Kill"?
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The "Tatum Chronicles" were were scanned and edited for
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The Tatum Chronicle_
D.G. "Chip" Tatum
PEGASUS An American Spy Story Book Two
The Chronicles_
By D.G. "Chip" Tatum
The Tatum Chronicles Published by D.G. "Chip" Tatum P.O. Box 895082, Leesburg, Florida 34789 (352) 787-0867
Copyright _ 1996 By D.G. "Chip" Tatum and Nancy J. Tatum
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher,
except where permitted by law. For information address: D.G. Tatum,
P.O. Box 895082, Leesburg, Florida 34789; e-mail:
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The Tatum Chronicles INTRODUCTION
I started government service in 1970 as a volunteer for military
service during the Vietnam war. Having graduated Air Force Technical
School, I became one of the Air Force's first elite combat controllers
(CCT). I was subsequently sent to NKP, Thailand. While in Thailand,
during a covert mission into Cambodia, our unit, code named Team Red
Rock, was captured by North Vietnamese and held as prisoners for 92
days. During interrogations by both Soviet and Chinese officers, Team
Red Rock remained silent through the beatings and torture that more
often than not ended in death. Had it not been for a patrol of US
Marines finding the encampment where we were held prisoner, all of the
team would have died. But, fortunately for myself and my platoon
sergeant, we were liberated by the recon patrol before we had been
tortured to death. During the fire fight between US forces and our
captors, I was wounded. Already weak from the torture and beatings
inflicted during interrogations, I slipped into a coma. Three weeks
later I awoke in an Air Force hospital at Clark Air Force Base,
Philippines. Within a few days a man from Saigon arranged to "debrief "
the mission. During the debriefing it was explained that the events
which Team Red Rock were involved in had been classified by President
Nixon for a period of twenty-five years. Due to the sensitive nature of
the mission, the president required that I be "held close" for reasons
of national security. It had been decided that the CIA would assume
that responsibility. On June 6, 1971, William J. Colby, the man from
Saigon assigned to debrief me, advised me that I was now under
operational control of the CIA. My code name was Pegasus.
During the next eight years, I traveled five continents under
the operational control of the DCI (Director of Central Intelligence).
As I collected data concerning movement of POWS from Southeast Asia to
Asia and on to Europe, and forwarded the data to my handler, William J.
Colby, and his predecessor George Bush, I began to realize that our
government was not going to act upon that data. At the end of my
contract, I found myself compelled by a French resistance song to step
aside for a greatly needed rest.
When you fall, my friend
Another friend will emerge
From the shadows
To take your place.
I resigned in 1978 and left the service of my country to live in a
quiet town tucked in the mountains of Colorado. Only time could heal
the wounds I had suffered through the years as Pegasus.
In 1980, following the failed rescue attempt in the Great Salt
Desert of Iran, I was involuntarily reactivated and placed in the U.S.
Army. I soon found myself and my family at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, the
new home of a U.S. Army Special Operations unit, Task Force 160.
Having participated in numerous covert missions with the
160th, I was given an assignment to Ft. Stewart, Georgia. I was tasked
with the mission of infiltrating a medical evacuation unit which was
preparing to go to Honduras in support of military exercises.
In February of 1985, two flight crews from the 3/498th Medical
Company, Fort Stewart, Georgia, arrived at Palmerola Air Base,
Honduras. Each flight crew consisted of a pilot, copilot, medic, and
the crew chief.
Upon arrival, our crew was ordered to report to the Hospital
Commander for further assignment and billeting. The Hospital Commander,
Colonel Zichek introduced our crews to the outgoing medevac crews from
Fort Riley, Kansas, home of the "Big Red One".
Following orientation and check-rides with an instructor pilot
familiar with the operating rules of the country, we assumed the
medevac mission for Joint Task Force Bravo. Having flown extensively in
Central America as a Special Operations pilot, I was well aware of the
flight environment and the local operational restrictions. However,
when I accepted the mission to infiltrate the 3/498th Medical Company
and pose as a medevac pilot, as briefed by my handler, Oliver North, I
was instructed to make no mention of previous involvement in the area.
On February 15, 1985, during a flight to La Cieba, Honduras I
was instructed to contact the man assigned by Oliver North as my local
handler, Major Felix Rodriguez. Upon arrival in La Cieba, I contacted
Major Rodriguez. He picked the crew up and gave us lodging for the
night at a CIA safe house. The house was surrounded by a ten foot
perimeter wall of concrete and at the only entrance was an uzi wielding
guard. Following dinner, the crew was sent to their quarters while
Major Rodriguez and I planned our four month support calendar. I was
scheduled to leave Honduras in June of 1985.
I was instructed that in addition to our normal MEDEVAC
missions, my duties included a covert group of missions. The control
word for these missions was Pegasus. All Pegasus missions took priority
over normal medical evacuation missions. Major Rodriguez also
instructed me as to my "chain of command." Missions could be ordered by
any of the following:
Oliver North - Assistant National Security Advisor to the White House
Amiram Nir - Former Israeli Intelligence Officer (Mossad) and Advisor to Vice President Bush
Felix Rodriguez - CIA
Normal aviation support provided by Pegasus missions included flights to the following areas:
Ilapongo, El Salvador :
This was where Corporate Air Services, a CIA owned aviation company, was based.
Contra Camps, Honduras and Nicaragua :
Various Nicaraguan rebel camps were located in the jungles and mountains along the Nicaraguan/Honduran border.
The following morning our air crew departed La Cieba for
Palmerola Air Base. During the next week, our missions were equally
mixed between Pegasus flights into Contra villages and medevac support
of U.S. military and Contra casualties. One common denominator on all
Pegasus missions was the movement of large white coolers in and out of
the Contra camps. They were always sealed and marked as medical
supplies.
On October 23rd, 1986, a C-123 cargo plane loaded with arms
and ammunition was shot down over Nicaragua. The sole survivor of the
crash was captured by the Nicaraguan military and taken to Managua for
interrogation. During interrogation, Eugene Hasenfus would reveal to
the Ortega led Nicaraguan government that the aircraft which was shot
down was owned by the U.S. government and that he was on the payroll of
the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Although the United States vehemently denied ownership of the
aircraft and any knowledge of employing Mr. Hasenfus, subsequent
investigations proved out Mr. Hasenfus' allegations to be true.
Dubbed the "Iran-Contra" affair by Attorney General Edwin
Meese, President Reagan, denying any knowledge of U.S. involvement,
called for a special investigation to "look" into these absurd
allegations.
At a cost of over $40 million the investigation yielded only a
few prosecutions for minor infractions. It is curious that neither the
Select Committee on Secret Military Assistance To Iran and the
Nicaraguan Opposition subcommittee tasked with the congressional
investigation of the Iran-Contra, nor the office of the Special
Prosecutor assigned to investigate criminal wrong-doings which occurred
during the Iran-Contra Affair, subpoenaed any active duty military
personnel assigned to the border area of Nicaragua/Honduras. Had the
service members been called to testify concerning the daily
training/resupply, and support of the Contras, it would have been
determined that the Boland Act, which prohibited any efforts of the
United States or its military to support the Contra effort, was being
violated. Testimony by military personnel would have also revealed that
military aircraft and supplies were used to support the shipment of
cocaine from manufacturing facilities co-located with CIA supported
Contra camps. Why weren't we called to testify?
The following documents were filed with base operations at
Palmerola Air Base, Honduras between February and May of 1985. This was
a full two years prior to the world ever hearing the names Oliver North
or Iran/Contra. The documents were filed and stored through the years
by the Honduran Military. Recent attempts to locate the documents
proved successful. I have compiled the military documents in
chronological order which follows a week-by-week sequence of events
involving political, military, and intelligence officials from various
countries.
As you read the Chronicles, you will find:
A. Flight Plans These are international flight plans filed
in conjunction with the 1985 flights. Information includes the name of
the crew members, destinations of the flight, and passenger names. Many
flight plans will have remarks which were made by the pilots. These
remarks were written on the reverse side of the flight plan.
B. Mission Briefs Prior to each flight and at the completion
of the flight, any irregularities or information affecting the mission
would be briefed and included in the comments section of the mission
brief.
26 February, 1985
Wally World, our intelligence compound at Palmerola Air Base,
tasked us with a mission requiring us to fly two civilian pilots to one
of the largest Contra villages on the Honduran side of the
Nicaragua/Honduras border. The names of our passengers as noted in
Section 19 of the Department of Defense flight plan filed with Base
Operation prior to departure from Palmerola (MHCG) were Bill Cooper and
Buzz Sawyer. We departed at 1630Z (Greenwich Means Time). During the
flight, Mr. Cooper told us that they worked for Corporate Air Services,
a CIA proprietary, based out of Ilapongo Air Base, El Salvador. They
were meeting with Contra leaders to coordinate air drops of arms and
ammunition to various Contra camps. We arrived at El Paraiso, Honduras
without incident. The meeting between the pilots and Contra leaders
lasted just over an hour. At the termination of the meeting we were
given a white cooler marked "vaccine" and instructed to deliver the
cooler to a US Air Force C-130 at La Mesa Airport. Upon arrival at La
Mesa Airport in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, the cooler was dropped by two
of our crew members. It weighed in excess of 200 pounds. The seal broke
on the cooler. I picked up some aviation tape commonly called "hundred
mile an hour" tape to reseal the vaccine cooler. I gave the crew leave
to get lunch ordered. I stayed to refuel the helicopter and reseal the
cooler. Messrs. Cooper and Sawyer went to eat and wait for their flight
to El Salvador. When I removed the torn tape from the cooler, I saw
that the contents consisted of a number of bags of a white powdery
substance. There was over one hundred bags of what appeared to be
cocaine. I resealed the cooler and continued refueling the aircraft.
About two hours following our arrival, the U.S. Air Force C-130 bound
for Panama finally arrived to pick up the vaccine.
We returned to Palmerola Air Base. Upon our return, I called
Washington switch via land line (telephone) and advised Mr. North
regarding my discovery of the cocaine. He told me that it was one of
the trophies of war. "The Sandinistas are manufacturing cocaine and
selling it to fund the military." He further stated that "the cocaine
was bound for the world courts as evidence." I was reminded of the
white coolers I had been asked to deliver to Arkansas on several
occasions the year prior.
I was a Special Operations pilot at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. In
1983 and 1984 we would routinely receive requests from a medevac unit
at Ft. Campbell to deliver white coolers marked medical supplies to
Little Rock Air Force Base, and, on two occasions, to an airport west
of Little Rock, in Mena, Arkansas. Further investigation on my part
clarified some outstanding questions I had. The medevac unit at Ft.
Campbell, the 324th Medical Battalion was a supporting unit for Task
Force 160, a Special Operations Unit under the control of the CIA.
Flight crews of the 324th Medical Battalion rotated in and out of
Honduras on four month tours.
During my flights to Arkansas I was met by a man introducing
himself as Dr. Dan Lasater. Dr. Lasater was never alone. He was usually
accompanied by a plain-clothes policeman who produced a badge and ID.
His name was Raymond Young. I was introduced to him and found that his
nickname was 'Buddy'. Mr. Young would later show up in Honduras, posing
as a member of the Arkansas National Guard (see flight plan dated 16
March, 1985).
On one occasion in the fall of 1983, I was tasked with
delivering two such coolers to Little Rock Airport. The coolers, marked
"medical supplies," were to be delivered to Dr. Dan Lasater only. My
instructions were to wait for Dr. Lasater, if he was not at the airport
when we arrived.
Prior to take off, I helped our crew chief secure the cargo in
the rear of the aircraft. I noticed that, although both coolers were
identical in size, one cooler was significantly heavier than the other.
I shook the lighter cooler, trying to guess its contents. But it was so
tightly packed that nothing rattled. I recall thinking that it must
have been organs or something, packed tightly in dry ice. So I opened
the cooler to check its contents. After thoroughly examining the
contents, my curiosity was satisfied and I closed and re-sealed the
cooler with military green hundred-mile-an-hour tape. (They had
originally been sealed with gray air conditioning duct tape.) I
re-secured the cargo and we departed for Little Rock.
We arrived late in the night, about 10:30 pm. Dr. Lasater was
not waiting for us, so we began our post-flight of the aircraft and
flight planning for our next leg to Houston's Hobby Airport. About
12:15am a limousine, followed by a van, and unmarked law enforcement
vehicle, arrived at the FBO. Dr. Lasater was the first out of the limo.
I recognized him from a previous flight. He was followed by two others.
Dr. Lasater introduced himself to me, apparently not realizing we had
met before, and asked if we were the aircraft with the donor organs. I
told him that we had the coolers and pointed at them in the rear of the
aircraft. Doug, our crew chief, helped Lasater's limo driver with the
coolers. The heavy cooler went into the limo and the light cooler was
loaded into the van. Dr. Lasater introduced me to the two gentlemen
with him. First, we were introduced to the Governor of Arkansas,
Governor William J. Clinton, and then his security chief, Raymond
"Buddy" Young. At this point, Mr. Young recognized me and stated so. I
was then introduced to a third man standing at the limo. We were
invited to stay the night and accepted. (After all, I thought, they may
want to talk to me when they find the note I left in the lighter
cooler.)
After returning to Ft. Campbell on Friday, I called Director
Colby and told him of the delivery and my discovery. I told him that
when I opened the cooler, which was ultimately taken by Governor
Clinton, it contained several kilos of an off-white powdery substance
and lots of money.
The coolers which were delivered to Arkansas were identical to
the one I just discovered at La Mesa Airport in Honduras containing
cocaine. I decided that I had best begin documenting our cargo for the
flight crew's safety. I went to operations and noted the cocaine on the
back of the flight plan.
Two white coolers marked "medical supplies" were delivered to
Dustoff (MEDEVAC) Operations. Major Rodriguez advised us to deliver the
coolers to him in Tela, Honduras (LYA). I opened the coolers and
checked the contents. They were both filled with about one hundred
kilos of cocaine. We delivered the coolers as ordered to Major
Rodriguez. He was waiting in front of an old DC-3. We then returned to
base at Palmerola.
I was advised by Major Rodriguez that "The Company" had arranged
for an unusually high concentration of chlorine in the water supply of
a tactical communications site called Skywatch. The CIA was unable to
obtain the satellite operations frequencies from the military
controlled site. (This was not unusual. The Department of Defense and
the CIA have never developed a level of trust adequate to share secret
information between agencies. I was one of several U.S. military
officers recruited by "The Company" to "spy" on our military for the
CIA. This small group of military officers report directly to the
Director of the CIA. I reported to William Colby.) My mission was to
obtain these frequencies while the doctor was tending to the ill
soldiers. We flew a PA and our medic to the TAC site. While the PA and
medic tended to the stomach cramped and diarrhea ridden American
servicemen, I went into the communications van and copied the
frequencies. When we returned to Palmerola, we experienced engine
failure and were forced to auto-rotate from 8500 feet. The tailboom of
the helicopter cracked when we crash landed.
Later in the afternoon, I gained access to a secure line. I
called Washington Switch and passed the frequencies to Don Gregg as I
was instructed. Mr. Gregg, Vice President George Bushs' National
Security Advisor, asked me to pass them to Clair George. Before having
my call transferred to Mr. George, I told Mr. Gregg of my discovery
concerning the cocaine in the large, white coolers. I also told him
about Major Rodriguez' explanation. Mr. Gregg confirmed that the
coolers were bound for the world courts as evidence against the
Sandinistas. I was then transferred to Langley and passed the
frequencies to Mr. George. He thanked me and advised me that he would
pass them to Dewey, who was Dewey Clairage of the CIA (see letter dated
October 1993 from the Security Section of the Israeli Embassy). I
terminated the call and went to Base Operations. I noted the info on
the back of the flight plan. I put additional notes on the mission
brief.
The supporting maintenance officer for the US Army Aviation
Element at Palmerola Air Base advised me, during our post-crash
investigation, that the aircraft had experienced serious mechanical
problems in flight. During maintenance the turbine was fitted with the
wrong main seals causing the combustion chamber to crack on the jet
ending in engine failure. Additionally, the main rotor blades had been
adjusted so that when entering auto-rotation, the main rotor pitch
would be in a negative position. This meant that instead of being
driven by the relative wind, and providing sufficient RPMs to land
safely, the main rotor blades were set to slow to the point of
stalling, thus causing no lift and a fatal crash. I discovered the
negative pitch in time to compensate and land with minimal damage to
the aircraft and crew. Someone didn't want us alive. 2
Major Rodriguez called and advised me that he and three others
needed to spend two days visiting several local villages and some of
the north Contracamps. I called Col. Zichek, the Hospital Commander,
and received authorization to fly two days of recon missions mapping
villages which were not on our maps. The following passengers arrived
with Major Rodriguez.
General Gustavo Alverez -Honduran Army Chief of Staff (General Alverez usually flew under the name of Dr. Gus)
Honduran Colonel -the General's aide
Amiram Nir -CIA (Mossad)
We flew into all six villages listed, and picked up soldiers and
took them to El Paraiso. We flew about seven sorties. Then we returned
to base. Maintenance and weather hampered our efforts to fly the
following day. Those missions would be flown on 7 March, 1985.
Missions continued from several villages to Contra camps. Major
Rodriguez was utilized as an interpreter to provide instructions. Two
of the camps in Nicaragua were under fire by Sandinistas. Our
intelligence indicated that there was no problem. We flew four sorties
into the camps under heavy fire. At El Paraiso, we picked up four large
white coolers. I asked Rodriguez, "Evidence?" He responded patting the
cooler with his hands, "You catch on fast."
We dropped Rodriguez and the coolers off at San Lorenzo (SNL)
and returned to base. I went to Operations and noted the cargo on the
reverse side of the flight plan.
At 3 A.M. I was called by J2 (which is Joint Task Force Bravo
intelligence arm) and the Mil Group (CIA) from the embassy in
Tegucigalpa. There was an immediate need for medevac into Nicaragua.
Soviet built Hind helicopters had attacked several Contra camps along
the border. I was tasked to fly into Nicaragua and find the home base
for the Hinds so that the Contras could counter-attack. We arrived at
Ojo De Agua at 1720Z. Major Rodriguez advised us that Ocotal is the
most probable base area for the Hinds. Flying low level with only the
main rotors above the trees, we approached Ocotal. Before departing the
area of the airfield, we were able to count eight Hind-D Soviet
gunships. The aircraft alerted to our presence and launched.
We were able to evade them and complete our mission moving medical personnel and supplies from the damaged camps.
Tried to reach J-2 or installation for 3 furs. upon arrival at
Oio De Agua - officials (one civilian clothed, Engligh speaking) asked
us to divert from original flight RQ to an urgent recon of shelled area
- no response frm J-2 need e cisted - we diverted - to area suspected
as Ocotol, Nic. entered @ Danli thru valley to El Paraiso Landed north
of good size town in soccer field - stayed about +5 min &c departed
to north - up river valley Noc Rcd radar from C~ & NIC inbound lost
on APR39 throughout terrain flight no further contact until climbed
appx 750' agl. Suspect violation of boarder - debriefed by Col at Ojo
de Agua - no one big enough in your chain - repeated no one should know
where we had been. Col was not Honduran mil (different uniform) black e
greying hair strong face. very intelligent & knowledgeable of
contra activities, name uns - our aircraft did not have red chgs - gun
shot by crowd - offender aprehended by flt crew. Adv North via
Rodriguez
Note: El Porvinir & Ocotel are in Nicanam
15 March, 1985
I was called to a meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa.
Due to a patient with a head injury, I was unable to meet on time.
Night flight was prohibited in country. It required a life-death
situation. Mr. Hibbard, the pilot-in-charge (PIC) of the other medevac
aircraft arrived late in the evening with the patient. The hospital at
JTF-Bravo was unable to provide neuro-care. They arranged for a
neuro-surgeon to fly into Tegucigalpa (TNT) that night. I replaced Mr.
Hibbard's co-pilot and flew the night mission to the capital city. As
we approached Tegucigalpa the lights to the city were turned off. This
was an indicator to us that word of our night flight was not passed on
to the Honduran military as expected. When we saw the blackout of
Tegucigalpa, we dropped to night low-level flight and turned off all of
our position lights. We continued toward the city at about 60 knots.
Our low-level recon revealed that we were just south east of the
airport. Having flown into the airport on many occasions, I was aware
of the anti-aircraft artillery locations around the airport. One clear
area was the main terminal. We repositioned over the city to the north
of the air terminal, entered over the main terminal, then dropped to
ground level, and flew about one foot above the runway to the U.S.
military area. We shut down the aircraft as Honduran military jeeps
arrived with 50 calibre machine guns pointing at us. The ambulance and
a car from the U.S. Embassy were held back until General Alverez
arrived to take the prisoners (us). When he arrived, he asked another
officer how a helicopter could breech the perimeter of the airport and
main military base. We were still sitting in the helicopter with our
flight helmets on. When we were ordered out, I took off my helmet and
saluted the general. I pointed to the child who had been hit by a U.S.
military truck earlier in the day. An ambulance arrived and we
transferred the patient.
The general released us and accompanied us to the embassy.
When I arrived at the embassy, I was introduced to William Barr, Mike
Harari, and Buddy Young. I had met Mr. Young one year prior in Little
Rock, Arkansas. Mr. Barr represented himself as an emissary of Vice
President Bush, who would be arriving in the future. This was an
advance party designed to set up meetings for Vice President Bush. We
joined the cocktail party and then accommodations were arranged at a
local hotel. I was then asked to join Mr. Barr, Mr. Young, and Mr.
Harari at a local German restaurant. I was picked up by the embassy
car. Major Felix Rodriguez was in the car when I entered. We met the
others for dinner and continued the meeting at the hotel. I was told
that Mr. Young and Mr. Harari would fly back to Palmerola with me in
the morning.
We departed the following morning with the passengers listed
in Item 19 Remarks section of the Department of Defense Flight Plan
dated 16 March, 1985.
The following conversation took place between Messrs. Harari
and Young during the flight to Palmerola Air Base. The passengers were
wearing headsets and speaking over the aircraft intercom system due to
the high noise level in the helicopter. As the command pilot, I
routinely monitor all conversations on our intercom. I did not advise
our passengers that I was listening, or that I was recording the
conversation.
Buddy: "Arkansas has the capability to manufacture anything in the area of weapons - and if we don't have it - we'll get it!"
Mike: "How about government controls?"
Buddy: "The Governor's on top of it, and if the feds get nosey -
we hear about it and make a call. Then they're called off." He was
looking around the countryside and continued, "Why the hell would
anyone want to fight for a shit-hole like this?"
Mike: Shaking his head in awe, answered,"What we do has nothing
to do with preserving a country's integrity - it's just business, and
third world countries see their destiny as defeating borders and
expanding. The more of this mentality we can produce - the greater our
wealth. We train and we arm - that's our job. And, in return, we get a
product far more valuable than the money for a gun. We're paid with
product. And we credit top dollar for product."
Buddy: Still looked confused.
Mike: "Look - one gun and 3,000 rounds of ammo is $1,200. A kilo
of product is about $1,000. We credit the Contras $1,500 for every
kilo. That's top dollar for a kilo of cocaine. It's equivalent to the
American K-Mart special - buy four, get one free. On our side - we
spend $1,200 for a kilo and sell it for $12,000 to $15,000. Now, that's
a profit center. And the market is much greater for the product than
for weapons. It's just good business sense - understand?
Buddy: "Damn! So you guys promote wars and revolutions to
provide weapons for drugs - we provide the non-numbered parts to change
out and we all win. Damn that's good!"
Mike: "It's good when it works - but someone is, how do you say, has his hand in the coffer."
Buddy: Responding on the defensive,"Well, we get our ten percent
right off the top and that's plenty. GOFUS can make it go a long way."
Mike:"Who is GOFUS?"
Buddy: "Governor Clinton! That's our pet word for him. You know
they call the President 'POTUS' for 'President of the United States'.
Well, we call Clinton 'GOFUS' for 'Governor of the United States'. He
thinks he is anyhow.
Mike: "That's your problem in America. You have no respect for
your elected officials. They are more powerful than you think and have
ears everywhere. You should heed my words and be loyal to your leaders.
Especially when speaking to persons like me. Your remarks indicate a
weakness - something our intelligence analysts look for."
Buddy: "Aw hell, Mike. Everybody knows the Clinton's want the
White House and will do anything to get it. That's why I'm here instead
of someone else. We know about the cocaine - hell! I've picked it up
before with Lasater when he was worried about going on Little Rock Air
Base to get it."
A new line of conversation ensued. Harari questioned Young
about his knowledge of who the 'players' were. He went down a list. He
started with 'The Boss - Clinton'. Here's a synopsis of the players
according to Young.
Buddy: "Clinton - thinks he's in charge, but he'll only go as
far as Casey allows. Me and my staff - we keep the lid on things you
know - complaints about night flying - Arkansas people are private
folks - they don't like a lot of commotion and Mena just isn't the
right place for the operation. It keeps us busy at the shredder - if
you know what I mean. Dan the Man (Lasater) - He does magic with the
money - between him and Jack Stevens we don't have to worry a bit. Then
we got Parks - if there's a problem - he's the man. We call him the
Archer - that's the codename that Casey and Colby told us to assign to
that position. Finnis oversee's our drop zone. Nash - he's just the
boss' 'yes' man. Personally I think he's a mistake! Seal and his guys -
I like his attitude "and leave the driving to us!" he said, quoting one
of Seal's good ole boy sayings.
Mike: "You like Seal?"
Buddy: "Hell! He's the only one I trust - respect is the word."
Mike: "Do you see much of him?"
Buddy: "Hell, yea. We test drive Clinton's rides before we send
'em on, ya know? (He laughed, grinding his hips.) Say - how much coke
do you recon you can make in a week?"
Mike: "One camp can produce 400 keys a week. The others are
about half that. But that's just our operation here. We have other
sources in various parts of the world. Why do you ask?"
Buddy: "What? Oh, the Governor wanted to know our capacity."
Mike: "Who else is on the team?"
Buddy: "Well, hell, I forgot who I told you about."
Mike ran down the list from memory.
Buddy: "Ok, there's the manufacturers - hell, these two.."
The tape stopped.
I didn't recognize the names. I ran out of paper on my kneeboard
shortly after the tape stopped. Something like Johnson and Johnson. The
flight continued and so did their discussions...about people mostly. We
landed and I went to Operations and made a note on the back of the
flight plan that I filed by phone.
I was called at 0500 hours and told that there were three
wounded soldiers at a Contra camp outside of Choloteca. We launched and
picked up two observers in Choloteca as ordered. Mr. North and a Lt.
Col. Ramon Navarro. I had met Lt. Col. Navarro on previous flights into
contra camps, however, his uniform was not that of the U.S. or Honduran
Military. We then proceeded to the Contra camp where our medic
administered to the casualties. We loaded two of the casualties and
were waiting for Specialist McDonald, our medic, to finish with the
last patient. The last patient had a piece of what seemed to be wood
sticking out of a bad wound to the upper left portion of his body. When
we attempted to clean the area, we found a hole the size of a softball
adjacent to the impaled object. McDonald began cleaning the area,
causing a clear view of muscle hanging and the inside of the chest
cavity. Mr. North fainted. I caught him and popped an ammonia capsule
to bring him around. We then departed and delivered the casualties to
San Lorenzo.
I would see Ramon Navarro on several occasions. The last time I saw Ramon was February 27th, 1991.
In 1990 the United States arrested General Manuel Noriega.
General Noriega had been indicted by a federal grand jury under the
drug conspiracy laws. Two of General Noriega's co-defendants were
severed from the General and scheduled for trial in early 1991.
One of the government's key witnesses against the two
co-defendants was Ramon Navarro. Navarro knew, from past experience,
how valuable his testimony would be. After being subpoenaed, Navarro
contacted Felix Rodriguez, one of his handlers from the Contra cocaine
manufacturing facilities. Navarro told Rodriguez that he wanted $1
million - cash or he would not only testify about Noriega's involvement
with drug manufacturing and trafficking, but he would also implicate
Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Oliver North, President George Bush and others.
Having been recruited into a covert operations intelligence
unit in 1986, directed by William Colby and George Bush, I was tasked
with the mission of delivering the money with its terms to Mr. Navarro.
On February 26th, 1991, an Archer Team, consisting of three assassins
and one tracker began surveillance of Mr. Navarro. A Saberliner was
flown into Miami Airport with a satchel of money containing $1 million.
My orders were to deliver the money to Mr. Navarro and advise him that
he was to leave with me.
It had been arranged through Adolfo Colero, an ex-Contra
leader now in the Chamarro government of Nicaragua for Mr. Navarro to
relocate and live in Nicaragua. Mr. Bush felt that it would be too
dangerous for Navarro to testify. I was ordered by Colby to give
Navarro the money and take him to the Saberliner. I was further
instructed that, if Navarro refused to relocate, he was to be
terminated on the spot.
Two Archers were placed at Navarro's home the night of
February 27th, 1991. I was stationed outside of Navarro's girlfriend's
house with the Major (code name for an Archer team leader) and another
Archer. Mr. Navarro exited his girlfriend's house at about 11:30 pm. I
exited my vehicle and approached Ramon. When Navarro saw me
approaching, he jumped in his car and sped off down the road. The red
BMW was speeding through the streets of Miami at about 80 miles per
hour with our two vehicles in pursuit. We notified the team at his home
and they were prepared to apprehend him. Suddenly, Navarro lost control
and crossed the median, crashing into a fence. Navarro was dead. We
stopped and insured that he was dead, and then departed. I returned the
satchel of money to the aircraft.
See flight plan and After Action Report on the following page.
I was asked to provide transportation for the following passengers back to Tegucigalpa.
General Gustavo Alverez -Honduras
Felix Rodriguez -CIA
Mike Harari - Panama (Retired Mossad - see letter from Israeli Embassy dated October 20th, 1993.)
Major Rodriguez advised me that I would need to modify aircraft
#228 for a flight through Nicaragua to Costa Rica on the 24th. I
'roger-ed' and returned to Palmerola. Upon arriving I arranged for the
modifications. The modification included four stinger missiles which
were to be attached outside of the aircraft only if detection and
acquisition were inevitable.
To deliver passengers to El Ocotal, Costa Rica and to gather
vital intel from moles at Ojo de Agua/El Tamborcita, Nicaragua. It was
necessary for pax to meet with contacts at Ojo and brief prior to
meeting in Costa Rica.
Intel:
It was determined by intelligence provided by Wally World, that
both radar threat and airborne patrols of Soviet built Hind-D were in
place. It was, therefore, determined that we would use a modified
medevac UH-1. If detected in a low-level flight across Nicaragua, it
was most likely that the Sandinistas would not shoot down a
humanitarian aircraft. The modification to the UH-1 were gun mounts
ready to be swung out of the aircraft with two stinger missiles mounted
on each side. The mission was flown at a top altitude of twelve (12)
feet above ground level (AGL).
Flown as Briefed.
Comments:
The first leg of the flight was eventful. Utilizing the terrain
elevation of the Cordillera Range northeast of Managua as a shield
against Nicaraguan radar, the mission was flown with minimal hits of
the APR-39 (Radar Indicator). The following passengers and crew
participated in the meeting at Ojo de Agua: Mr. Rodriguez, General
Alverez, and Joe Fernandez. Mr. Harari showed minimal interest in the
intel. Familiarization with the usage of the photo equipment followed
the briefing. I refueled from a tactical ball dropped a day earlier. We
carried two aux-fuel bladders in the hell holes of the chopper. The
flight resumed to El Ocotal, Costa Rica with minimal hits on the
APR-39. The meeting was held at a remote seaside retreat. A
communications center was set up at the chopper utilizing a phone
provided by Mr. Fernandez.
Attending the meeting were the following:
General Noriega - Panama
Mike Harari - Panama (retired Mossad)
Felix Rodriguez - U.S.
Joe Fernandez - U.S. (CIA)
General Gustavo Alverez - Honduras
William Barr - U.S.
Via Sat/Com link:
Oliver North - U.S. (National Security Council)
William Clinton - Governor of Arkansas
George Bush - U.S. Vice President
General Noriega and Mr. Barr greeted the aircraft when we
arrived. The passengers adjourned to their meeting while I secured the
aircraft. I was invited to join when I finished. Two Latin American
soldiers set up the Sat/Com device and stood guard on the aircraft. I
joined the meeting approximately thirty minutes later. When I arrived,
the discussion was concerning the loss of over $100 million dollars
worth of drugs and cash. The "Enterprise" was being drained. There were
three Compaq Computers set up with operators, obviously working for Mr.
Barr. There were approximately eight (8) administrative personnel
correlating data provided by computer discs brought by the principles
of the meeting. The discussions continued. It was obvious that the
purpose of the meeting was to identify the source of the loss. The
money flow was traced from Panama to several destinations in the U.S.
Their Ohio source was ruled out early. Their Colorado source was also
ruled out. That left Arkansas. It was discussed by the members that
either Seal or Clinton were siphoning from the "Enterprise". At this
point, my food was brought, so I moved to a separate table and ate. By
the time I finished, Mr. Fernandez signaled me to join him. We went
back to the aircraft and used the phone. He called Mr. North and told
him that the loss was definitely occurring on the Arkansas drop. He
said, "That means either Seal, Clinton or Noriega." (I thought it
noteworthy that Mr. Fernandez added General Noriega to the suspect
list.) He hung up. I started back, but Fernandez stopped me and told me
to get Barr and Rodriguez. I summoned Barr and Rodriguez to the
aircraft. About 15 minutes later, the phone activated and Barr
answered. He listened, not speaking but nodding his head in agreement.
When he spoke, he told the caller that it had been determined that the
problem existed on the Arkansas connection. "I would propose that no
one source would be bold enough to siphon out that much money, but it
is more plausible that each are sihoning a portion causing a drastic
loss." He then acknowledged something with a "Yes, sir," and told the
caller he would see him and give an up-dated report in two days. At
that point the phone was handed to me. I answered, "Tatum." Vice
President Bush asked me to ensure that General Noriega and Mr. Harari
boarded Seal's plane and departed prior to my departure. He also wanted
the tail number of Seal's plane. I was told to tell no one that we
spoke. He then instructed me to pass the tail number to North via land
lines when I returned to base. I acknowledged and handed the phone back
to Barr. Barr stated that he and Fernandez were staying in Costa Rica
until the following day. They needed to visit the "ranch." He then
terminated the call. Mr. Barr then made another call. He asked for
Governor Clinton. He must have had a direct number because he didn't
have to wait. He began immediately. He explained that a substantial
amount of "Enterprise" monies had disappeared. He further explained to
Governor Clinton that it was suspected to be in excess of $100 million
dollars and that it was definitely disappearing along the Panama to
Arkansas connection. He suggested that Governor Clinton investigate on
that end, and that he and Mr. North would continue investigating on the
Panama side and that it must be resolved or it could lead to problems.
"Big problems," he reiterated. He then asked Clinton to put his best
man on it and stated that this was priority one. Then he terminated the
call.
We broke down the equipment. I dropped Noriega and Harari at
the airport and waited for Seal to leave in a Lear jet tail number
N13SN. Then I returned the other passengers to Tegucigalpa, the capital
of Honduras.
This is the content of the meeting and the mission. The following is the mission flight plan and passenger list.
We arranged to remain over night (RON) in Tela, Honduras. We
settled into the hotel and I excused myself for the night. I walked to
the airfield (it was approximately 1 mile away) and flew the helicopter
to La Cieba. I picked up the following passengers:
Name
Representing
Mr. North
CIA & Vice President Bush
Felix Rodriguez
CIA - acted as co-pilot
General Alverez
Honduras
Ami Nir
CIA (Mossad)
We flew into several villages on the Nicaragua/Honduras border
to recon for a later mission. I recorded actual village locations for
cargo drops by CH-47's scheduled later in April. Three of the villages
were Rus Rus, Waspam and Santa Anna.
Mr. North was pleased with the operations. He stated that Vice
President Bush appreciated the extra effort I was giving. General
Alverez told Mr. North of my ability to sneak into his airfield under
their radar. He asked North if I could instruct some of his security
team and pilots for future use. North declined stating that I was a
national secret, laughing. We landed at Santa Anna and met with Enrique
Bermudez and other Contra leaders. We were then taken to a processing
area of some sort. As we approached, there was a strong smell of jet
fuel and acetone. There were several tactical bladders, used for
carrying fuels, sitting around the area. Six large fuel pods were on
the ground but had the tops torched off. Inside there was fuel and
ground-up coca leaves.
Mr. North stated the following to the other passengers, "One
more year of this and we'll all retire." He then made a remark
concerning Barry Seal and Governor Clinton. "If we can keep those
Arkansas hicks in line, that is," referring to the loss of monies as
determined the week prior during their meeting in Costa Rica. I stood
silently by the vat of leaves, listening to the conversation. General
Alverez had gone with the Contra leader to discuss logistics. The other
three - North, Rodriguez, and Ami Nir - continued through the wooden
building, inspecting the cocaine. North continued, "...but he (Vice
President Bush) is very concerned about those missing monies. I think
he's going to have Jeb (Bush) arrange something out of Columbia," he
told his comrades, not thinking twice of my presence. What Mr. North
was referring to ended up being the assassination of Barry Seal by
members of the Medellin Cartel in early 1986.
"How about 'Pineapple'?" Rodriguez asked. (Speaking of General Noriega.)
"Naw," North answered, "something's up there." Bush later insured Noriega was indicted and imprisoned for drug trafficking.
I recalled the mysterious army officers remarks in Ojo de Agua,
"Tell no one. There's no one big enough in your chain of command." I
just heard North tell Rodriguez that the Vice President, the Governor
of Arkansas and the three of them are manufacturing cocaine. I flew
them back to La Cieba and I continued back to Tela in time for drinks
downtown with my crew and friends. We returned the following day to
Palmerola. I went to Ops an put a few notes on the back of the flight
plan.
Six coolers marked medical supplies were delivered to Dustoff
Operations. We were tasked with dropping them off in Trijillo at the
airstrip. We met a U.S. Air Force C-130 bound for Panama and passed the
coolers of cocaine to them. I asked the pilot, "Who gets these?" He
looked at his manifest and told me that a Dr. Harari would be called on
arrival.
We flew into a small village forty kilometers east north east of
Ocotal in Nicaragua. Rodriguez was there with the Contra leader Enrique
Bermudez when we arrived. We walked through the camp which was still
being cleared and organized. Four fuel pods with their tops cut off
were sitting outside a large military tent. Several tactical fuel balls
were located next to the pods. Rodriguez told the air crew that this
was a Sandinista base that was captured. I noted that all of the
equipment, the GP large tent, the fuel pods, and the tactical fuel
balls were U.S. made. And inside the tent were several women packaging
the cocaine. When we left, we carried four 110 quart, white coolers
marked medical supplies to San Lorenzo, dropped them off to a civilian
C-123 and returned to base.
We were tasked with flying six coolers marked "medical supplies"
to San Lorenzo, Honduras. While we were flying on 9 April, Dr. Gus
(General Gustavo Alverez), delivered six coolers to Dustoff operations.
I opened all six coolers to check their contents. I only counted the
packages of cocaine in one of the coolers. There were 110 packages.
Major Hethcox, the Aviation Support Commander, sent his Administrative
Officer, Lt. Willett, to Dustoff Operations to fly one leg of our
flight as my co-pilot. I suspected Hethcox was curious why we were
flying so much. We loaded the coolers marked "medical supplies" and
headed for San Lorenzo (SLN). Upon arrival we hovered to a C-123 cargo
aircraft that we had met the previous day. The C-123 was based out of
El Salvador and was tasked with carrying the cargos from San Lorenzo
back to El Salvador. I noticed something familiar as the C-123 pilot
approached. It was Barry Seal, an old friend.
Barry was holding a jar of olives in his hand as he walked up
to the chopper and greeted me. Barry had promised me weeks before in
Panama, during a meeting with Harari, Noriega, and North, to see that I
got some olives. I had visited the base liquor store (Class 6) at
Howard Air Force Base, but it was out of olives, as was the commissary.
I told him that I didn't expect "curb-service." He gave his cherub
laugh and invited us to a caf‚ for a coka-cola. The crew joined us as
he commandeered an Air Force truck for the short drive from the
airstrip to the village.
Barry and I walked outside of the cafe so that we could talk
privately. I asked Barry to level with me concerning the drugs and who
was involved. I felt that Barry Seal was the only person I had met to
date that I could get a straight answer out of. The following is what
Barry Seal told me concerning the drugs in general and, more
specifically, the destination of the drugs which we delivered to San
Lorenzo on 9 and 10 April, 1985.
"The Contras needed weapons for their rebellion against the
Sandinistas. When the CIA approached the Contras in the early 80's they
promised total support in weapons, training, and money required to
sustain the operations. This is what prompted the Nicaraguans to begin
open recruiting against the Ortega-led Sandinista government. But, as
time went on, the U.S. renigged on their promise to the rebels. Not
only did the U.S. cut money needed for medical and food supplies for
the Contra camps, but they also refused to provide the weaponry needed
to stay alive. This left the Contras in a hell of a spot. William Casey
met with Adolfo Colero and it was decided that the Contras would get
the much needed money and weapons in exchange for cocaine. Casey put
Ollie North over the project. North, at the CIAs promptings, recruited
Seal to oversee delivery of the products, and a man named Ramon Navarro
(Medellin Cartel) to train the Contras in the manufacturing process.
Colero was the "point man" for the Contras. He dealt with Washington
and others as needed. Contra leader Enrique Bermudez was tasked with
getting the cocaine kitchens built and protected. Bermudez had
solicited three other Contra commanders to assist in this project.
Their names are Commander Fernando, Commander Franklin, and Commander
Marlan. Ramon Navarro supplied the cocaine paste and raw coca leaves to
the Contras. The U.S. provided the equipment. It was delivered to the
camps by Chinook helicopters (CH-47) out of Ft. Campbell, Kentucky
(159th Aviation Battalion). It was Barry's job to deliver the finished
product and monies to destinations as dictated by Mr. North.
Barry gave me the names of his various drop points and told me
to be very wary of North. "He'll give up his mamma if he has to!" was
his comment concerning North's lack of honor. He also gave me the names
of U.S. officials, politicians, and drug enforcement officials involved
in the cocaine enterprise.
I asked him to be exact about the shipments so that I could
better understand. He used the six coolers that we just delivered as
his example. He said that these coolers and the coolers delivered the
previous day would be taken to El Salvador. From El Salvador they would
be taken to a site in Southern California. There it would be
distributed in rock form called "crack." I made note of his comments
and his "Boss Hog" list, as Barry called it, on the back of the flight
plan concerning this specific flight. The notes were made on the
evening of 10 April, 1985.
Delivered 6 coolers of cocaine to SLN. Met Bany Seal in C-123.
Ramon Navarro was with Seal. Asked Seal what was up with the cocaine
being made in contra camps. - Said it was a CIA OPN. This shipment was
going to Calif to make a drug called crack. Seal said that the CIA
planned to get all the riggers in the U S. hooked on it & then
throw 'em in prison. Said the the S's for the crack goes to buy weapons
for the contrast Asked him who is involved - he said it goes all the
way to the white house. Said I could talk to the boss - he'd be here
(in Honduras) in a couple days. Took notes on back of AA. Msn request
for RMTC. Will include with this flight plan. Msn RQ dtd 6 April.
Thats all I had to take notes on. Missions getting out of hand.
Major Hethcox is getting suspicious of the flights. Sent Willet to make
sure we really went to SLN. Fat Boy gave me some Olives - man they were
good! Told me to stay with it as long as I could. Said that he would
let North know about the heat from Hethcox.
11 April, 1985
We delivered personnel and supplies to several Contra camps.
Among the Contra soldiers that we carried was the Contra leader in
charge of the North camps, Enrique Bermudez. We flew several sorties
making for a very long flight day. I would only see Commander Bermudez
on two more occasions. The last time I would see Enrique Bermudez alive
would be in 1991 outside of a hotel in Managua.
Enrique served as a faithful Commander during the Nicaraguan
Revolution on behalf of the Counter Revolutionaries against the
Sandinista government led by Daniel Ortega. But, beyond his fighting
ability, was his loyalty to Vice President Bush and CIA Director Bill
Casey. It was Commander Three Eight Zero (Bermudez) who would insure
the safety of the cocaine manufacturing facilities co-located in the
Contra camps.
When the revolution ended, and there was a democratically
elected president, Enrique Bermudez rightly expected a prominent
position. However, President Chamarro, Nicaragua's new president, was
not comfortable with Commander Three Eight Zero. She felt that he did
not possess the political qualities she desired in her cabinet. In 1991
Bermudez pressured President Bush to convince Chamarro of his political
value. Chamarro resisted Bush. Bermudez, desperate to position himself,
decided to use his "ace in the hole." Bermudez told Bush that if he did
not receive a prominent governmental position he would expose Bush,
North and company of their cocaine trafficking enterprise in Honduras.
As Enrique Bermudez walked down the street in front of the
Intercontinental Hotel in 1991, a shot rang out and a bullet entered
the back of Commander Three Eight Zero's head. I departed the area of
operation before he stopped twitching, knowing that the mission was
complete. The message passed to the White House was quite simple, "The
playing field is clear."
I scheduled an instrument training flight to La Mesa and then to
Tela. Major Rodriguez needed another night flight into Waspam and Rus
Rus. I carried eight passengers - all medical staff from the Joint Task
Force hospital to Tela, a beautiful beach town on the Caribbean. While
the others slept, I walked to the airfield and met Major Rodriguez. We
flew to the two Contra camps and returned with eight coolers. We stored
the coolers marked medical supplies in a broken down hangar on the
airfield at Tela. The Major told me that a C-123 should be there in the
morning to pick up the evidence. He also told me that 350 kilos of
cocaine had been stolen from international drug dealers based out of
Colombia. He further told me that it had been secured by the Contras in
Costa Rica. He pointed to four of the coolers, proud of the theft and
the fact that he had possession of the cocaine. An armed guard was
posted outside the hangar. I felt numb. He must have thought me a
complete idiot to believe the trophies of war story he kept trying to
pass to me. But who could I tell? It even involved the Vice President!
I just kept telling myself to keep good notes.
Upon returning, I was called to the JTFB Command Center. There
I was met by the Commander of the Army Aviation Assets in Honduras. He
told me he knew I was being directed by someone other than military
officials and he demanded to know who directed my flights. I told him
that his security clearance simply wasn't substantial enough for me to
answer his question. He handed me a message that confirmed his
suspicions. I have attached a copy of the message to the flight plan
dated 13 April, 1985.
When I returned to Dustoff Operations, I called North and told
him that the military authority was getting wise to the Pegasus
flights. He said that he had a copy of the "twixt" and would handle it.
I was called by Major Rodriguez and told to deliver the map I
had made of the Waspam/Rus Rus area two weeks prior, to a CH-47
(Chinook) out of the 159th Aviation Battalion, Ft. Campbell, Kentucky.
The Chinook was scheduled to arrive in La Mesa at daybreak on the 20th,
so I gathered my crew, gave excuses of a dental problem and no fuel
available to top off at Palmarola. I was able to get the authority to
fly by the J-3 Operations for Joint Task Force Bravo. We flew to La
Mesa. Unfortunately, there was no fuel there either. When we arrived,
the refueling point had shut down for the night. We went to the hotel.
The following morning I met the aircraft to give them an orientation. I
was on board as it was taxiing to a new parking and the refueling
point. Suddenly the main rotors meshed. The top of the helicopter was
torn from the aircraft, throwing all of us violently around the
interior of the aircraft. I was drenched in hydraulic fluid. My back
had been injured. I was able to get to a hangar and get washed. I
returned to my hotel room for two days. I then reported to the hospital
at JTF Bravo to find that I had sustained a compression fracture of the
spine. I was flown back to Ft. Stewart, Georgia.
Six months later Bill Cooper and Buzz Sawyer were shot down in
Nicaragua and killed. Their kicker - Eugene Hasenfus was captured by
the Sandinistas. Three months after Cooper and Sawyer died, Barry Seal
was killed outside a half-way house in Louisiana as predicted by Mr.
North during our flight on 30 March, 1985.
In March of 1986, I was contacted by Lt. Col. Oliver North and
involuntarily recruited into a Special Operations group codenamed
Pegasus. I was told that I would be working directly for the President
of the United States. I was paid $43,394.40 in April of 1986 and given
a medical discharge. I reported to my new assignment in May of 1986.
During the next few years, I would be tasked by Mr. Bush with
the neutralization of a Mossad agent in 1988, an army Chief of Staff in
1989, the President of a third world country in 1989, and the leader of
a revolutionary force in Central America in 1991.
Ami Nir was killed in 1988.
General Gustavo Alverez was killed in 1989.
Enrique Bermudez, Contra leader and overseer of the cocaine kitchens, was killed in 1991.
In 1992 I was tasked to neutralize an American citizen. I
refused. I decided that day to leave the Black Operations unit. When I
told Mr. Colby of my decision, he told me that one can't just walk
away. I explained to him that I understood the fate of those who walk
away. For that reason, I began documenting my activities on film, on
audio tapes, and with copies of documents, all of which I compiled
through the years. I explained that the film and tapes were placed in
strategic locations around the world to insure my safety.
I was true to my word. Over the year I remained silent
concerning my knowledge of the illegal activities of my superiors. But
two years after I "retired" from the Black Operations group, I was
contacted by Messrs Colby, North and Rodriguez. I was warned to give up
my documents "or else."
I now know that to turn over my documents would be terminal.
My years of loyalty had been betrayed. With no alternative, I chose to
publish a portion of the documents accumulated through the years. So in
1994 I began searching for the original flight plans which were in the
possession of a ranking Honduran official.
All flight plans and briefing sheets contained in the
Chronicles were supplied by the Honduran government official. In 1985,
the official, aware of the implications of the documents, secured the
flight plans and the briefing sheets for safe keeping. I began
searching for the original documents in 1994. I was contacted in early
1995 by the Honduran official who claimed that he had possession of the
documents. For reasons of security and fearing for his life, the
official asked that I arrange a rendezvous with him in Honduras. April
25, 1995, we met secretly in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, where he
supplied certified copies of the originals. It was agreed that he would
maintain possession of original documents until they were needed by
authorities to seek prosecution of Messrs. Bush, Clinton, North,
Rodriguez and others directly involved in the manufacturing and
trafficking of cocaine.
While in Honduras, we were followed by a known US operative.
Fortunately, I detected him early and we were able to out maneuver him
so as not to compromise our meeting or the identity of the Honduran
official. Upon our return to Miami, with documents in our possession,
our car was broken into and my briefcase which, among other things,
contained the keys to our car parked in Colorado Springs, was stolen.
The documents, however, were not in the briefcase. They were held on my
person, taped to my body. We were fortunate that my wife had her set of
keys on her. Two weeks after returning to the United States, my wife
and I were detained by the FBI. Our household goods were confiscated
and rifled through by federal agents. They did not find the documents
they were searching for. Subsequently, I was arrested and held without
bail. The reason given by the FBI for no bail was that I had recently
traveled outside of the country. I was, therefore, a flight risk. My
wife, Nancy, was given the clothes on her back and the keys to her car
by the FBI. She was told to leave and not return. It was interesting
that the set of keys given to Nancy was the very set that had been
stolen with my briefcase in Miami two weeks prior.
In February, 1996 two Secret Service agents visited me while I
was being held in Tampa, Florida and warned me that I would be charged
with treason and either be executed or spend the rest of my life in
prison if I did not turn over the documents which I had prepared with
others for our protection through the years. A week later, under very
mysterious circumstances, treason became the primary crime for which I
was being held by the US Marshals.
Tampa Tribune Newspaper Ray Locker (813-259-7915) is taking over from David Sommer Tampa Tnbune phone number 813-259-7600
May 4, 1996
COUNTY JAIL INMATE FACING MYSTERIOUS CHARGE OF TREASON
By David Sommer Tribune Staff Writer TAMPA - Dois Gene Tatum
sits in the Hillsborough County Jail on a treason charge, but nobody
seems to know why.
Tatum, 45, says he has a theory. While awaiting trial on fraud
charges, he has been working on a book about being a prisoner of war in
Vietnam, where he said he was sent on a secret, "one way mission" into
Cambodia.
But the book makes no mention of later work as an agent in CIA
Black operations," Tatum said in a telephone interview from Morgan
Street jail. Maybe someone is trying to make sure things stay that way,
he says.
Jail offlcials say Taturn is being held on the treason charge
at the request of the U. S. Marshals' Service. Such a charge is highly
unusual. They said Tatum is not being held on the federal fraud
charges, although jury selection in that trial is scheduled to begin
Monday before U. S. District Judge Henry Lee Adams, Jr.
Tatum and codefendant Nancy Jane Tatum identified in court
records as his girlfriend with an alias of Nancy Fullilove, are accused
of taking more than $82,000 in federal money while Dois Tatum operated
a government-seized Hudson golf course.
Deputy U.S. Marshal David Jacobs, in charge of federal
prisoners in Tampa, said his records show Tatum is in custody solely on
the fraud case.
"There is nothing in his file whatsoever related to treason," Jacobs said.
Federal prosecutors know nothing of the charge, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Montilla.
"CIA guys are generally charged with other kinds of espionage,"
the prosecutor said. "My thought is it's a screw-up or some sort of
macabre joke."
GLOSSARY OF NAMES
Gustavo Alverez (Codename Dr. Gus)
Former Chief of Staff of the Honduran Military. General Alverez
met with Vice President George Bush during the Vice President's visit
to Honduras in 1985. General Alverez was killed outside of Tegucigalpa,
Honduras in 1989 on orders from President Bush via William J. Colby.
William Barr
Held himself out as an advisor to Vice President George Bush and
later under the presidency of George Bush, became the U.S. Attorney
General.
Enrique Bermudez
Leader of the CIA formed Nicaraguan Contra Revolutionaries,
commonly called the "Contras." Bermudez was killed outside Managua,
Nicaragua in 1991 on orders from Vice President Bush via William J.
Colby.
George Bush
Director Central Intelligence Agency, Vice President of the United States and President of the United States.
Dewey Clairage
CIA based out of Langley, Va. Target in 1991 indictment.
Gov. William Clinton
Governor of Arkansas - While attending college in England,
William Clinton was recruited by the CIA to gather information while
visiting the Soviet Union. Later elected governor of the state of
Arkansas and President of the United States.
Bill Cooper
Former Air America pilot recruited to fly for Corporate Air
Services. Died in Contra re-supply missions for Corporate Air Services.
Was shot down over Nicaragua in October 1986.
Joe Fernandez
CIA Station Chief of Costa Rica. Joe Fernandez is presently
persona non grata in Costa Rica for suspected smuggling of cocaine.
Currently business partner in Guardian Industries with Oliver North.
Clair George
Employee of CIA and oversaw the Central American Desk Retired in
1988 and subsequently indicted in 1991 on federal criminal charges.
Don Gregg
National Security Advisor to Vice President George Bush.
Mike Harari (Codename Cobra)
Ex- Head of the Mossad's Metsada and one of Noriega's most influential advisors.
Eugene Hasenfus
CIA contract agent and survivor of the C-123 crash in Nicaragua which killed Bill Cooper.
Dan Lasater
Little Rock based restaurant entrepreneur and principle of
Premier Arkansas Bond Underwriting Company, Lasater and Company. One of
few with directed access to the gubernatorial mansion of the Clinton's.
Dan Lasater was convicted of trafficking cocaine in 1986 and
subsequently sentenced to federal prison.
Lt. Col. R. Navarro
Real name, Ramon Navarro, posed as a Lt. Col. of a foreign
military. He accompanied Lt. Col. North on one occasion and was present
at several contra camps involved in the manufacturing of cocaine.
Navarro was a nefarious drug trafficker with ties to the Medellin Drug
Cartel. Navarro died in a mysterious auto accident in Miami, Florida in
February of 1991, the evening prior to his scheduled testimony for the
government against the co- defedants of Manuel Noriega. Had he not
died, he would have been taken to Nicaragua prior to his scheduled
testimony and subsequently terminated. This was on orders from
President Bush and William Barr via William J. Colby.
Amiram Nir (Codename Pat Weber)
Former Israeli Intelligence Officer (Mossad) and Chief Advisor
on Terrorism to Prime Minister Shimon Perez Killed in an airplane crash
in Southern Mexico in 1988.
Manuel Noriega
Former Panamanian military leader and CIA operative. Indicted in
the United States for conspiracy to traffic cocaine and subsequently
kidnapped, tried and convicted. He is currently imprisoned at a federal
prison in Miami in Florida.
Oliver North
Orchestrator of the Contra-affair which came to be known as the
"Enterprise", working directly for Vice President George Bush. Mr.
North is 'persona non grata' in Costa Rica for the suspected
trafficking of cocaine.
Jerry Parks
Former police officer and security contractor to William J.
Clinton. Accompanied Dan Lasater on several occasions assisting in the
pick up of large white coolers marked "medical supplies" delivered by
U.S. army helicopters. Jerry Parks was killed execution style in 1994.
Felix Rodriguez
CIA Operative reporting directly to Oliver North and Vice
President George Bush. Barry Seal Central figure in CIA drug
operations. Seal was killed execution style outside of a half-way house
in 1986 on orders from Vice President Bush.
Jackson Stevens
CEO of Stevens and Company, one of the largest financial underwriting companies west of the Mississippi River.
Raymond "Buddy" Young
Former Arkansas State Police Captain and Chief of Security for
Governor William J. Clinton. Buddy Young is currently the director of
Region 6, of the Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA) based in
Denton, Texas.
Chip Tatum started his military career in 1969 when he
volunteered for service during the Vietnam war. Graduating at the top
ten percent of his class, he became one of the Air Force's first elite
Combat Controller's (CCT). He survived his tours in Vietnam and a stint
as a POW in Cambodia with a Purple Heart, a Republic of Vietnam
Campaign Medal, an Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, an Air Medal,
and a Vietnam Service Medal, to name a few. As his career advanced, he
accepted an appointment as a Warrant Officer. Following his service in
Vietnam, Chip was attached to the White House for "special" duty
assignments. White House special duty assignments continued through
1986, at which time, Chip's talents filled a specific need of the White
House which existed outside a militanly-restricted environment, so he
was "recruited'' into an elite black ops unit codenarned "Pegasus."
Chip continued to serve the White House through 1991, leaving only when
tasked to target his talents toward U.S. officials. Serving five
administrations, through a quarter of a century, Chip commanded,
planned, and participated in eighteen covert and black operations
around the world. His codename is Pegasus.
The following is provided for the benefit of visitors to the website.
I am not connected with this video production nor do I gain financially
from it's sales.
"Presidential Secrets," an amazing video, is now available for $19.95 plus
chipping and handling. Neve before has a production assembled the quality of
information presented on this amazing video. Ted L. Gunderson, Retired FBI
Senior Special Agent-in-Charge of the L.A. Office of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation; Retired FAA Investigator Rodney Stich, and Ex-CIA Agent, Chip
Tatum, tell all. If you had reservations about the misdeeds of our Top
Officials...You'll have no doubts after viewing this amazing video. The
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Order your copy before the Feds snatch them up!
*******PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS IS FROM 1985 AND IS NO LONGER VALID***********
*******PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS IS FROM 1985 AND IS NO LONGER VALID***********
*******PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS IS FROM 1985 AND IS NO LONGER VALID***********
*******PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS IS FROM 1985 AND IS NO LONGER VALID***********
*******PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS IS FROM 1985 AND IS NO LONGER VALID***********
*******PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS IS FROM 1985 AND IS NO LONGER VALID***********
Send $19.95 plus $3.00 Shipping and Handling to:
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Chip Tatum is now available for public appearances.
Thanks and regards,
Chip Tatum