vault backup: 2026-05-13 21:30:09

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Afghanistan.md

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+---
+tags: ["Country", "Cold War", "Conflict"]
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Afghanistan is a country in Central Asia that was the site of a significant conflict involving the Soviet Union and the Mujahideen. It is also mentioned as one of the countries whose economies are dependent on the drug trade.[^1]"
+---
+[[Afghanistan]] is a country in Central [[Asia]] that was the site of a significant conflict involving the Soviet Union and the [[Mujahideen]]. It is also mentioned as one of the countries whose economies are dependent on the drug trade.[^1]
+
+### Soviet-Afghan War and Mujahideen Support
+
+In December 1979, the [[Soviet Union]] invaded Afghanistan, making [[Pakistan]] a key strategic priority for the [[United States]].[^2]
+
+[[Afghanistan]] was the focus of a worldwide support network for the [[Mujahideen]], the Afghanistan Resistance Movement against the [[Soviet Union|Soviets]]. This network involved figures like [[Ralph Olberg]] and [[Tim Osman]], who were instrumental in procuring [[United States|U.S.]] weapons and technology for the Mujahideen. Discussions included the Mujahideen's willingness to field test new and esoteric weapons and provide research reports with photos. The exchange of arms for drugs, with cocaine or heroin being used as payment for weapons.[^1]
+
+[[Michael Riconosciuto]] was involved in discussions about analyzing a Soviet-directed weapons system called "Blue Death," captured by the Afghan rebels, to help develop effective countermeasures. Plans also included a military joint venture in [[Turkey]] to produce specialized ammunition and a lobbying effort to legally obtain Stinger II missiles and their variants for the Mujahideen. [[Michael Riconosciuto]] was tasked with formulating a plan to sanitize the electronics of any Stingers at risk of Soviet capture.[^1]
+
+[[Ralph Olberg]]'s arms assistance project to the Afghan rebels was understood to be legally sanctioned, operating through the State Department and Senator Humphrey's office. However, there was a "turf battle problem" with certain factions of the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] and their group, MSH ([[Management Science For Health]]), who questioned whether Olberg and Osman's group truly represented the leadership of the Afghan rebel resistance.[^1]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.
+[^2]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 12.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Australia.md

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+---
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Australia is a country and continent in the Southern Hemisphere. It is mentioned in connection with Nugan Hand Bank, which was an Australia bank co-founded by Michael Hand and Frank Nugan."
+---
+[[Australia]] is a country and continent in the Southern Hemisphere. It is mentioned in connection with [[Nugan Hand Bank]], which was an [[Australia|Australian]] bank co-founded by [[Michael Hand]] and [[Frank Nugan]]. This bank reportedly laundered profits from drug trafficking in the [[Golden Triangle]] and financed subversive paramilitary activities in Southeast [[Asia]]. The bank collapsed in 1980, $5 billion in debt, and [[Michael Hand]] disappeared from [[Australia]].[^1]
+
+[[Michael Hand]] reportedly fled [[Australia]] under a false identity on June 14, 1980, on a flight to [[Fiji]]. He was allegedly helped to escape by an American code-named "Charlie," identified as a former member of the [[United States Army Special Forces|U.S. Special Forces]] and ex-[[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] operative. [[Michael Riconosciuto]] claimed to have handled money transfers for Hand when he fled [[Australia]].[^1]
+
+[[Brian Toohey]], a top [[Australia|Australian]] journalist, reported in his *The Eye* magazine in 1991 that [[Michael Hand]] had a postal drop in Washington State, and his wife was reportedly living with him there.[^1]
+
+[[Robert Booth Nichols]] also listed [[Australia]] as one of his residences.[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Austria.md

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+---
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Austria is a country in Central Europe. Its capital, Vienna, is home to the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control (UNFDAC)."
+---
+[[Austria]] is a country in Central Europe. Its capital, Vienna, is home to the [[United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control|United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control]] (UNFDAC). The UNFDAC was a funding source for the purchase of computer software and hardware systems, including [[PROMIS]] software, by drug abuse control agencies in the Middle East.[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Bahamas.md

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+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - geography
+  - caribbean
+  - contra-war
+summary: The Bahamas served as a refueling stop for cocaine flights moving from South America to the eastern United States, with drug cartels establishing island bases for their smuggling operations.
+---
+The Bahamas served as a refueling stop for [[cocaine]] flights moving from [[South America]] to the eastern [[United States]], with drug cartels establishing island bases for their smuggling operations. The island nation's location between [[Colombia]] and [[Florida]] made it a natural waypoint on the Caribbean drug corridor.[^1]
+
+### Cartel Operations
+
+[[Pablo Escobar]]'s associate [[Carlos Lehder]] set up shop in the Bahamas, buying an island where drug planes coming out of Colombia could land, refuel, and wait for the right moment to fly into the United States. A 1990 [[DEA]] report stated that the [[Danilo Blandon|Blandón]]-[[Norwin Meneses|Meneses]] ring operated internationally "from Colombia and [[Bolivia]], through the Bahamas, [[Costa Rica]], or [[Nicaragua]] to the United States." [[Manuel Noriega|Noriega]]'s pilots flew drugs along two routes: one through [[Mexico]] for the West Coast market, and the other through the Bahamas for the East Coast's cocaine buyers.[^2]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 5.
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 5, Ch. 14.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Bolivia.md

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+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - geography
+  - south-america
+  - contra-war
+summary: Bolivia was a primary source country for the cocaine that flowed through the Contra-connected trafficking networks, with the politically connected Suarez family supplying the Blandón-Meneses drug ring.
+---
+Bolivia was a primary source country for the [[cocaine]] that flowed through the [[Contras|Contra]]-connected trafficking networks, with the politically connected Suarez family supplying the [[Danilo Blandon|Blandón]]-[[Norwin Meneses|Meneses]] drug ring. A 1990 [[DEA]] report stated that the ring was "a criminal organization that operates internationally from [[Colombia]] and Bolivia, through the [[Bahamas]], [[Costa Rica]], or [[Nicaragua]] to the [[United States]]." The Bolivian cocaine was coming into [[Miami]] before being distributed to the West Coast.[^1]
+
+### The Suarez Connection
+
+The Blandón-Meneses ring sourced its cocaine from the Suarez family in Bolivia and the Ochoa family in Colombia, founders of the [[Medellin Cartel|Medellín Cartel]]. [[Roger Sandino]] was busted in April 1986 as part of the biggest cocaine case on the Atlantic Coast, when DEA agents in Norfolk, Virginia, charged him and fourteen others, including the son-in-law of Bolivian cocaine kingpin Roberto Suarez-Gomez, with conspiracy to import 700 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $158 million. The DEA brought the cocaine into the United States from Bolivia to use as bait in a reverse sting.[^2]
+
+### Blandón's Bolivian Deal
+
+Blandón was once stopped at Tegucigalpa airport carrying $100,000 in drug proceeds to be used in a Bolivian drug deal while escorted by armed Contras. The incident illustrated the direct connection between Contra operations and the South American cocaine supply chain.[^3]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 6.
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 21.
+[^3]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 3.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Caribbean.md

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+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - geography
+  - region
+  - contra-war
+summary: The Caribbean was a key transit zone for cocaine shipments moving from South America through the Bahamas, Panama, and Costa Rica to the United States during the Contra war.
+---
+The Caribbean was a key transit zone for [[cocaine]] shipments moving from [[South America]] through the [[Bahamas]], [[Panama]], and [[Costa Rica]] to the [[United States]] during the Contra war. The region's geography, with its numerous islands and porous coastlines, made it ideal for drug smuggling operations.[^1]
+
+### Trafficking Routes
+
+[[Manuel Noriega|Noriega]]'s pilots flew drugs through two routes north: one through [[Mexico]] for the West Coast market, and the other through the Bahamas for the East Coast's cocaine buyers. [[Pablo Escobar]]'s associate Carlos Lehder set up shop in the Bahamas, buying an island where drug planes from [[Colombia]] could land, refuel, and wait for the right moment to fly into the United States. The Caribbean transit zone was integral to the Contra-connected drug pipeline.[^2]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 5.
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 5, Ch. 14.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Central America.md

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+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - Geography
+  - Region
+  - Central_America
+  - Contra_War
+  - 1980s
+summary: Geographic region connecting North and South America that was the primary theater of Contra operations, drug trafficking, and CIA covert activities during the 1980s.
+---
+Central America is the geographic region connecting North and [[South America]] that was the primary theater of operations for the Contra war, [[cocaine]] trafficking, and [[Central Intelligence Agency]] covert activities during the 1980s.[^1]
+
+### Contra War Theater
+
+The Central American nations of [[Nicaragua]], [[Honduras]], [[El Salvador]], [[Costa Rica]], and [[Guatemala]] formed the battleground for the U.S.-backed Contra war against the [[Sandinistas|Sandinista]] government of Nicaragua. The [[FDN]] operated from Honduras, while [[ARDE]] and [[UDN-FARN]] were based in Costa Rica. [[Ilopango Airbase|Ilopango Air Force Base]] in El Salvador served as the hub for [[Oliver North]]'s Contra air force.[^2]
+
+### Drug Trafficking Corridor
+
+Central America was the transit corridor for cocaine flowing from [[Colombia]] and [[Bolivia]] to the [[United States]]. CIA-connected pilots and Contra aircraft moved drugs through airstrips in Costa Rica, Ilopango in El Salvador, and forward operating bases in Honduras. DEA agent [[Celerino Castillo]] documented Contra drug shipments from Ilopango, and [[Enrique Miranda]] testified about cocaine flights from El Salvador to U.S. military airfields in [[Texas]].[^3]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Glossary of Organizations and Locations
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 13: "The wrong kind of friends"
+[^3]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 13: "The wrong kind of friends"

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Chile.md

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+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - geography
+  - south-america
+  - contra-war
+summary: Chile was the South American nation where CIA Deputy Director William Nelson ran the agency's controversial destabilization program that overthrew President Salvador Allende in 1973.
+---
+Chile was the [[South America]]n nation where [[Central Intelligence Agency]] Deputy Director of Operations [[William Colby|Bill Nelson's superior]] ran the agency's controversial destabilization program that culminated in the overthrow and murder of elected President Salvador Allende in 1973. Nelson oversaw this operation during his tenure at the CIA.[^1]
+
+### CIA Operations
+
+The CIA's Chile program became a template for later covert operations in [[Central America]], including the Contra war. The methods developed in Chile, including the use of propaganda, economic warfare, and support for opposition groups, were applied on a larger scale in Nicaragua. The Chile operation demonstrated the CIA's willingness to undermine democratic governments in pursuit of U.S. foreign policy objectives, a pattern that continued through the Contra era and the protection of drug trafficking assets.[^2]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 9.
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 9.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/China.md

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+---
+created: 2025-07-22
+updated: 2025-07-22
+title: China
+tags:
+  - Organization
+  - Government
+  - Country
+  - Asia
+  - Cold War
+  - Nuclear
+description: China is a country in East Asia, a major global power, and a significant player in Cold War geopolitics, including nuclear and intelligence activities.
+category: "Country"
+summary: "China is a country in East Asia. During the Cold War, it was a significant player in global geopolitics, often viewed as a rival or potential ally by both the United States and the Soviet Union.[^1]"
+---
+[[China]] is a country in East Asia. During the Cold War, it was a significant player in global geopolitics, often viewed as a rival or potential ally by both the [[United States]] and the [[Soviet Union]].[^1]
+## Nuclear Program
+China's nuclear program was a subject of intense interest for U.S. intelligence. In the late summer of 1979, [[Mel Riley]] and [[Joe McMoneagle]], remote viewers from the [[STARGATE PROJECT|Grill Flame]] program, successfully remote-viewed a new Chinese nuclear device at Lop Nor. Their descriptions, including an unusual hourglass-shaped design element, were later confirmed by U.S. weapons analysts, demonstrating the efficacy of remote viewing in intelligence gathering.[^1]
+
+## Diplomatic Relations
+President [[Richard Nixon]]'s historic visit to China in 1972 marked a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy, opening relations between the two countries. However, intelligence concerns persisted. For example, the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] investigated the Chinese Embassy in a foreign capital, suspecting its basement communications office, and later tasked [[Pat Price]] to remote-view a Chinese consular building in Rome.[^1]
+
+### Footnotes
+[^1]: Schnabel, Jim. *Remote Viewers*. Dell, 1997.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Colombia.md

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+---
+tags:
+  - Geography
+  - Country
+  - South_America
+  - Drug_Trafficking
+  - Contra_War
+  - 1980s
+  - Dark_Alliance_Investigation
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Colombia is a country in South America that was the world's primary source of cocaine during the 1980s and has been profoundly shaped by drug trafficking, particularly through the operations of the Cali Drug Cartel and the Medellin Cartel."
+---
+
+[[Colombia]] is a country in [[South America]] that was the world's primary source of [[cocaine]] during the 1980s and has been profoundly shaped by drug trafficking, particularly through the operations of the [[Cali Drug Cartel]] and the [[Medellin Cartel|Medellín cartel]]. Colombian drug cartels supplied the cocaine that flowed through [[Norwin Meneses]]'s and [[Danilo Blandon|Danilo Blandón]]'s trafficking networks in [[Los Angeles]] and [[San Francisco]].[^1][^3]
+
+## Drug Trafficking and Political Influence
+
+The [[Cali Drug Cartel]], led by figures like [[Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela|Gilberto Rodriguez]] and [[Jose Santacruz Londono|Jose Londono]], controlled a vast portion of the world's cocaine trade. The cartel's influence extended to the highest levels of Colombian government, with allegations that the newly elected president, [[Ernesto Samper Pizano]], accepted $3.7 million in campaign funds from [[Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela]], effectively aligning him with the drug lords.[^1]
+
+[[Michael Abbell]], a former [[Department of Justice|U.S. Department of Justice]] official, was indicted for laundering money for the [[Cali Drug Cartel]]. Surveillance reports indicated his frequent visits to [[Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela]]'s home in Bogota, [[Colombia]]. The law firm of Kaplan, Russin and Becchi, where Abbell worked after leaving the [[Department of Justice|DOJ]], had offices in Bogota.[^1]
+
+[[Michael Riconosciuto]] claimed that [[Robert Booth Nichols]] paid Abbell to "crowbar" the extradition of Cali Cartel leaders, as they were considered "intelligence people." This suggests a complex interplay between drug trafficking, intelligence operations, and political influence within Colombia.[^1]
+
+## Cartel Connections
+
+Meneses was believed to have been the Cali cartel's representative in [[Nicaragua]]. Blandón's cocaine sources included the politically connected Suarez family in [[Bolivia]] and the Ochoa family in Colombia, founders of the Medellín cartel. [[Marcos Aguado]] flew weapons from the Salvadoran military to the Colombian cartels.[^3]
+
+## Supply Pipeline
+
+Cocaine arrived in the United States through multiple routes controlled by Colombian traffickers. Colombian pilots flew cocaine to [[Costa Rica]] and [[Ilopango Airbase|Ilopango Air Force Base]] in [[El Salvador]], where it was loaded onto Contra-connected aircraft bound for the [[United States]]. Blandón arranged with Colombian suppliers to give [[Ricky Ross]] large amounts of cocaine on credit.[^4]
+
+## Financial Operations
+
+[[Michael Riconosciuto]] also mentioned the "[[Workers Bank]]" in [[Colombia]] in the context of money laundering operations for the [[Wackenhut Corporation|Wackenhut]] people. He claimed to have set up "virtual dead-drops" for this bank, a method to circumvent ACH reconciliations on a daily basis, indicating sophisticated financial illicit activities originating from or passing through Colombia.[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.
+[^3]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 8: "A million hits is not enough"
+[^4]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 10: "Teach a man a craft and he's liable to practice it"

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Costa Rica.md

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+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - Geography
+  - Country
+  - Central_America
+  - Contra_War
+  - 1980s
+summary: Central American nation bordering Nicaragua that served as the primary base for the Southern Front Contra operations, the site of Norwin Meneses's drug empire, and the location of CIA operative John Hull's ranch.
+---
+Costa Rica is a [[Central America|Central American]] nation bordering [[Nicaragua]] to the south that served as the primary operational base for the Southern Front [[Contras]] during the 1980s.[^1] The country's northern region, adjacent to the Nicaraguan border, became a hub for [[cocaine]] trafficking, arms smuggling, and covert operations involving the [[Central Intelligence Agency]], [[DEA]], and Contra forces.[^2]
+
+### Contra Southern Front
+
+Costa Rica hosted the Southern Front Contra armies, including [[ARDE]] under [[Eden Pastora]] and [[UDN-FARN]] under [[Fernando Chamorro]]. CIA operative [[John Hull]] operated a ranch in northern Costa Rica near the war zone that served as a transshipment point for both military supplies and drugs. [[Marcos Aguado]] and other CIA-linked pilots used airstrips in the country, including one on Hull's property, to move cocaine northward and weapons southward.[^2]
+
+### Meneses Operations
+
+[[Norwin Meneses]] moved to Costa Rica in 1984 after winding up his affairs in [[San Francisco]], establishing himself at a beachfront ranch. He owned several houses and large ranches in northern Costa Rica near the war zone. An informant told the DEA that "Norwin receives political protection from Jose Marti Figueres, the son of former Costa Rican President Jose 'Pepe' Figueres." Meneses operated legitimate fronts useful for laundering cash, including a restaurant across the street from the U.S. Embassy in [[San Jose|San Jose, Costa Rica]], a gambling club, and a bean processing factory with [[Troilo Sanchez|Troilo Sanchez]] as partner.[^3]
+
+Meneses officially became a DEA informant at the U.S. Embassy in San Jose in July 1986. DEA attaché [[Robert Nieves]] served as his control agent throughout the remainder of the 1980s. Despite his drug dealing being well known to the CIA, the DEA, and Costa Rican authorities since 1984, Meneses was neither arrested nor expelled during all the years he lived there.[^3]
+
+### Drug Trafficking Investigations
+
+[[Joseph Kelso]], a CIA and [[U.S. Customs]] informant, gathered testimony from six witnesses willing to testify that DEA agents in Costa Rica were skimming cocaine from seizures, making counterfeit money, and protecting cocaine labs on Contra bases. Costa Rican narcotics official Warren Treece reported cocaine lab locations to [[Sandalio Gonzalez]] but said they were not investigated because of leaks from the DEA. Costa Rican prosecutor Jorge Chavarria said the DEA "knew about the Contras and drugs. All these flights and pilots that were flying in and out with drugs could not have been ignored by the DEA. They were looking in the other direction."[^4]
+
+Costa Rica's biggest newspaper, La Nacion, published an extensive series on Contra drug connections in December 1986, focusing on Meneses.[^5]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Glossary of Organizations and Locations
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 11: "They were looking in the other direction"
+[^3]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 11: "They were looking in the other direction"
+[^4]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 17: "We're going to blow your fucking head off"
+[^5]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 20: "It is a sensitive matter"

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Cuba.md

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+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - geography
+  - caribbean
+  - contra-war
+summary: Cuba and the Cuban-American exile community played a significant role in Contra operations, with Bay of Pigs veterans serving as key CIA operatives and anti-Castro networks providing logistical support.
+---
+Cuba and the Cuban-American exile community played a significant role in [[Contras|Contra]] operations, with [[Bay of Pigs]] veterans serving as key [[Central Intelligence Agency]] operatives and anti-Castro networks providing logistical support for the covert war in [[Central America]]. The connection between Cuban intelligence operations, drug trafficking, and the Contra war formed a recurring thread throughout the 1980s.[^1]
+
+### Cuban Exile Support for the Contras
+
+Both early Contra groups tapped into [[Miami]]'s Cuban community, drawing financial support and volunteers from rabidly anti-Communist Cubans, including men who had worked with the CIA on the [[Bay of Pigs|Bay of Pigs operation]]. The first military supplies for the Contras were purchased from Miami sporting goods stores by the UDN-FARN. Cuban-Americans served as key operatives throughout the Southern Front in [[Costa Rica]]. The Medellín cartel's money-laundering wizard, Cuban-American Ramon Milian Rodriguez, created an interlocking chain of companies including Frigorificos de Puntarenas, the Costa Rican shrimp company used by [[Oliver North]]'s Contra supply operation, which was owned and operated by Cuban-American drug traffickers.[^2]
+
+### Key Cuban Operatives
+
+CIA agent [[Felix Rodriguez]], a Bay of Pigs veteran, was sent to [[San Salvador]] to manage the Contra resupply operation at Ilopango Air Base. Luis Posada, a veteran CIA agent with a history of involvement with drug traffickers and terrorists, was recruited by the CIA in the 1960s after years of working with anti-Castro Cubans in Miami. In 1973, the [[DEA]] received reports that Posada was in contact with two Cubans in Miami who were smuggling narcotics into the [[United States]]. After escaping from a Venezuelan prison, Posada resurfaced at Ilopango as Rodriguez's right-hand man. The CIA deliberately recruited Bay of Pigs veterans for Contra work, replacing less controllable Contra leaders with the crowd of drug dealers and Cuban veterans working with the Chamorro faction.[^3]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 6.
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 6, Ch. 10.
+[^3]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 15, Ch. 10.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Cyprus.md

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+---
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Cyprus is an island nation in the Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Lebanon. Its capital, Nicosia, became a significant location for various intelligence and drug trafficking operations, particularly during the 1980s.[^1]"
+---
+[[Cyprus]] is an island nation in the Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of [[Lebanon]]. Its capital, Nicosia, became a significant location for various intelligence and drug trafficking operations, particularly during the 1980s.[^1]
+
+### Role in Drug and Intelligence Operations
+
+Nicosia, [[Cyprus]], served as a base for the [[DEA|DEA]] and [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] operations, notably through the [[Euramae Trading Company]]. This company, described as a [[DEA|DEA]]/[[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] "front," was established in Nicosia by the Cypriot Police Narcotics Squad. It functioned as a transit point for heroin from the Bekaa Valley in [[Lebanon]], cash, documents, and bootleg computer software moving along the Beirut-Nicosia-U.S. pipeline. It was also intended as a meeting place for [[DEA|DEA]] and [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] agents with informants and clients, a message drop for [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] arms dealers supplying [[Iraq]] and the [[Mujahideen]] in [[Afghanistan]], and a waiting room for [[DEA|DEA]] confidential informants and couriers from [[Lebanon]].[^1]
+
+[[Michael T. Hurley]], the [[DEA|DEA]] Country Attache in Nicosia, had overall responsibility for [[Euramae Trading Company]] and its initiative to sell [[PROMIS]] software to Middle Eastern countries for drug abuse control. [[Michael Riconosciuto]] claimed to have handled communications protocol and financial transactions for operations in [[Lebanon]] from [[Cyprus]], including those involving [[Maurice Ghanem]] and [[George K. Pender]].[^1]
+
+[[Lester Coleman]], a [[Defense Intelligence Agency|DIA]] covert intelligence officer, worked in the office of [[Euramae Trading Company]] in Nicosia. He claimed that the [[DEA|DEA]], along with Cypriot, German, and British police, ran a "drug sting operation" code-named "Khourah" through [[Cyprus]] and airports in Europe, which involved delivering heroin from the Bekaa Valley to the [[United States]]. This operation allegedly used Pan Am Flight 103 as a "controlled delivery" flight, which later tragically exploded over Scotland.[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Dominican Republic.md

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+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - geography
+  - caribbean
+  - contra-war
+summary: The Dominican Republic was connected to the Contra war through Enrique Bermúdez, who served as deputy commander of a Nicaraguan infantry company sent to support a U.S.-led invasion there in 1965.
+---
+The Dominican Republic was connected to the [[Contras|Contra]] war through [[Enrique Bermudez|Enrique Bermúdez]], who served as deputy commander of a Nicaraguan infantry company sent to support a U.S.-led invasion there in 1965. The operation to put down a leftist political movement was one of several instances where Somoza's Nicaragua provided military support for U.S. interventions in the [[Caribbean]] and [[Central America|Latin America]].[^1]
+
+### Historical Context
+
+Anastasio Somoza Debayle had sent Nicaraguan troops to the Dominican Republic in 1965 to help the United States quell a leftist uprising. He also sent Nicaraguans to fight in Vietnam. This pattern of military collaboration with the [[United States]] was central to the relationship between the Somoza dynasty and the U.S. government, a relationship that later facilitated the creation of the Contra army from former National Guard officers. Bermúdez's service in the Dominican Republic was part of the military career that later qualified him, in the CIA's eyes, to lead the [[FDN]].[^2]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 5.
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 4, Ch. 5.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Ecuador.md

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - geography
+  - south-america
+  - contra-war
+summary: Ecuador was a South American country affected by the cocaine paste smoking epidemic that spread from Peru and Bolivia in the 1970s, part of the broader Andean drug production zone.
+---
+Ecuador was a [[South America]]n country affected by the [[cocaine]] paste smoking epidemic that spread from [[Peru]] and [[Bolivia]] in the 1970s, part of the broader Andean drug production zone. The epidemic that began in [[Lima]]'s fashionable neighborhoods in 1974 spread to other major Peruvian cities and then to Ecuador and Bolivia, demonstrating the addictive potential of smokable cocaine forms before crack appeared in the [[United States]].[^1]
+
+### The Andean Production Zone
+
+Ecuador, situated between the major cocaine-producing countries of Peru and [[Colombia]], was part of the geographic corridor through which cocaine and coca products moved. The spread of coca paste smoking to Ecuador illustrated how the drug's effects radiated outward from production areas, a pattern that would later be replicated in the United States when Contra-connected networks dumped cheap cocaine into [[South Central Los Angeles|South Central L.A.]] and other inner-city neighborhoods.[^2]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 3.
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 3.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/El Salvador.md

@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - Geography
+  - Country
+  - Central_America
+  - Contra_War
+  - 1980s
+summary: Central American nation where the CIA ran the Contra project from Ilopango Air Force Base, where DEA agent Celerino Castillo discovered Contra cocaine trafficking, and where the Salvadoran military facilitated drug-for-arms exchanges.
+---
+El Salvador is a [[Central America|Central American]] nation that played a critical role in Contra logistics and drug trafficking during the 1980s.[^1] [[Ilopango Airbase|Ilopango Air Force Base]], located in the capital [[San Salvador]], was the hub of CIA and [[Oliver North]]'s Contra air operations.[^2]
+
+### Ilopango Air Force Base
+
+Ilopango was the central node in the Contra logistics network. CIA Hangar No. 4 was used for covert Contra operations until turned over to the [[National Security Council]] and North's "Enterprise" in 1985. [[DEA]] agent [[Celerino Castillo]] discovered that Contra pilots were flying drugs from Ilopango to the [[United States]] and money to [[Panama]]. When Castillo reported his findings, the CIA sent cables asking the DEA to back off, and Ambassador Edwin Corr ordered him to "stop the witch hunt."[^3]
+
+### Drug-for-Arms Pipeline
+
+[[Enrique Miranda]] testified that [[Norwin Meneses]] used Ilopango to run a drug-for-arms pipeline: cocaine arrived from [[Colombia]], was loaded onto U.S.-bound aircraft owned by the Salvadoran Air Force and [[Southern Air Transport]], while U.S. military hardware was flown south and traded for more cocaine. [[Marcos Aguado]], a CIA-trained pilot, assumed a high-ranking position with the Salvadoran Air Force after fleeing cocaine trafficking charges in [[Costa Rica]].[^4]
+
+### Weapons Sales
+
+[[Danilo Blandon|Danilo Blandón]] and Norwin Meneses entered into a partnership with [[Ronald Lister]] to sell weapons in El Salvador, traveling there with Lister to make arrangements with local governments.[^5]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Glossary of Organizations and Locations
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 13: "The wrong kind of friends"
+[^3]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 13: "The wrong kind of friends"
+[^4]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 13: "The wrong kind of friends"
+[^5]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 6: "They were doing their patriotic duty"

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Fiji.md

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Fiji is an island nation in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Michael Hand reportedly fled Australia under a false identity on June 14, 1980, on a flight to Fiji."
+---
+[[Fiji]] is an island nation in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. [[Michael Hand]] reportedly fled [[Australia]] under a false identity on June 14, 1980, on a flight to [[Fiji]]. He was allegedly helped to escape by an American code-named "Charlie," identified as a former member of the [[United States Army Special Forces|U.S. Special Forces]] and ex-[[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] operative.[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/France.md

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+---
+created: 2025-07-22
+updated: 2025-07-22
+title: France
+tags:
+  - Organization
+  - Government
+  - Country
+  - Europe
+  - Intelligence
+description: France is a country in Western Europe, known for its historical involvement in international affairs and its intelligence services.
+category: "Country"
+summary: "France is a country in Western Europe. Its intelligence services have been implicated in various international affairs, including alleged involvement in disinformation campaigns related to psychic research during the Cold War."
+---
+[[France]] is a country in Western Europe. Its intelligence services have been implicated in various international affairs, including alleged involvement in disinformation campaigns related to psychic research during the Cold War. For instance, [[Jacques Bergier]], a French consulting editor with alleged ties to [[French Intelligence]], played a role in disseminating the fabricated "[[The Nautilus]]" story, which had significant repercussions for Soviet psi research.[^1]
+
+### Footnotes
+[^1]: Schnabel, Jim. *Remote Viewers*. Dell, 1997.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Guanacaste Province.md

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - Geography
+  - Costa_Rica
+  - 1980s
+  - Contra_War
+  - Drug_Trafficking
+summary: Guanacaste Province in northern Costa Rica served as the headquarters for Contra drug and weapons trafficking operations during the 1980s, equipped with rural landing strips and corruptible local officials.
+---
+
+### Contra War Hub
+
+Guanacaste Province was an isolated northern area of [[Costa Rica]] infested with Contra camps, rural landing strips, and easily bribed government and police officials during the 1980s Contra war. According to a special Costa Rican legislative commission, during 1984 and 1985 the area served as headquarters for "an organization made up of Panamanians, Colombians, Costa Ricans and citizens of other nationalities who dedicated themselves to international cocaine trafficking, using Costa Rica as a bridge for the refueling of planes that came from Colombia."[^1]
+
+### Drug and Weapons Operations
+
+The drug ring, run with the help of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, worked closely with the [[Contras]]. "Specifically, use was made of the same landing strips and the collaboration of the same Costa Rican authorities that had aided the Contras," the legislative commission reported. Contra pilots provided "the gasoline that was used for refueling the planes of the organization." Drug planes loaded cocaine in Colombia, refueled at Contra airstrips in Guanacaste, then continued to the United States, dumping loads in Louisiana and Texas.[^1]
+
+The head of the Costa Rican Rural Guard in Guanacaste Province, Colonel Edwin Viales Rodriguez, was convicted in 1988 of providing security for drug and weapons flights. He allegedly told a friend he was doing it for the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] and was paid between $20,000 and $30,000 per flight.[^1]
+
+### Intelligence Failures
+
+Despite the number of American agents stationed in Costa Rica during the Contra war, and U.S. reconnaissance aircraft and spy satellites making routine overflights photographing the region, a U.S. Senate subcommittee reported in 1988 that "despite obvious and widespread trafficking through the war zones of northern Costa Rica, the Subcommittee was unable to find a single case against a drug trafficker operating in those zones which was made on the basis of a tip or report by an official of a U.S. intelligence agency." Costa Rican prosecutor Jorge Chavarria, who investigated Contra drug cases for the OIJ, said the DEA "knew about the Contras and drugs. All these flights and pilots that were flying in and out with drugs could not have been ignored by the DEA. They were looking in the other direction."[^1]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 11: "They were looking in the other direction"

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Guatemala.md

@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+---
+tags:
+  - Geography
+  - Country
+  - Central_America
+  - Contra_War
+  - 1980s
+  - Dark_Alliance_Investigation
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Guatemala is a country in Central America that was deeply involved in Contra-related operations during the 1980s and has a history of political instability, military coups, and U.S. involvement in the region.[^1][^3]"
+---
+
+[[Guatemala]] is a country in Central [[America]] that was deeply involved in Contra-related operations during the 1980s and has a history of political instability, military coups, and U.S. involvement in the region.[^1][^3]
+
+## Political History
+
+[[General Rios Montt]] became president of Guatemala in an army coup in March 1982. He was supported by the [[Ronald Reagan]] administration and aided by Full Gospel businessman [[John Carrette]]. Montt's military regime (1982–1983) was involved in severe atrocities during Guatemala's 36-year civil war. Despite this, the Reagan administration continued its support, with Reagan praising Montt's integrity and commitment. In January 1983, Reagan agreed to sell Guatemala millions of dollars worth of helicopter spare parts without Congressional approval.[^1]
+
+Montt's extreme Christian fundamentalism eventually led to his ousting in another coup in August 1983 by General [[Oscar Mejia Victores]]. However, Reagan later pressured Congress to approve $300,000 in military training for the Guatemalan army.[^1]
+
+[[Jimmy Hughes]]' mother was a Christian missionary in Guatemala. Hughes also moved to Guatemala after leaving [[Los Angeles]] and before joining FGBMFI in [[Honduras]].[^1]
+
+## DEA and CIA Operations
+
+The DEA maintained a regional office in Guatemala City, from which [[Celerino Castillo]] III covered both Guatemala and [[El Salvador]]. Castillo discovered Contra cocaine trafficking at [[Ilopango Airbase|Ilopango]] and was subjected to internal DEA investigations. [[Craig Chretien]], later involved in the [[Dark Alliance]] story, was sent to Guatemala to conduct the internal investigation of Castillo.[^4]
+
+## Contra Connections
+
+Guatemala served as one of the countries through which the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] moved weapons and supplies to the Contras. [[Oliver North]] used fraudulent end-user certificates from the Guatemalan and Honduran governments to divert weapons to the Contras. [[Nicaragua|Nicaraguan]] National Guard general [[Edmundo Meneses]], brother of [[Norwin Meneses]], was assassinated in [[Guatemala City]] by guerrillas in 1978. [[Horacio Pereira]], a top Meneses cocaine dealer, was reportedly murdered in Guatemala in the early 1990s. The [[Legion of September 15]], an early Contra group of ex-National Guardsmen, was based in Guatemala.[^2][^5]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 3: "The brotherhood of military minds"
+[^3]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Glossary of Organizations and Locations
+[^4]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 13: "The wrong kind of friends"
+[^5]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 10: "Teach a man a craft and he's liable to practice it"

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Haiti.md

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - geography
+  - caribbean
+  - contra-war
+summary: Haiti was where George Morales kept a C-47 cargo plane that he donated to the Contras, part of the Caribbean infrastructure supporting the covert war.
+---
+Haiti was where [[George Morales]] kept a C-47 cargo plane that he donated to the [[Contras]], plus $10,000 for operating costs. The airplane was one of the contributions Morales made after being approached by [[Felipe Vidal]] and [[Marcos Aguado]] to support the Contra war.[^1]
+
+### Caribbean Trafficking Routes
+
+Haiti's location in the [[Caribbean]] made it part of the broader network of airfields and transit points used for moving weapons and [[cocaine]] between [[South America]], [[Central America]], and the [[United States]]. Morales's use of a plane stored in Haiti for Contra operations illustrated how the covert war's logistics infrastructure extended throughout the Caribbean basin, overlapping with established drug trafficking routes.[^2]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 13.
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 13.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Honduras.md

@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+---
+tags:
+  - Geography
+  - Country
+  - Central_America
+  - Contra_War
+  - 1980s
+  - Dark_Alliance_Investigation
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Honduras is a country in Central America that served as the primary base of operations for the FDN Contra army during the 1980s and has been a focal point for political instability, military operations, and the influence of various international..."
+---
+
+[[Honduras]] is a country in Central [[America]] that served as the primary base of operations for the [[FDN]] Contra army during the 1980s and has been a focal point for political instability, military operations, and the influence of various international actors, particularly in relation to drug trafficking and U.S. foreign policy.[^1][^3]
+
+## Contra Base
+
+The [[Central Intelligence Agency]] established its Contra training camps and headquarters in Honduras, and FDN military commander [[Enrique Bermudez|Enrique Bermudez]] operated from there throughout the war. Contra fighters massed in camps along the Nicaraguan border. [[Danilo Blandon|Danilo Blandón]] and [[Norwin Meneses]] traveled to Honduras to meet with Bermudez, where the Contra commander told them "the ends justify the means" when it came to fundraising. [[Adolfo Calero]] confirmed that Meneses traveled to Honduras to meet with Bermudez and brought him a crossbow as a gesture of esteem.[^4]
+
+Honduras served as the primary transshipment point for weapons and supplies flowing to the Contras. Blandón's early fundraising for the FDN included sending stolen vehicles to the Contras in Honduras. The country's proximity to Nicaragua made it the natural staging ground for cross-border incursions.[^3]
+
+## Regional Hub
+
+Honduras, [[El Salvador]], and [[Guatemala]] formed the Central American corridor through which CIA operations, weapons shipments, and drug trafficking moved during the Contra war. [[Ronald Lister]] and Blandón traveled to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador to arrange weapons sales.[^4]
+
+## 2009 Coup d'état
+
+On June 28, 2009, the president of Honduras, [[Manuel Zelaya]], was ousted from his home in Tegucigalpa and exiled at gunpoint to [[Costa Rica]]. The Honduran Supreme Court reportedly ordered the military to detain the president, and the Honduran Congress formally removed Zelaya from the presidency, naming congressional leader [[Roberto Micheletti]] as his successor. The [[United States]] and other countries condemned the coup.[^1]
+
+The coup was allegedly designed by [[General Daniel Lopez Carballo]] and [[Romeo Vasquez Velasquez]], both friends of [[Jimmy Hughes]]. [[General Daniel Lopez Carballo]] justified the coup by stating that [[Venezuelan President]] [[Hugo Chavez]] would eventually be running Honduras by proxy if the military had not acted. Zelaya had been in the process of forming a friendship or alliance with [[Hugo Chavez]], who had reportedly formed an alliance with [[Iran]] and offered military support to Iran in the event of a war with the United States.[^1]
+
+## U.S. Military Presence and Drug War
+
+The United States operates an airbase in Honduras, the Soto Cano Air Base (commonly known as Palmerola Air Base), near Comayagua. This base is a joint Honduran and U.S. military facility. The United States has been expanding the infrastructure of the Soto Cano Air Base, which is used as a launching point for its war on drugs efforts in Central America as well as humanitarian aid missions throughout Honduras and Central America.[^1]
+
+The Honduran Constitution does not permit a permanent foreign presence in Honduras. A "handshake" agreement between the United States and Honduras allows the U.S. military's Joint Task Force (JTF-Bravo) to remain on a "semi-permanent" basis. This agreement, an annex to the 1954 military assistance agreement, can be abrogated with little notice. [[Oliver North]] once used this air base as a base of operations for the Contras in the 1980s.[^1]
+
+## Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International (FGBMFI) Connections
+
+[[Jimmy Hughes]] Ministries, founded by [[Jimmy Hughes]], operates in Zambrano, Honduras, where Hughes ministers to the military and trains military personnel. Hughes, [[General Daniel Lopez Carballo]], and [[Romeo Vasquez Velasquez]] were all members of FGBMFI. The influential FGBMFI has a history of strong military connections and wide-ranging effects on foreign policy in Central America under the Reagan administration.[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.
+[^3]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 2: "We were the first"
+[^4]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 6: "They were doing their patriotic duty"

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Iran.md

@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - event
+  - contra-war
+summary: The Iran-Contra scandal erupted in November 1986 when it was revealed that the Reagan administration had sold missiles to Iran and diverted the profits to fund the Contra war in violation of congressional prohibitions.
+---
+The [[Iran-Contra Affair|Iran-Contra scandal]] erupted in November 1986 when it was revealed that the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] administration had sold missiles to [[Iran]] and diverted the profits to fund the [[Contras|Contra]] war in violation of congressional prohibitions. The scandal exposed the [[National Security Council]]'s illegal covert operations and implicated senior officials including [[Oliver North]].[^1]
+
+### The Scandal Breaks
+
+The same morning that [[Ricky Ross]]'s money launderer was writing to the IRS about Blandón's drug operations, President Ronald Reagan and Attorney General Edwin Meese were announcing to reporters that millions of dollars from missile sales to the Iranian government had been illegally diverted to the Contras. The Iran-Contra scandal was "bursting open at the seams," and suddenly the strange papers found in [[Danilo Blandon|Blandón]]'s and [[Ron Lister]]'s houses during earlier raids took on new significance. The crash of a C-123K cargo plane over [[Nicaragua]] in October 1986, which had been based at Ilopango Air Base in [[San Salvador]], broke the scandal wide open.[^2]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 21.
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 21.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Israel.md

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+---
+created: 2025-07-22
+updated: 2025-07-22
+title: Israel
+tags:
+  - Organization
+  - Government
+  - Country
+  - Middle East
+  - Intelligence
+description: The State of Israel, a country in the Middle East. It has been connected to various intelligence and psychic research activities.
+category: "Country"
+summary: "The State of Israel is a country in the Middle East. It has been connected to various intelligence and psychic research activities, notably through figures like Uri Geller and its intelligence agency, Mossad."
+---
+
+The State of [[Israel]] is a country in the Middle East. It has been connected to various intelligence and psychic research activities, notably through figures like [[Uri Geller]] and its intelligence agency, [[Mossad]].

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Jordan.md

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Jordan is a country in the Middle East. Its capital, Amman, is home to the Arab Bank Limited. The Arab Bank Limited, under the leadership of Chairman and General Manager Abdul Majeed Shoman, expressed willingness to cooperate with First..."
+---
+[[Jordan]] is a country in the Middle East. Its capital, Amman, is home to the Arab Bank Limited. The Arab Bank Limited, under the leadership of Chairman and General Manager [[Abdul Majeed Shoman]], expressed willingness to cooperate with [[First Intercontinental Development Corporation|FIDCO]] concerning a fund to reconstruct [[Lebanon]]. The bank confirmed its capacity to handle a financial transaction of "US$ three billion or more" for this purpose, provided the conditions in [[Lebanon]] were clear and subject to the approval and counter guarantees of the Lebanese Authority.[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Kuwait.md

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Kuwait is a country in the Middle East. Lester Coleman's affidavit states that the Drug Enforcement Administration was using Euramae Trading Company to sell PROMIS software to drug abuse control agencies in various Middle Eastern countries,..."
+---
+[[Kuwait]] is a country in the Middle East. [[Lester Coleman]]'s affidavit states that the [[DEA|DEA]] was using [[Euramae Trading Company]] to sell [[PROMIS]] software to drug abuse control agencies in various Middle Eastern countries, including [[Kuwait]].[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Laos.md

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Laos is a country in Southeast Asia. It is mentioned in connection with the clandestine Central Intelligence Agency war and drug trafficking activities in the Golden Triangle.[^1]"
+---
+[[Laos]] is a country in Southeast [[Asia]]. It is mentioned in connection with the clandestine [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] war and drug trafficking activities in the [[Golden Triangle]].[^1]
+
+[[Michael Hand]], co-founder of [[Nugan Hand Bank]] and a highly decorated [[United States Army Special Forces|Special Forces Green Beret]] soldier, moved to the clandestine [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] war in [[Laos]] after his first stint in [[Vietnam]], according to [[Ted Shackley]], a former station chief in Indo-China.[^1]
+
+[[Bo Gritz]] staged several expeditions to [[Laos]] in search of missing POWs. During these expeditions, he reportedly stumbled upon a "massive drug network in Southeast [[Asia]]" that was intertwined with American POWs.[^1]
+
+[[Danny Casolaro]] was investigating [[Bo Gritz]]'s expose of [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] drug trafficking in the [[Golden Triangle]] and had requested to meet with a former police officer who had information on Laotian warlord [[Kuhn Sa]]'s Golden Triangle drug trade proposal to the [[United States]].[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Lebanon.md

@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Lebanon is a country in the Middle East that has been a focal point for various international political, military, and illicit activities, particularly during the 1980s."
+---
+[[Lebanon]] is a country in the Middle East that has been a focal point for various international political, military, and illicit activities, particularly during the 1980s. Its strategic location and internal conflicts made it a significant area for intelligence operations, arms dealing, and drug trafficking.[^1]
+
+### Political and Military Landscape
+
+In 1982, [[Israel]] invaded [[Lebanon]] with the aim of crushing [[Palestine Liberation Organization|PLO]] strongholds and installing the Gamayel family in power. At this time, Tel-Aviv supported the ultra-right Christian Phalange militia. The Christian Phalangist militia was instrumental in introducing [[Lebanon]] into the heroin trade. The powerful Christian Gamayel family sought external support for money, weapons, and political backing, with the international heroin trafficking network being a primary source.[^1]
+
+Following the Israeli invasion, the Lebanese Parliament elected [[Bashir Gemayel]] to the presidency, who was reportedly on the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] payroll. However, Bashir was assassinated before taking office, and his brother, [[Amin Gamayel]], was subsequently installed as president.[^1]
+
+In 1990, an accord was reached that granted Christians and Muslims equal representation, officially ending the civil war. Under this accord, [[Syria]] maintained control of the Bekaa Valley, including notorious drug ports north of Beirut.[^1]
+
+### Drug Trafficking and Intelligence Operations
+
+[[Lebanon]] became a significant hub for drug trafficking, particularly heroin. The Bekaa Valley saw an explosion in heroin production under Syrian occupation, with Syrian forces reportedly profiting from and protecting the trade. Estimates suggested that up to $2 billion in protection money was paid annually by dope plantation operators to Syrian occupation forces. The Bekaa also served as a center for processing Colombian cartel cocaine for re-export to European markets.[^1]
+
+Various intelligence agencies and organizations were involved in [[Lebanon]]'s drug trade:
+
+*   **[[First Intercontinental Development Corporation|FIDCO]]:** This company, reportedly a [[National Security Council|NSC]] cutout, was involved in [[Lebanon]] to arrange the release of a prisoner and discussed a multi-billion dollar financial transaction for the country's reconstruction. [[Michael Riconosciuto]] claimed that [[First Intercontinental Development Corporation|FIDCO]] had a companion company, Euramae Trading, which operated throughout the Middle East and was involved in the drug trade as an [[National Security Council|NSC]]-directed operation.[^1]
+*   **[[Euramae Trading Company]]:** Described as a [[DEA|DEA]]/[[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] "front" in Nicosia, [[Cyprus]], Euramae was a transit point for heroin, cash, documents, and bootleg computer software moving along the Beirut-Nicosia-U.S. pipeline. [[Michael Riconosciuto]] claimed to have handled communications protocol and financial transactions for operations in [[Lebanon]], including those involving [[Maurice Ghanem]] and [[George K. Pender]].[^1]
+*   **U.S. Government Presence:** The [[United States|U.S. government]]'s presence in [[Lebanon]] was significant. [[Lester Coleman]], a [[Defense Intelligence Agency|DIA]] covert intelligence officer, ran a network of agents in Beirut to find American hostages. He claimed that the [[DEA|DEA]], along with Cypriot, German, and British police, ran a "drug sting operation" code-named "Khourah" that involved delivering heroin from the Bekaa Valley to the [[United States]]. This operation allegedly used Pan Am Flight 103 as a "controlled delivery" flight, which later tragically exploded over Scotland.[^1]
+*   **Syrian Involvement:** [[Syria]]'s president [[Hafez al-Assad]] closed ranks with the [[White House]] after Desert Storm, and [[Syria]] maintained control of the Bekaa Valley, including drug ports. Allegations surfaced that [[Monzer Al-Kassar]], a Syrian kingpin and arms dealer, provided [[Oliver North]] with drug profits to purchase arms for the [[Contras]].[^1]
+
+### Key Individuals and Events
+
+*   **[[Amin Gamayel]]:** President of [[Lebanon]] who received a letter from [[George K. Pender]] of [[First Intercontinental Development Corporation|FIDCO]] regarding reconstruction efforts.[^1]
+*   **[[Maurice Ghanem]]:** A figure involved in meetings concerning [[First Intercontinental Development Corporation|FIDCO]]'s participation in the redevelopment of [[Lebanon]], and under whom [[Michael Riconosciuto]] claimed to have worked.[^1]
+*   **[[Michael T. Hurley]]:** [[DEA|DEA]] Country Attache in Nicosia, [[Cyprus]], who had overall responsibility for Euramae Trading Company and its initiative to sell [[PROMIS]] software to Middle Eastern countries.[^1]
+*   **[[Werner Tony Asmar]]:** A German Lebanese intelligence agent who worked with [[Defense Intelligence Agency|DIA]] and was killed in a bomb explosion in Beirut after getting involved in the alleged drug operation.[^1]
+*   **[[Ian Stuart Spiro]]:** Lived in Beirut during the 1970s and 1980s, making contacts with Lebanese religious leaders and the Islamic Jihad. His death was linked to a spy network and the [[Iran-Contra Affair]].[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Liechtenstein.md

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Liechtenstein is a small, landlocked country in Central Europe, known for its financial services. Adnan Khashoggi established front companies in Switzerland and Liechtenstein to handle his commissions.[^1]"
+---
+[[Liechtenstein]] is a small, landlocked country in Central Europe, known for its financial services. [[Adnan Khashoggi]] established front companies in [[Switzerland]] and [[Liechtenstein]] to handle his commissions.[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Mexico.md

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - geography
+  - north-america
+  - contra-war
+summary: Mexico served as a transit country for cocaine shipments and a base for CIA weapons manufacturing operations supporting the Contra war during the 1980s.
+---
+Mexico served as a transit country for [[cocaine]] shipments and a base for [[Central Intelligence Agency]] weapons manufacturing operations supporting the Contra war during the 1980s. The country's proximity to the [[United States]] and its established drug trafficking infrastructure made it a natural corridor for moving narcotics northward and weapons southward.[^1]
+
+### CIA Operations in Mexico
+
+CIA operatives shipped cocaine through a machine-tool company they had set up in Guadalajara in 1985 and 1986 to keep untraceable weapons parts flowing to the [[Contras]] during the congressional aid cutoff. Terry Reed, who helped the agency establish the company, described the operation in his account of CIA activities. The arrangement illustrated how the CIA integrated drug trafficking into its Contra supply chain.[^2]
+
+### The Camarena Case
+
+[[Norwin Meneses|Meneses]] helped the [[DEA]] investigate the February 1985 torture-murder of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena in Mexico. During the trials of Camarena's killers, a longtime CIA operative in Mexico named Lawrence Victor Harrison testified that the CIA was collaborating with Mexican intelligence and cartel bosses who provided money, arms, and training facilities for the Contras in exchange for the CIA's protection of their drug enterprises. The case exposed the depth of CIA cooperation with Mexican drug traffickers.[^3]
+
+### Transit Routes
+
+[[Danilo Blandon|Blandón]] described to an informant how his supplier was looking to move 2,000 kilos of cocaine he had stored in Guadalajara. A Canadian associate was bringing in a load from Mexico through [[Houston]]. The Torres brothers told the FBI that [[Rafael Cornejo|Cornejo]] was routinely flying quantities of 200 to 400 kilograms from [[Miami]] to the West Coast, with Mexican routes serving as an alternative supply line.[^4]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Cast of Characters.
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 7.
+[^3]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 14.
+[^4]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 25.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Nazi Germany.md

@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+---
+created: 2025-07-23
+updated: 2025-07-23
+title: Nazi Germany
+tags:
+  - Organization
+  - Government
+  - Country
+  - Historical
+  - Germany
+  - Nazi
+description: Nazi Germany is the common English name for Germany between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country.
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Nazi Germany is the common English name for Germany between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country. During this period, the Nazi regime was responsible for the Holocaust and was a major belligerent in World War II."
+---
+
+[[Nazi Germany]] is the common English name for [[Germany]] between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country. During this period, the Nazi regime was responsible for the Holocaust and was a major belligerent in World War II.[^1]
+
+In the context of psychic research, Nazi Germany had a complex and often contradictory relationship with the paranormal. While the regime officially banned occult practices, figures like [[Heinrich Himmler]] were deeply interested in the supernatural and established organizations like the [[Ahnenerbe]] to research and exploit such phenomena for political and military purposes. The capture of Ahnenerbe documents by the Allies after the war is believed to have influenced the development of psychic research programs in both the [[United States]] and the [[Soviet Union]].[^1]
+
+### Footnotes
+[^1]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Nicaragua.md

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - Geography
+  - Country
+  - Central_America
+  - Cold_War
+  - Contra_War
+  - Dark_Alliance_Investigation
+summary: Central American nation ruled by the Somoza family dictatorship for forty-six years until the Sandinista revolution in 1979, after which it became the battleground for the CIA-backed Contra war.
+---
+Nicaragua is a [[Central America|Central American]] nation that was ruled by the [[Anastasio Somoza|Somoza]] family dictatorship for forty-six years until the [[Sandinistas|Sandinista]] revolution in July 1979.[^1] The country became the focal point of the Contra war and the [[Dark Alliance]] drug trafficking network.[^2]
+
+### Somoza Era
+
+For the forty-six years the Somoza family ruled Nicaragua, they served as reliable allies of the [[United States|U.S.]] government. Anastasio Somoza personally participated in the [[Central Intelligence Agency]]'s 1954 overthrow of the [[Guatemala|Guatemalan]] government, provided the staging base for the [[Bay of Pigs|Bay of Pigs]] invasion of [[Cuba]] in 1961, sent troops to the [[Dominican Republic]] in 1965, and contributed Nicaraguan forces to [[Vietnam]].[^1]
+
+The [[Nicaraguan National Guard]] served as Somoza's military, police, and intelligence service — a bulwark against anti-American interests that the U.S. had created in the 1930s and trained at [[Fort Gulick]], [[Fort Benning]], and [[Fort Leavenworth|Leavenworth]].
+
+### Revolution and Aftermath
+
+Sandinista forces overthrew Somoza on July 17, 1979. Somoza and his inner circle fled to [[Homestead Air Force Base]] in [[Florida]]. The National Guard collapsed within hours. National Guard officers who escaped across Nicaragua's borders into [[El Salvador]], [[Honduras]], and [[Costa Rica]] formed the nucleus of the [[Contras]], reassembled by the CIA starting in 1980 under [[Enrique Bermudez|Enrique Bermúdez]].[^1]
+
+### Contra War
+
+Nicaragua became the battleground for a proxy war between the U.S.-backed Contras and the Sandinista government.[^2] The Contra factions — including the [[FDN]] based in Honduras and [[ARDE]] and [[UDN-FARN]] based in Costa Rica — were deeply infiltrated by drug traffickers, including [[Norwin Meneses]], [[Danilo Blandon|Danilo Blandón]], [[Marcos Aguado]], [[Horacio Pereira]], and others.
+
+### Drug Trafficking Hub
+
+Norwin Meneses was believed to be the [[Cali Drug Cartel|Cali cartel]]'s representative in Nicaragua. Danilo Blandón owned hotels and casinos in the country and partnered with Jairo Meneses in operations there. A 1991 seizure of 764 kilos of cocaine in Nicaragua was linked to Blandón. Meneses was arrested in [[Managua]] in 1991 and sentenced to twelve years. [[Georg Hodel]] and [[Gary Webb]] interviewed him at Tipitapa Prison outside Managua in 1996.[^1]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 1: "A Pretty secret kind of thing"
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Prologue: "It was like they didn't want to know"

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Pakistan.md

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Pakistan is a country in South Asia. It is mentioned in connection with the assembly of 107 MM rockets and their launchers at a facility known as the Pakistan Ordinance Works."
+---
+[[Pakistan]] is a country in South [[Asia]]. It is mentioned in connection with the assembly of 107 MM rockets and their launchers at a facility known as the Pakistan Ordinance Works. This was part of a plan formulated by [[Michael Riconosciuto]] to reconfigure Chinese 107 MM rockets into a backpack-portable effective artillery counter battery system for the [[Mujahideen]] in [[Afghanistan]].[^1]
+
+[[Lester Coleman]]'s affidavit also states that the [[DEA|DEA]] was using [[Euramae Trading Company]] to sell [[PROMIS]] software to drug abuse control agencies in various Middle Eastern countries, including [[Pakistan]].[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Panama Canal.md

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+summary: "The Panama Canal is a vital waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In 1977, the Jimmy Carter administration was determined to sign a treaty regarding the Panama Canal with General Torrijos."
+---
+The [[Panama Canal]] is a vital waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In 1977, the [[Jimmy Carter]] administration was determined to sign a treaty regarding the Panama Canal with [[General Torrijos]]. This determination reportedly influenced the administration's reluctance to pursue Torrijos, despite his and his family members' alleged involvement at the highest levels of the world cocaine trade.[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Panama.md

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - Geography
+  - Country
+  - Central_America
+  - Drug_Trafficking
+  - 1980s
+summary: Central American nation that was a major conduit for cocaine trafficking and money laundering, ruled by military dictator Manuel Noriega who simultaneously worked for the CIA and Colombian drug cartels.
+---
+Panama is a [[Central America|Central American]] nation that served as a major banking center, money laundering hub, and cocaine transshipment point during the 1980s.[^1]
+
+### Noriega Era
+
+Manuel Noriega, Panama's military dictator, performed valuable work for the [[U.S. government|U.S.]] government in Central America during the 1980s, brokering deals with South American leaders, acting as liaison to Cuba's Fidel Castro, and providing intelligence on guerrilla and terrorist activities. The former CIA chief of operations in Panama testified on Noriega's behalf during a sentencing reduction hearing in 1998.[^2]
+
+### Contra Connections
+
+[[Frigorificos de Puntarenas]], a Costa Rican shrimp company later used by [[Oliver North]] and the Contras, was linked to Panamanian financial networks. [[Sebastian Gonzalez|Sebastian "Guachan" Gonzalez]], a CIA asset heavily involved in drug trafficking in Panama and [[Costa Rica]], was close to Noriega and suspected of involvement in the beheading of Contra supporter [[Hugo Spadafora]]. The Meneses drug organization laundered money through Panamanian channels.[^3]
+
+### Banking and Money Laundering
+
+Panama's banking secrecy laws made it a preferred location for drug money laundering. [[Danilo Blandon|Danilo Blandón]] withdrew $175,000 in cash from his bank account in Panama to purchase his house in [[California]]. Panamanian banker Jose Fernando Soto, the longtime representative of the Swiss Bank Corp. in Panama, served as a director of one of Blandón's companies.[^4]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 12: "This guy talks to God"
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Epilogue: "The damage that has been done"
+[^3]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Cast of Characters
+[^4]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 21: "I could go anywhere in the world and sell dope"

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Peru.md

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - geography
+  - south-america
+  - contra-war
+summary: Peru was the South American country where smoking coca paste originated in the 1970s, a practice that preceded and foreshadowed the crack cocaine epidemic in the United States.
+---
+
+Peru was the [[South America]]n country where smoking coca paste originated in the 1970s, a practice that preceded and foreshadowed the [[Crack Cocaine|crack cocaine]] epidemic in the [[United States]]. Along with [[Bolivia]], Peru was part of the Andean cocaine production zone that supplied the trafficking networks connected to the [[Contras|Contra]] war.[^1]
+
+### Origins of Cocaine Smoking
+
+In Peru and Bolivia, users began smoking coca paste (the intermediate product in cocaine refining) in the mid-1970s. Peruvian police psychiatrist Raul Jeri documented a cocaine "epidemic" that swept through [[Lima]]'s fashionable neighborhoods in 1974 and spread to other major Peruvian cities and then to [[Ecuador]] and Bolivia. The Peruvian experience demonstrated the addictive potential of smokable cocaine forms years before crack appeared in American cities. The [[cocaine]] flowing through Contra-connected networks originated in this Andean production zone before being refined and shipped north.[^2]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 3.
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 3.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Philippines.md

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+summary: "The Philippines is an archipelago nation in Southeast Asia. It is mentioned in the context of Ignacio Paz, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence in the Philippine government, who was assisted by Robert Booth Nichols in removing large sums of..."
+---
+The [[Philippines]] is an archipelago nation in Southeast [[Asia]]. It is mentioned in the context of [[Ignacio Paz]], the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence in the Philippine government, who was assisted by [[Robert Booth Nichols]] in removing large sums of money from the [[Philippines]] by investing with Nichols, who placed the money in Swiss bank accounts.[^1]
+
+[[Art Suchesk]], a friend of [[Allan Boyak]] and a [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] proprietary company runner, repeatedly encountered [[Robert Booth Nichols]] in the [[Philippines]], among other locations, after the Los Angeles [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] dropped its interest in Nichols.[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Saudi Arabia.md

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - geography
+  - middle-east
+  - contra-war
+summary: Saudi Arabia was a source of funding for the Contra war that supplemented the cocaine trafficking proceeds and Oliver North's illegal arms sales to Iran.
+---
+Saudi Arabia was a source of funding for the [[Contras|Contra]] war that supplemented the [[cocaine]] trafficking proceeds and [[Oliver North]]'s illegal arms sales to [[Iran]]. The Saudi government contributed millions to the Contra cause at the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] administration's request, part of the parallel funding streams that kept the war alive after Congress cut off official aid.[^1]
+
+### Third-Party Funding
+
+The Saudi contributions to the Contra war were part of Oliver North's network of third-party funding sources that included private donors, foreign governments, and drug trafficking proceeds. When Congress passed the [[Boland Amendment]] cutting off military aid to the Contras, the administration turned to Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other sources to keep the war funded. The combination of Saudi money, Iranian arms sales proceeds, and cocaine trafficking revenue created a multi-source funding pipeline that operated outside congressional oversight.[^2]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 16.
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 16.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Singapore.md

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Singapore is a city-state and island country in Southeast Asia. It is mentioned in connection with Patrick Moriarty and Bo Gritz, as Moriarty paid Gritz to make business trips to China, Singapore, and other parts of Asia."
+---
+[[Singapore]] is a city-state and island country in Southeast [[Asia]]. It is mentioned in connection with [[Patrick Moriarty]] and [[Bo Gritz]], as Moriarty paid Gritz to make business trips to [[China]], [[Singapore]], and other parts of [[Asia]]. Gritz claimed his July 1989 trip to [[Asia]] was to negotiate an oil interest he and Moriarty had set up between the [[People's Republic of China]] and [[Indonesia]].[^1]
+
+[[Art Suchesk]], a friend of [[Allan Boyak]] and a [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] proprietary company runner, repeatedly encountered [[Robert Booth Nichols]] in [[Singapore]], the [[Philippines]], and [[Taiwan]] over a two-year period after the Los Angeles [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] dropped its interest in Nichols.[^1]
+
+[[Michael Riconosciuto]] claimed that [[Robert Booth Nichols]] wanted to receive the set-up of their end offshore in [[Singapore]], including $20 million in cash, and to use certain technology overseas, namely in [[Australia]].[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/South America.md

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - geography
+  - continent
+  - contra-war
+summary: South America was the source of the cocaine that flowed through Contra-connected trafficking networks, with Colombia and Bolivia serving as the primary production countries.
+---
+South America was the source of the [[cocaine]] that flowed through Contra-connected trafficking networks, with [[Colombia]] and [[Bolivia]] serving as the primary production countries. The continent's drug cartels supplied the commodity that linked the Contra war to the devastation of American inner cities.[^1]
+
+### The Cocaine Supply Chain
+
+A 1990 [[DEA]] report stated that the [[Danilo Blandon|Blandón]]-[[Norwin Meneses|Meneses]] ring was "a criminal organization that operates internationally from Colombia and Bolivia, through the [[Bahamas]], [[Costa Rica]], or [[Nicaragua]] to the [[United States]]." The ring sourced its cocaine from the politically connected Suarez family in Bolivia and the Ochoa family in Colombia, founders of the [[Medellin Cartel|Medellín Cartel]]. Law enforcement investigators hoped to take down the biggest crack operation ever uncovered, "one whose tentacles reached all the way to South America," and cut off the L.A. ghettos' main source of supply. A pilot known as "Oklahoma Dick" regularly flew to South America to obtain cocaine for the Blandón-Meneses network.[^2]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 6.
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 6, Ch. 17.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Soviet Union.md

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+---
+created: 2025-07-22
+updated: 2025-08-04
+title: Soviet Union
+tags:
+  - Organization
+  - Government
+  - Country
+  - Cold War
+  - USSR
+  - Intelligence
+description: The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a socialist state in Eurasia that existed from 1922 to 1991. It was a key player in the Cold War and was perceived by the U.S. as a leader in psi research.
+category: "Country"
+summary: "The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a socialist state in Eurasia that existed from 1922 to 1991."
+---
+The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a socialist state in Eurasia that existed from 1922 to 1991. During the Cold War, the [[Soviet Union]] was a primary geopolitical rival of the United States, leading to an arms race that extended into unconventional areas, including psychic research.[^1]
+
+### Psi Research and the "Psi Gap"
+
+Reports and rumors of extensive Soviet psi research, particularly after the fabricated "[[The Nautilus]]" story in 1960, spurred significant concern within the U.S. intelligence community. Figures like [[Leonid Vasiliev]] and Eduard Naumov were prominent in Soviet parapsychology, conducting experiments in telepathy and remote influencing.[^1]
+
+U.S. intelligence agencies, including the [[Defense Intelligence Agency|DIA]], expressed concerns about a potential "psi gap," fearing that Soviet advancements in this field could enable them to access top-secret U.S. documents, influence leaders, or disable military military equipment remotely.[^1]
+
+#### Targets of U.S. Remote Viewing
+
+The Soviet Union and its military installations were frequent targets for U.S. remote viewing programs, including the [[STARGATE PROJECT|Grill Flame]] unit. Notable successes included [[Joe McMoneagle]]'s remote viewing of a Soviet Typhoon-class submarine under construction and a Soviet surveillance bug in a U.S. embassy.[^1]
+
+### Historical Events
+
+In December 1979, the Soviet Union invaded [[Afghanistan]], making [[Pakistan]] a key strategic priority for the [[United States]].[^2]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Schnabel, Jim. *Remote Viewers*. Dell, 1997.
+[^2]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 12.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Spain.md

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - geography
+  - europe
+  - contra-war
+summary: Spain was where DEA agent James Kible visited jailed Medellín cartel boss Jorge Ochoa in an attempt to recruit him to implicate the Sandinistas in drug trafficking.
+---
+Spain was where [[DEA]] agent James Kible visited jailed [[Medellin Cartel|Medellín Cartel]] boss [[Jorge Ochoa]] in 1984 and attempted to persuade him to publicly implicate the [[Sandinistas]] in drug trafficking. The approach demonstrated the U.S. government's willingness to use the drug war for political purposes.[^1]
+
+### Political Manipulation of Drug Enforcement
+
+Kible's visit to Ochoa in a Spanish prison was part of a broader pattern of the U.S. government attempting to manufacture propaganda against the Nicaraguan government. While the DEA was ostensibly fighting drug trafficking, agents like Kible were being used to recruit drug lords for political operations. The irony was that the same government protecting [[Contras|Contra]]-connected drug traffickers like [[Danilo Blandon|Danilo Blandón]] and [[Norwin Meneses]] was simultaneously trying to use imprisoned cartel leaders to smear the Sandinistas. [[Ivan Gomez]], the alleged CIA agent present at Contra drug meetings, was reportedly living in Spain.[^2]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 19.
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 19, Ch. 4.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Switzerland.md

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Switzerland is a country in Europe known for its banking system. Adnan Khashoggi established front companies in Switzerland and Liechtenstein to handle his commissions."
+---
+[[Switzerland]] is a country in Europe known for its banking system. [[Adnan Khashoggi]] established front companies in [[Switzerland]] and [[Liechtenstein]] to handle his commissions. In 1988, Khashoggi was arrested in [[Switzerland]], accused of concealing funds, held for three months, and then extradited to the [[United States]].[^1]
+
+[[Robert Booth Nichols]] had an office in Zurich, [[Switzerland]]. [[Art Suchesk]], a friend of [[Allan Boyak]] and a [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] proprietary company runner, was based out of Zurich, [[Switzerland]], during a period when he repeatedly encountered [[Robert Booth Nichols]] in various international locations.[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Syria.md

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Syria is a country in the Middle East that has been significantly involved in the regional drug trade and political conflicts. Its president, Hafez al-Assad, played a role in regional politics and alliances.[^1]"
+---
+[[Syria]] is a country in the Middle East that has been significantly involved in the regional drug trade and political conflicts. Its president, [[Hafez al-Assad]], played a role in regional politics and alliances.[^1]
+
+### Drug Trade and Political Influence
+
+[[Syria]] maintained control of the Bekaa Valley in [[Lebanon]], a major heroin-producing area, after the Lebanese civil war. Syrian occupation forces reportedly profited from and protected the drug trade, with estimates suggesting up to $2 billion in protection money was paid annually by dope plantation operators. The Bekaa also became a center for processing Colombian cartel cocaine for re-export to European markets. In 1988, two Syrians arrested with large quantities of heroin and coke in Milan, [[Italy]], claimed to be working for a Syrian colonel in Bekaa.[^1]
+
+There were long-standing back-channel relations between Washington D.C. and Damascus. A 1987 [[Department of Defense|Pentagon]] memo indicated that [[Oliver North]] was personally notified that Syrian intelligence in [[Lebanon]] was willing to negotiate with the [[White House]] for the release of hostages held by Lebanese terrorists. President [[George H.W. Bush]] himself reportedly made secret visits to Damascus for hostage negotiations.[^1]
+
+After Desert Storm, [[Hafez al-Assad]] closed ranks with the [[White House]] and softened his stance against [[Israel]]. President [[George H.W. Bush]] and Secretary of State [[James Baker]] encouraged [[Syria]] and [[Israel]] to recognize each other's Lebanese occupation zones. Under a 1990 accord, [[Syria]] maintained control of the Bekaa Valley, including notorious drug ports north of Beirut.[^1]
+
+### Connections to Pan Am Flight 103
+
+[[Syria]] was implicated in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. The private investigative firm [[Interfor]] claimed that the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command|PFLP-GC]] was behind the bombing and that the flight was part of a heroin smuggling route connected to the Syrian regime and protected by both the [[DEA|U.S. DEA]] and the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]. [[Monzer Al-Kassar]], a Syrian kingpin and arms dealer, was alleged to oversee this ring. The [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] was reportedly protecting Al-Kassar's operation due to his cooperation in freeing U.S. hostages in [[Lebanon]].[^1]
+
+Allegations suggested that the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] and [[DEA|DEA]] instructed [[Germany]]'s internal intelligence agency, the [[BKA]], to allow certain suitcases to pass uninspected onto U.S.-bound flights at the Frankfurt airport. A suitcase intended for heroin was covertly substituted with explosives by the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command|PFLP-GC]] and [[Monzer Al-Kassar]]. In 1990, when the [[White House]] sought [[Syria]] as a partner in the Allied coalition, blame for the Pan Am bombing shifted from [[Syria]] to [[Libya]].[^1]
+
+### Other Connections
+
+[[Michael Riconosciuto]]'s affidavit stated that the [[DEA|DEA]] was using [[Euramae Trading Company]] to sell [[PROMIS]] software to drug abuse control agencies in various Middle Eastern countries, including [[Syria]].[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Taiwan.md

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+---
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Taiwan is an island nation in East Asia. It is mentioned in connection with Art Suchesk, a friend of Allan Boyak and a Central Intelligence Agency proprietary company runner."
+---
+[[Taiwan]] is an island nation in East [[Asia]]. It is mentioned in connection with [[Art Suchesk]], a friend of [[Allan Boyak]] and a [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] proprietary company runner. Suchesk repeatedly encountered [[Robert Booth Nichols]] in [[Taiwan]], among other locations, over a two-year period after the Los Angeles [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] dropped its interest in Nichols.[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Turkey.md

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+---
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Turkey is a country that was discussed in the context of a military joint venture to produce specialized ammunition."
+---
+[[Turkey]] is a country that was discussed in the context of a military joint venture to produce specialized ammunition. This discussion took place between [[Ted Gunderson]], [[Ralph Olberg]], [[Tim Osman]], and [[Michael Riconosciuto]] in early 1986, as part of a worldwide support network for the [[Mujahideen]] in [[Afghanistan]].[^1]
+
+[[Lester Coleman]]'s affidavit also states that the [[DEA|DEA]] was using [[Euramae Trading Company]] to sell [[PROMIS]] software to drug abuse control agencies in various Middle Eastern countries, including [[Turkey]].[^1]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/United States.md

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+---
+category: "Country"
+tags:
+  - Geography
+  - Country
+  - North_America
+  - Contra_War
+  - 1980s
+  - Dark_Alliance_Investigation
+summary: The United States was the destination for Contra-connected cocaine trafficked by Norwin Meneses and Danilo Blandón, the site of the crack cocaine explosion in inner-city neighborhoods, and where the government simultaneously prosecuted the War on Drugs while protecting CIA-linked drug traffickers.
+---
+The United States was the destination for thousands of tons of [[cocaine]] trafficked through CIA-connected networks during the Contra war, and the site of the [[Crack Cocaine|crack]] epidemic that devastated inner-city communities.[^1]
+
+### Contra Cocaine Pipeline
+
+[[Norwin Meneses]] and [[Danilo Blandon|Danilo Blandón]] operated a cocaine distribution network that moved drugs from [[Colombia]] through [[Central America]] into the [[United States]]. Blandón was the first major trafficker to establish a direct connection between Colombian cocaine sources and [[South Central Los Angeles|South Central L.A.]] street gangs. [[Ricky Ross]] then distributed the cocaine nationwide through the [[Crips]] and Bloods networks.[^2]
+
+### Secret 1982 Agreement
+
+From 1982 to 1995, the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] and the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]] operated under a secret agreement that exempted CIA assets from drug crimes reporting requirements. During this period, the government could assert there was "no evidence" of CIA-connected drug trafficking because no one was legally required to report it. CIA Inspector General [[Fred Hitz]] testified before Congress that the CIA "did not, in an expeditious or consistent fashion, cut off relationships with individuals supporting the Contra program who were alleged to have engaged in drug trafficking activity," including trafficking within the United States.[^3]
+
+### Law Enforcement
+
+Federal agencies including the [[DEA]], [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]], and [[U.S. Customs]] possessed extensive intelligence about Contra-connected drug trafficking but were prevented from acting on it. Multiple investigations were shut down, evidence was destroyed, and informants were discredited or imprisoned.[^4]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Prologue: "It was like they didn't want to know"
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 10: "Teach a man a craft and he's liable to practice it"
+[^3]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Epilogue: "The damage that has been done"
+[^4]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 9: "He would have had me by the tail"

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Venezuela.md

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+---
+tags:
+  - Geography
+  - Country
+  - South_America
+  - Contra_War
+  - Dark_Alliance_Investigation
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Venezuela is a country in South America whose president, Hugo Chavez, was a close ally of Manuel Zelaya, the ousted president of Honduras."
+---
+
+[[Venezuela]] is a country in [[South America]] whose president, [[Hugo Chavez]], was a close ally of [[Manuel Zelaya]], the ousted president of [[Honduras]]. Chávez stated he would consider it an "act of war" if there were hostilities against his diplomats and put the armed forces of Venezuela on alert. Chávez reportedly had close ties to [[Iran]] and offered military support to Iran in the event of a war with the [[United States]].[^1]
+
+## Luis Posada Carriles
+
+Venezuela was where [[Luis Posada Carriles]] was imprisoned for his involvement in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner and from which he escaped before resurfacing at [[Ilopango Airbase|Ilopango Air Base]] in [[San Salvador]] as [[Felix Rodriguez]]'s right-hand man. Posada was sent to Venezuela and began working as an official of the Venezuelan intelligence service, DISIP, while maintaining his [[Central Intelligence Agency]] connections. He was arrested in Venezuela for the Cubana Airlines bombing that killed 73 people but escaped from prison in 1985.[^2]
+
+Posada resurfaced at Ilopango in early 1986, where he managed the cash disbursements for the Contra resupply operation, telling associates "the money came from [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]." His journey from Venezuelan prisoner to Contra operative illustrated the revolving door between terrorism and U.S.-backed covert operations, demonstrating how the CIA protected operatives with histories of terrorism and drug trafficking when they were useful for the Contra war.[^2]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 15.

60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Vietnam.md

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+---
+tags:
+  - Geography
+  - Country
+  - Asia
+  - Vietnam_War
+  - Contra_War
+  - Dark_Alliance_Investigation
+category: "Country"
+summary: "Vietnam was the site of a protracted conflict involving the United States and other international powers. Several individuals who served there later became involved in covert operations and intelligence activities, and the U.S."
+---
+
+[[Vietnam]] was the site of a protracted conflict involving the [[United States]] and other international powers. Several individuals who served there later became involved in covert operations and intelligence activities, and the U.S. military alliance with Nicaragua's Somoza dynasty — which contributed troops to Vietnam — later facilitated the creation of the [[Contras|Contra]] army.[^1][^2]
+
+## Notable Veterans
+
+[[Michael Hand]], co-founder of [[Nugan Hand Bank]], was a highly decorated [[United States Army Special Forces|Special Forces Green Beret]] soldier in Vietnam. After his first stint in Vietnam, Hand moved to the clandestine [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] war in [[Laos]].[^1]
+
+[[Bo Gritz]] was also a highly decorated [[United States Army Special Forces|Green Beret]] in Vietnam. Both Gritz and Hand had special knowledge of intelligence operations in the [[Golden Triangle]].[^1]
+
+[[Robert Booth Nichols]] was reportedly in Vietnam, working for a wealthy U.S. businessman in the private sector.[^1]
+
+## Somoza's Military Support
+
+[[Anastasio Somoza]] sent [[Nicaragua|Nicaraguan]] troops to fight in Vietnam as part of his military alliance with the United States. Somoza boasted of his contributions to American foreign policy: "In 1965 he'd sent troops into the [[Dominican Republic]] to help the United States quell another leftist uprising. Hell, he'd even sent Nicaraguans off to fight in Vietnam." He also reminded Ambassador [[Lawrence Pezzullo]] that when the CIA needed a base for the [[Bay of Pigs]], he provided it. Somoza cited these contributions when pleading with Pezzullo not to abandon his National Guard, framing them as evidence of the shared investment between his regime and the U.S. government. He argued that the National Guard officers trained at [[Fort Gulick]], [[Fort Benning]], and [[Fort Leavenworth]] were products of American military education.[^2]
+
+---
+### Footnotes
+[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.
+[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 4.