3 KiB
| category | tags | summary | born | died | location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World War II & Nazi Era |
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In September 1988, Ari Ben-Menashe met with Stroessner to persuade him to close down Cardoen Industries' chemical plant in Paraguay, which was producing chemical weapons for Iraq. | 1912-11-03 | 2006-08-16 | Encarnación, Paraguay |
Alfredo Stroessner was the President of Paraguay, having been put in power in 1954 by the Central Intelligence Agency. His regime was known for protecting Nazi Germany intelligence officers and German scientists with whom the United States government had made deals after World War II. Stroessner, with his German background and connections to the Nazi Party during the war, was considered an excellent candidate for the Central Intelligence Agency to install, indirectly serving United States interests.1
Israel's connection with Paraguay under Stroessner dates back to Golda Meir's time as foreign minister, who was instrumental in opening diplomatic relations. Stroessner agreed to open Paraguay embassy in Jerusalem, even when the United States did not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This relationship, however, was not always consistent, with Mossad agents continuing to track Nazi Germany groups in Paraguay. Stroessner attempted to improve his reputation by promising full cooperation with Israel, though he did little to address the Nazi Germany issue.1
Paraguay became a conduit for illegal arms shipments to Israel and for smuggling matériel from South Africa for the Dimona. Paraguay Airlines maintained a monthly flight to Tel Aviv, with aircraft undergoing maintenance by Israel Aircraft Industries in Israel.1
In September 1988, Ari Ben-Menashe met with Alfredo Stroessner to persuade him to close down Carlos Cardoen' chemical plant in Paraguay, which was producing chemical weapons for Iraq. Alfredo Stroessner initially agreed to close the plant by the end of February 1989 in exchange for a $30 million aid package in military equipment and training for a special antiterrorist unit for his Presidential Guard. He also revealed that Andres Rodriguez had an interest in Carlos Cardoen.1
Alfredo Stroessner was aware of a plotted coup against him by Andres Rodriguez, supported by the Central Intelligence Agency. Despite his efforts to neutralize Rodriguez, the coup took place on February 2, 1989, leading to Stroessner's overthrow. He had promised Ari Ben-Menashe that the Carlos Cardoen plant would be closed, and had received small arms from Israel as part of the agreement.1
Footnotes
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Ben-Menashe, Ari. Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network. TrineDay, 1992. ↩︎