8.3 KiB
Wackenhut Corporation is a security and investigative firm founded in 1954 by George R. Wackenhut and three other former Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agents. Initially named Special Agent Investigators, it expanded to physical security and was renamed Wackenhut Corporation in 1958. Headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida, Wackenhut grew to become one of the world's largest security and investigative firms, with operations across the United States and internationally.1
Operations and Services
Wackenhut provides security and investigative services to businesses, industries, and various U.S. Government agencies. Its services include guard and electronic security for various facilities, personnel background reports, pre-employment screening, polygraph examinations, and criminal investigations. The company also develops sophisticated computerized security systems through its subsidiary, Wackenhut Electronic Systems Corporation.1
Notable contracts include providing security for the Nevada Test Site, the Alaskan Pipeline, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, as well as numerous American embassies abroad.1
Leadership and Government Connections
The company's leadership has historically included executives and managers with extensive backgrounds in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, and other military and governmental security fields. Its board of directors has featured prominent former government officials such as Stansfield Turner (former Central Intelligence Agency director), Clarence Kelley (former Federal Bureau of Investigation director), Frank Carlucci (former Central Intelligence Agency deputy director and Defense Secretary), James Rowley (former United States Secret Service director), Bobby Ray Inman (former acting chairman of President Bush’s foreign intelligence advisory board and former Central Intelligence Agency deputy director), and Joseph Carroll (former Director, Defense Intelligence Agency).1
William Casey, former Central Intelligence Agency director under Ronald Reagan, served as Wackenhut's outside legal counsel before his appointment.1
Controversies and Allegations
Despite its public profile as a security firm, Wackenhut Corporation has been associated with several significant controversies and allegations, particularly concerning its political leanings and its alleged role in covert government operations.
Political Leanings and Dossier Collection
George R. Wackenhut, the company's founder, was characterized as a "hard-line right-winger" whose political values were reflected in the company's operations. Wackenhut actively built dossiers on suspected dissidents and sold this information to interested parties. By 1965, Wackenhut claimed to maintain files on 2.5 million suspected dissidents. This number grew to over 4 million by 1966, following the acquisition of the private files of Karl Barslaag, a former staff member of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. The company's monthly publication, the "Wackenhut Security Review," consistently criticized protest movements of the 1960s, earning accolades from right-wing organizations such as the John Birch Society and the All-American Conference to Combat Communism.[1]
Allegations of CIA Front Operations
Multiple sources have alleged that Wackenhut served as a front for the Central Intelligence Agency and other intelligence agencies. Richard Babayan, identified as a Central Intelligence Agency contract employee, claimed that Wackenhut had been used by the Central Intelligence Agency for years to provide cover for clandestine operations. Bruce Berckmans, a former Central Intelligence Agency agent who later became a Wackenhut international-operations vice president, reportedly saw a formal proposal from George Wackenhut to the Central Intelligence Agency offering Wackenhut offices worldwide as fronts for Central Intelligence Agency activities. William Corbett, a terrorism expert and former Central Intelligence Agency analyst, further stated that Wackenhut allowed the Central Intelligence Agency to occupy positions within the company to conduct clandestine operations and supplied intelligence agencies with information in exchange for lucrative government contracts.1
The Cabazon Joint Venture
A particularly controversial aspect of Wackenhut's operations was its joint venture with the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians in Indio, California. Formalized on April 1, 1981, this partnership aimed to leverage the sovereign nation status of the Indian reservation to bypass federal jurisdiction and congressional prohibitions on arms exports. The venture, known as "Cabazon Arms," sought to establish a production facility for high-tech armaments and explosives for export to third-world countries, including the Contras in Nicaragua and nations in the Middle East.1
Dr. John Nichols, the Cabazon tribal administrator and a former Central Intelligence Agency agent, secured a United States Department of Defense secret facility clearance for the reservation. He then proposed to Wackenhut the manufacture of various weapons systems, including 120mm combustible cartridge cases, 9mm machine pistols, laser-sighted assault weapons, sniper rifles, and portable rocket systems. The venture also explored the development of biological weapons. Michael Riconosciuto served as the Director of Research for this joint venture, and was involved in meetings with figures like Robert Frye (Wackenhut VP), John P. Nichols, and Peter Zokosky, and Dr. Harry Fair of the U.S. Army's Railgun Project at Picatinny Arsenal, where Riconosciuto's scientific expertise was noted.1
PROMIS Software Modification
Within the Cabazon Joint Venture, Michael Riconosciuto claimed to have modified the proprietary PROMIS computer software. This modification, allegedly spearheaded by Earl Brian and made available through Peter Videnieks of the United States Department of Justice, was intended to facilitate the worldwide implementation of PROMIS in law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Riconosciuto's affidavit detailed his work on the software, including specific modifications for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service in Canada. This alleged pirating and modification of the PROMIS software became a central component of the PROMIS Software Scandal.1
It was here that the "trap door" was built into the USA version of PROMIS, based on Israel information. This operation was conducted by a small Central Intelligence Agency group, headed by Robert Gates, who sought to keep it secret from the NSA due to interagency competition.2
End of Wackenhut
The Wackenhut/Cabazon Joint Venture was terminated on October 1, 1984, following Robert Frye's heart attack. Its activities subsequently became the subject of numerous investigations by entities such as the United States Department of Justice, the United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, United States Customs Service, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as various police agencies and media outlets worldwide.1
Other Allegations
Beyond the Cabazon venture, Wackenhut was also implicated in other international controversies. A 1992 SPY magazine article by John Connolly alleged that Wackenhut secretly assisted Iraq in its efforts to obtain sophisticated weapons and contributed to unrest in Venezuela.1