ARENA (Alianza Republicana Nacionalista) was the ultraright Salvadoran political party led by death squad commander [[Roberto D'Aubuisson]] that had connections to [[Contras|Contra]] funding and narcotics trafficking. Records seized from D'Aubuisson revealed financial contributions to Nicaraguan Contra operatives.[^1] ### Connections to the Contra War D'Aubuisson, a Salvadoran army major and ARENA party leader, ran death squads during the civil war in [[El Salvador]]. Records seized from his offices revealed that he had made two "contributions to Nicaraguans," totaling $120,000, three days after the assassination of Archbishop Romero. Written underneath these amounts was the name and telephone number of [[Ricardo Lau]], connecting ARENA to the founding of the [[FDN]] Contra army. The overlap between ARENA's death squad activities, the Salvadoran military, and the Contra war illustrated the interconnected nature of right-wing violence and U.S.-backed covert operations in [[Central America]].[^2] ### Footnotes [^1]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Ch. 5. [^2]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Ch. 5.