[[First Intercontinental Development Corporation|FIDCO]] was a company whose board of directors included prominent figures with ties to government and intelligence, and it was reportedly a [[National Security Council|NSC]] cutout. Its activities were closely scrutinized in the context of [[Danny Casolaro]]'s "[[The Octopus]]" investigation.[1] ### Board of Directors The Board of Directors of [[First Intercontinental Development Corporation|FIDCO]] consisted of individuals with significant backgrounds in government, intelligence, and business: * [[Robert Maheu]], Sr.: Vice President, Director; former [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agent and former CEO of Howard Hughes Operations.[1] * [[Michael A. McManus]]: Director, Vice President, and General Counsel to [[First Intercontinental Development Corporation|FIDCO]]; former Assistant to President [[Ronald Reagan]] at the [[White House]].[1] * [[Robert Booth Nichols]]: Director, Senior Vice President, and Chairman of Investment Committee; CEO of R.B.N. Companies, International, involved in high technology electronics, real estate, construction, and international finance.[1] * [[George K. Pender]]: Director; former Director of Pacific Ocean area of Burns & Roe, Inc., an international engineering and construction corporation.[1] * [[Kenneth A. Roe]]: Director; Chairman and President of Burns & Roe, Inc., involved in major projects like the [[United States of America|U.S.A.]] Fast Breeder Nuclear Reactor Plant.[1] * [[Frances T. Fox]]: Vice President and Director; former General Manager of L.A. International Airport and Director of Aviation for Howard Hughes Nevada operations (now Summa Corporation).[1] * [[Clint W. Murchison, Jr.]]: Director; owner of the Dallas Cowboys NFL football team, with family ties to powerful political and organized crime figures.[1] * [[William M. Pender]]: Director and Senior Vice President; licensed contractor in California.[1] * [[Glen R. Shockley]]: Director; consultant to Fortune 500 Companies and international financial consultant.[1] ### Activities and Allegations [[First Intercontinental Development Corporation|FIDCO]] was reportedly used as a [[National Security Council|NSC]] cutout in [[Lebanon]] to arrange the release of a prisoner. Letters from the summer of 1983 between [[Michael A. McManus]] and [[George K. Pender]] confirmed [[First Intercontinental Development Corporation|FIDCO]]'s role in [[Lebanon]]. A follow-up letter from [[George K. Pender]] to [[Amin Gamayel]], the president of [[Lebanon]], indicated that transactions could be telexed to [[Robert Booth Nichols]]' address. The Arab Bank Limited in Amman, [[Jordan]], responded positively to a potential financial transaction of "US$ three billion or more" for the reconstruction of [[Lebanon]], though it is unlikely such reconstruction ever fully materialized.[^1] [[Michael Riconosciuto]] claimed that [[First Intercontinental Development Corporation|FIDCO]] was a [[National Security Council|NSC]] corporate cutout and that he was a technical advisor for the organization. He also stated that [[First Intercontinental Development Corporation|FIDCO]] had a companion company called Euramae Trading, which operated throughout the Middle East and was involved in the drug trade, allegedly as a [[National Security Council|NSC]]-directed operation.[^1] [[Robert Booth Nichols]] used [[First Intercontinental Development Corporation|FIDCO]] to verify his credibility in proposed arms projects, including the construction of an R&D facility for weapons systems on the [[Cabazon Indian Reservation]].[[Michael Riconosciuto]] also claimed that [[Robert Booth Nichols]] was involved in illicit activities through [[First Intercontinental Development Corporation|FIDCO]], including attempting to take embargoed technology out of 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.