United Support Against Communism in the Americas (USACA) was a small [[San Francisco]] [[Contras|Contra]] support organization founded by [[Don Sinicco]] at the request of [[FDN]] political leader [[Adolfo Calero]].[^1] ### Formation and Activities Sinicco formed USACA in late 1983 after Calero contacted him because of his letter-writing campaign to San Francisco newspapers protesting pro-[[Sandinistas|Sandinista]] coverage. The group's founding members included middle-class Nicaraguan exiles, Cuban anti-Communists (the Mendoza brothers), and [[Dennis Ainsworth]], a well-connected Republican who transformed the group's effectiveness. Ainsworth arranged events at exclusive venues like the Olympic Club, the [[Commonwealth Club]], and the [[St. Francis Yacht Club]], where he organized a private reception for Calero with sixty influential business leaders on June 4, 1984.[^1] Other founding members included Father [[Thomas Dowling]], who passed himself off as a Roman Catholic priest but was ordained in a splinter church, and who later received about $73,000 from [[Oliver North]] and Calero for domestic propaganda work. Dowling was also heavily involved with CAUSA, part of the Rev. [[Sun-Myung Moon]]'s [[Unification Church]], which funneled money and supplies to the Contras during the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] funding cutoff.[^1] ### Norwin Meneses's Infiltration [[Norwin Meneses]] entered the group by paying the dinner bill for a party at Caesar's Italian Restaurant following the yacht club reception. He began attending USACA meetings, contributing $160 in cash and paying for dinners. Sinicco's records listed "Mr. Meneces' [sic] contribution" as one of USACA's "seven successes." Meneses was later photographed with Calero at a USACA cocktail party, huddled in the kitchen with FDN officials.[^1] ### Footnotes [^1]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Chapter 9: "He would have had me by the tail"