[[Wackenhut Corporation]] is a security and investigative firm founded in 1954 by [[George R. Wackenhut]] and three other former [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] 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|Lawrence Livermore Labs]], 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|FBI]], [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]], [[National Security Agency|NSA]], 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|CIA]] director), [[Clarence Kelley]] (former [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] director), [[Frank Carlucci]] (former [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] deputy director and Defense Secretary), [[James Rowley]] (former [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] director), [[Bobby Ray Inman]] (former acting chairman of President Bush’s foreign intelligence advisory board and former [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] deputy director), and [[Joseph Carroll]] (former Director, [[Defense Intelligence Agency|Defense Intelligence Agency]]).[^1] [[William Casey]], former [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] 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|CIA]] and other intelligence agencies. [[Richard Babayan]], identified as a [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] contract employee, claimed that Wackenhut had been used by the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] for years to provide cover for clandestine operations. [[Bruce Berckmans]], a former [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] agent who later became a Wackenhut international-operations vice president, reportedly saw a formal proposal from [[George Wackenhut]] to the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] offering Wackenhut offices worldwide as fronts for [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] activities. [[William Corbett]], a terrorism expert and former [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] analyst, further stated that Wackenhut allowed the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] 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|Cabazon Indian tribe]] 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|CIA]] agent, secured a [[United States Department of Defense|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|U.S. 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|RCMP]] and the [[Canadian Security Intelligence Service|CSIS]] 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|U.S.]] version of [[PROMIS]], based on [[Israel|Israeli]] information. This operation was conducted by a small [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] 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|U.S. Department of Justice]], the [[United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary|House Judiciary Committee on Inslaw]], [[United States Customs Service|U.S. Customs]], and the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police|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] --- ### Footnotes [^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010. [^2]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network*. TrineDay, 1992. (Hereafter, "Profits of War")