--- category: Private Organization summary: First Intercontinental Development Corporation was a company whose board of directors included prominent figures with ties to government and intelligence, and it was reportedly a National Security Council cutout. tags: - Organization - Company - FrontCompany - NSC - PROMIS --- [FIDCO](/organizations/first-intercontinental-development-corporation/) was a company whose board of directors included prominent figures with ties to government and intelligence, and it was reportedly a [NSC](/organizations/national-security-council/) cutout. Its activities were closely scrutinized in the context of [Danny Casolaro](/people/danny-casolaro/)'s "[The Octopus](/concepts/the-octopus/)" investigation.[1] ### Board of Directors The Board of Directors of [FIDCO](/organizations/first-intercontinental-development-corporation/) consisted of individuals with significant backgrounds in government, intelligence, and business: * [Robert Maheu](/people/robert-maheu/), Sr.: Vice President, Director; former [FBI](/organizations/federal-bureau-of-investigation/) agent and former CEO of Howard Hughes Operations.[1] * [Michael A. McManus](/people/michael-a-mcmanus/): Director, Vice President, and General Counsel to [FIDCO](/organizations/first-intercontinental-development-corporation/); former Assistant to President [Ronald Reagan](/people/ronald-reagan/) at the White House.[1] * [Robert Booth Nichols](/people/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](/people/george-k-pender/): Director; former Director of Pacific Ocean area of Burns & Roe, Inc., an international engineering and construction corporation.[1] * [Kenneth A. Roe](/people/kenneth-a-roe/): Director; Chairman and President of Burns & Roe, Inc., involved in major projects like the [U.S.A.](/places/united-states/) Fast Breeder Nuclear Reactor Plant.[1] * [Frances T. Fox](/people/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.](/people/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](/people/william-m-pender/): Director and Senior Vice President; licensed contractor in California.[1] * [Glen R. Shockley](/people/glen-r-shockley/): Director; consultant to Fortune 500 Companies and international financial consultant.[1] ### Activities and Allegations [FIDCO](/organizations/first-intercontinental-development-corporation/) was reportedly used as a [NSC](/organizations/national-security-council/) cutout in [Lebanon](/places/lebanon/) to arrange the release of a prisoner. Letters from the summer of 1983 between [Michael A. McManus](/people/michael-a-mcmanus/) and [George K. Pender](/people/george-k-pender/) confirmed [FIDCO](/organizations/first-intercontinental-development-corporation/)'s role in [Lebanon](/places/lebanon/). A follow-up letter from [George K. Pender](/people/george-k-pender/) to [Amin Gamayel](/people/amin-gamayel/), the president of [Lebanon](/places/lebanon/), indicated that transactions could be telexed to [Robert Booth Nichols](/people/robert-booth-nichols/)' address. The Arab Bank Limited in Amman, [Jordan](/places/jordan/), responded positively to a potential financial transaction of "US$ three billion or more" for the reconstruction of [Lebanon](/places/lebanon/), though it is unlikely such reconstruction ever fully materialized.[^1] [Michael Riconosciuto](/people/michael-riconosciuto/) claimed that [FIDCO](/organizations/first-intercontinental-development-corporation/) was a [NSC](/organizations/national-security-council/) corporate cutout and that he was a technical advisor for the organization. He also stated that [FIDCO](/organizations/first-intercontinental-development-corporation/) had a companion company called Euramae Trading, which operated throughout the Middle East and was involved in the drug trade, allegedly as a [NSC](/organizations/national-security-council/)-directed operation.[^1] [Robert Booth Nichols](/people/robert-booth-nichols/) used [FIDCO](/organizations/first-intercontinental-development-corporation/) to verify his credibility in proposed arms projects, including the construction of an R&D facility for weapons systems on the [Cabazon Indian Reservation](/places/cabazon-indian-reservation/).[Michael Riconosciuto](/people/michael-riconosciuto/) also claimed that [Robert Booth Nichols](/people/robert-booth-nichols/) was involved in illicit activities through [FIDCO](/organizations/first-intercontinental-development-corporation/), including attempting to take embargoed technology out of the [United States](/places/united-states/).[^1] --- [^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.