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 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 FIDCO consisted of individuals with significant backgrounds in government, intelligence, and business:

• Robert Maheu, Sr.: Vice President, Director; former FBI agent and former CEO of Howard Hughes Operations.[1]
• Michael A. McManus: Director, Vice President, and General Counsel to 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 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

FIDCO was reportedly used as a 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 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 FIDCO was a NSC corporate cutout and that he was a technical advisor for the organization. He also stated that FIDCO had a companion company called Euramae Trading, which operated throughout the Middle East and was involved in the drug trade, allegedly as a NSC-directed operation.¹

Robert Booth Nichols used 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 FIDCO, including attempting to take embargoed technology out of the United States.¹