U.S. Attorney General

The U.S. Attorney General is the nation's chief law enforcement officer, a position held during the Contra war by William French Smith and later Edwin Meese. The Attorney General's office was responsible for overseeing federal drug enforcement while simultaneously protecting Contra-connected drug traffickers.¹

The Secret 1982 Agreement

In early 1982, Attorney General William French Smith and Central Intelligence Agency director William J. Casey signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding that exempted CIA assets from drug crimes reporting. Drug offenses were specifically removed from the list of crimes the CIA was required to report, creating what Inspector General Fred Hitz later called "a gentleman's agreement to look the other way" that lasted thirteen years. The Attorney General's office also intervened to reduce sentences for Contra-connected drug traffickers like José Bueso Rosa and declined to prosecute Norwin Meneses despite extensive evidence of his trafficking activities.²