---
aliases:
- George H.W. Bush
- George Herbert Walker Bush
- President Bush
- Bush 41
born: 1924-06-12
category: Intelligence & Government
created: 2024-04-25
died: 2018-11-30
location: Milton, Massachusetts
summary: Vice President under Reagan and 41st U.S. President who dealt with Israel's
  nuclear program, the VELA incident, and sanctions discussions after Osirak bombing,
  while simultaneously overseeing anti-drug efforts as Contra-connected drug traffickers
  operated with impunity.
tags:
- Person
- Israel
- DarkAllianceInvestigation
- OctoberSurprise
title: George H.W. Bush
updated: 2026-05-17
---

George H.W. Bush served as the Vice President under President [Ronald Reagan](/people/ronald-reagan/) and later as the 41st President of the United States. He was present at a meeting of Reagan's high command following the Israeli bombing of the Iraqi nuclear reactor at [Osirak bombing](/events/osirak-bombing/) in June 1981, where he agreed that some sanctions against [Israel](/places/israel/) were essential.[^1]

### The South Florida Drug Task Force and the Medellín Cartel

As Vice President, Bush oversaw anti-drug efforts as head of the South Florida Drug Task Force while the administration simultaneously protected [Contra](/organizations/contras/)-connected drug traffickers. The contradiction between Bush's public anti-drug posture and the covert reality of the Contra supply chain became a recurring theme in the [Dark Alliance](/events/dark-alliance/) narrative.[^2]

The [Medellín Cartel](/organizations/medellin-cartel/) reportedly made a deal with Vice President Bush. Informant Allen Raul Rudd told federal officials that Pablo Escobar described "an agreement or relationship between Bush and the American government and members of the Medellín cartel which resulted in planes flying guns to the cartel in [Colombia](/places/colombia/)." Escobar claimed to have a picture of Bush posing with Medellín cartel leader [Jorge Ochoa](/people/jorge-ochoa/) in front of suitcases full of money, held as blackmail to be released at "the appropriate time."[^2]

### Contra Connections and the War on Drugs

At the same time Reagan and Bush were publicly whipping the American public into a frenzy over street-corner crack dealers, [Oliver North](/people/oliver-north/) and other top administration officials were livid that Contra-connected drug trafficker General [Jose Bueso Rosa](/people/jose-bueso-rosa/) had even been charged with a crime. North's computer messages about Bueso Rosa illustrated how skewed the Reagan administration's sense of justice had become regarding its "War on Drugs." [Scott Weekly](/people/scott-weekly/), a figure connected to the CIA and the Hasenfus shootdown, claimed on tape that he reported to people who reported to Bush.[^3]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991.
[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 13: "The wrong kind of friends"
[^3]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 20: "It is a sensitive matter"