---
category: Iran-Contra
location: Nicaragua
summary: Lawrence Pezzullo was the U.S. ambassador to Nicaragua who negotiated with
  Anastasio Somoza during the final days of his regime, assuring him the United States
  was willing to preserve the National Guard.
tags:
- person
- contra-war
---

Lawrence Pezzullo was the U.S. ambassador to [Nicaragua](/places/nicaragua/) who negotiated with [Anastasio Somoza](/people/anastasio-somoza/) during the final days of his regime, assuring him the [United States](/places/united-states/) was willing to preserve the National Guard. Pezzullo's conversations with Somoza revealed the depth of the U.S. investment in the Guardia that would later form the core of the [Contra](/organizations/contras/) army.[^1]

### Negotiations with Somoza

In a tense meeting, Somoza pleaded with Pezzullo not to abandon the [National Guard](/organizations/nicaraguan-national-guard/), listing his contributions to U.S. foreign policy: "I have thrown many people out of their natural habitat because of the U.S., fighting for your cause. So let's talk like friends." Somoza invoked the American military training of his officers at [Fort Gulick](/places/fort-gulick/), [Fort Benning](/places/fort-benning/), and [Fort Leavenworth](/places/fort-leavenworth/) as evidence of the shared investment. Pezzullo assured Somoza that the United States was "willing to do what we can to preserve the Guard." "We are not abandoning the Guard," he insisted. Despite these assurances, the Guard collapsed when Somoza fled to [Homestead Air Force Base](/places/homestead-air-force-base/) in [Florida](/places/florida/) on July 17, 1979.[^2]

[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 4.
[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 4.