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#Dark_Alliance_Investigation

134 entries tagged Dark_Alliance_Investigation.

People (85)

  • Adolfo Calero Longtime CIA agent and former Coca-Cola bottling plant manager in Managua who was selected by the CIA in 1983 to lead the political wing of the FDN and worked closely with Oliver North.
  • Alan Fenster Beverly Hills defense attorney who represented Ricky Ross throughout his legal troubles, including the DEA reverse sting case.
  • Anastasio Somoza Anastasio Somoza Debayle was the dictator of Nicaragua whose family ruled the country for forty-six years until the Sandinista revolution in July 1979, after which his dispersed National Guard officers became the founding cadre of the Contras.
  • Aristides Sanchez Wealthy Somoza-era landowner who became the head of supplies and logistics for the FDN, went on the CIA payroll, and allegedly served as the conduit for cocaine money from the Meneses drug ring in California.
  • Barry Seal Adler Berriman 'Barry' Seal (1939-1986) was a Baton Rouge, Louisiana pilot and the Medellín Cartel's chief U.S. cocaine distributor, who flew an estimated 56 tons of cocaine worth $3-5 billion before flipping as a DEA informant in 1984, providing photographic evidence of Sandinista officials loading cocaine at a Nicaraguan airfield; he was assassinated by cartel hitmen in February 1986, and his C-123K cargo plane was subsequently used in the Oliver North Contra supply network before being shot down over Nicaragua with Eugene Hasenfus aboard.
  • Bill Clinton William Jefferson 'Bill' Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States (1993-2001) and Governor of Arkansas during the period when Barry Seal operated his CIA-connected cocaine smuggling operation at Mena airport.
  • Brad Brunon Los Angeles attorney who represented Danilo Blandón and provided firsthand observations about Contra fundraising through cocaine trafficking.
  • Carlos Cabezas Nicaraguan cocaine trafficker in San Francisco who testified that drug profits from the Meneses organization were going to the Contras, was convicted in the Frogman Case, and in 1996 admitted on the record to delivering millions in drug money to the Contras.
  • Carlos Lehder Colombian drug trafficker who revolutionized cocaine smuggling for the Medellín cartel in the early 1980s.
  • Chris Moore Former reserve police officer and office manager for Pyramid International Security Consultants who witnessed the company's El Salvador operations firsthand.
  • Chuck Jones DEA agent who served as Danilo Blandón's primary handler from 1993 to 1995 and denied any knowledge of Blandón's Contra drug trafficking history during a contentious meeting with Gary Webb.
  • Craig Chretien DEA Special Agent in Charge of the San Diego regional office who met with Gary Webb in October 1995 in an attempt to dissuade him from publishing the Dark Alliance story, and who was later promoted to head the DEA's International Division.
  • Crossan Andersen Federal prosecutor in Los Angeles who took the Danilo Blandon case to the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and described it as "a sensitive matter" involving CIA allegations.
  • Daniel Garner LASD Majors II deputy and court-certified money-laundering expert whose prosecution for corruption nearly exposed the Contra-CIA drug connection through documents he had seized from Ronald Lister's home in 1986.
  • Danilo Blandon Danilo Blandón Reyes was a Nicaraguan cocaine trafficker who operated a multimillion-dollar distribution ring in Los Angeles from 1981 to 1991, serving as the primary supplier to Freeway Ricky Ross while maintaining connections to the Contra movement and receiving U.S. political asylum despite known drug involvement.
  • Danny Casolaro Joseph Daniel Casolaro was an American freelance journalist investigating a sprawling criminal conspiracy he called 'The Octopus,' linking the PROMIS software theft to Iran-Contra, the October Surprise, and BCCI. He was found dead in a Martinsburg, West Virginia hotel room on August 10, 1991, his wrists slashed twelve times, in a death officially ruled suicide.
  • Danny Ray Lasater Little Rock bond broker and Clinton associate convicted of drug trafficking, connected to Barry Seal's operations at Mena, Arkansas.
  • Dennis Ainsworth San Francisco Contra supporter and Republican activist who discovered the FDN's cocaine trafficking connections and alerted the FBI, only to be ignored.
  • Dewey Clarridge Chief of the CIA Latin American Division from 1981 to 1984 who oversaw the creation of the Contra project, recruited Contra leaders including Eden Pastora, and was later indicted for perjury during the Iran-Contra investigation.
  • Don Sinicco Italian-American pharmaceutical salesman who founded USACA, a San Francisco Contra support group, at the request of Adolfo Calero.
  • Donald Barrios Wealthy Nicaraguan exile, FDN supporter, and relative of former president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro who introduced Norwin Meneses to Danilo Blandon and co-founded La Parrilla restaurant in Miami as a Contra gathering place.
  • Douglas Aukland FBI agent in Riverside, California, whose walk-in informant exposed the Blandon-Meneses Contra drug connection but who was given minimal resources to investigate.
  • Doyle McManus Los Angeles Times Washington bureau chief who played a central role in spreading a 1984 CIA leak about Sandinista drug trafficking and later led the Times' refutation of Contra drug trafficking allegations.
  • Eden Pastora Former Sandinista war hero known as Commandante Zero who became commander of the ARDE Southern Front Contra army in Costa Rica, was put on the CIA payroll, and eventually broke with the agency over drug trafficking.
  • Edmundo Meneses Former Nicaraguan ambassador to Guatemala, National Guard general, and Managua police chief who was Norwin Meneses's brother and primary protector, and a probable CIA asset assassinated in Guatemala in 1978.
  • Edwin Meese Edwin Meese served as Counselor to President Reagan and then as Attorney General from 1985 to 1988, and was named by INSLAW and the House Judiciary Committee as a central figure in the alleged conspiracy to steal the PROMIS software through his long association with Earl Brian and his recusal from PROMIS matters that left Lowell Jensen to administer the affair.
  • Enrique Bermudez Supreme military commander of the FDN and former Somoza military attache in Washington who was hired by the CIA in 1980 to reassemble the National Guard into a Contra fighting force, and was murdered in Managua in 1991.
  • Eugene Hasenfus Former Air America cargo handler who survived the shootdown of a CIA-contracted C-123K over Nicaragua, exposing the Ilopango Contra supply operation and CIA involvement.
  • Fernando Chamorro Commander of UDN-FARN, an early Contra faction based in Costa Rica, a former Sandinista whose army included Cuban-American drug traffickers, and who was approached by Norwin Meneses about hauling cocaine.
  • Fidel Castro Leader of Cuba targeted by CIA assassination plots involving organized crime figures Sam Giancana, Johnny Rosselli, and Santos Trafficante.
  • Francisco Aviles U.S.-educated Nicaraguan lawyer and CIA asset who worked closely with the CIA in Costa Rica funneling funds to Contra organizations and was directly involved in the San Francisco Frogman case.
  • Frank Moss Pilot and owner of Hondu Carib Cargo who flew FDN supply missions while under investigation for narcotics offenses by ten law enforcement agencies.
  • Fred Hitz CIA Inspector General whose 1998 investigation and congressional testimony revealed the agency's secret 1982 agreement with the Justice Department exempting CIA assets from drug crimes reporting.
  • Gary Webb Investigative reporter for the San Jose Mercury News whose 1996 Dark Alliance series exposed links between CIA-backed Contras, Nicaraguan cocaine traffickers, and the crack explosion in Los Angeles.
  • Georg Hodel Swiss freelance journalist based in Managua who located Norwin Meneses in a Nicaraguan prison and uncovered court files documenting his drug trafficking for the Contras, playing a critical role in the Dark Alliance investigation.
  • George H.W. Bush 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.
  • Harland Braun Prominent criminal defense attorney who represented Deputy Daniel Garner in the Operation Big Spender corruption trial and attempted to introduce evidence of CIA drug money laundering, resulting in a judicial gag order.
  • Henry Corrales Nicaraguan cocaine trafficker who served as the intermediary between Danilo Blandón and Ricky Ross after Ivan Arguellas was paralyzed.
  • Horacio Pereira Norwin Meneses's friend and business partner who became one of his top cocaine dealers in Costa Rica, identified by the FBI as the cocaine source for the Frogman drug ring in San Francisco.
  • Humberto Cardona Colombian cocaine kingpin extradited to the United States in 1985 who continued supplying the South Central Los Angeles crack market through the Meneses-Blandon network while jetting around the world.
  • Ivan Gomez Pseudonym of a Venezuelan CIA contract agent who handled logistics on the Southern Front for the Contras, identified by Carlos Cabezas as the conduit for drug money from the Meneses organization to the Contras.
  • Jack Blum Former Senate investigator and chief counsel to Senator John Kerry's Subcommittee on Terrorism, Narcotics, and International Operations, widely recognized for exposing the BCCI scandal and investigating Contra-connected drug trafficking.
  • Jerry Ceppos Executive editor of the San Jose Mercury News who initially championed the Dark Alliance series before publishing a column describing shortcomings in the reporting, effectively ending the investigation.
  • Jerry Guzzetta Bell Police Department narcotics detective whose personal vendetta against drug dealers led to the Torres brothers investigation, codenamed Project Sahara, which uncovered the massive Blandon-Ross cocaine network.
  • Jesse Katz Los Angeles Times reporter who covered Ricky Ross and the L.A. crack trade extensively, attempting to scoop Gary Webb's Dark Alliance investigation before publication.
  • John Kerry Senator from Massachusetts who chaired the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Narcotics, and International Operations, investigating both BCCI and links between the Contras and cocaine trafficking with findings that were systematically suppressed.
  • John Vandewerker Former CIA officer who employed Richard Wilker and knew of his weapons business activities with Ronald Lister in El Salvador.
  • Jose Guillermo Garcia Salvadoran defense minister linked to death squad activities who received Pyramid International's security proposal in 1982.
  • Jose Macario Exiled Nicaraguan judge and FDN operative who became Danilo Blandon's business partner and immigration lawyer in Miami, helping arrange travel papers for Contra soldiers while investing drug profits in legitimate businesses.
  • Julio Bonilla FDN coordinator in San Francisco who connected Contra supporters with the organization's leadership.
  • Julio Zavala Major cocaine trafficker in the San Francisco Bay Area and top-ranking U.S.-based member of UDN-FARN who recruited Carlos Cabezas into the Contra drug ring and was convicted in the Frogman Case.
  • Leroy Brown Corner Pocket Crip and Compton crack dealer who became a business partner of Ricky Ross.
  • LJ Oneale Assistant U.S. Attorney who prosecuted Ricky Ross and represented the government in efforts to suppress evidence of Danilo Blandón's Contra connections during the trial.
  • Marilyn Huff Federal judge who presided over Ricky Ross's 1996 trial in San Diego, allowing the government to conduct classified testimony at sidebar and denying defense motions to obtain records about Danilo Blandón's Contra connections.
  • Neil Purcell Former Laguna Beach police chief who hired Ronald Lister and described him as a manipulative person who loved living on the edge.
  • Norwin Meneses Norwin Meneses Cantarero, known as "El Rey de la Droga," was Nicaragua's most prolific drug trafficker who simultaneously served as a DEA informant while running a cocaine distribution network spanning from Central America to California in support of the Contra movement.
  • Oliver North Marine lieutenant colonel and National Security Council staff member who ran the illegal Contra resupply operation from the White House, central figure in the Iran-Contra Affair implicated in drug trafficking, arms dealing, and obstruction of justice.
  • Ollie Newell Childhood friend and original business partner of Ricky Ross who helped launch their cocaine dealing operation in 1981.
  • Orlando Murillo Nicaraguan economist and former Central Bank official under Somoza who laundered cocaine proceeds for Danilo Blandón through banks in Panama and Miami.
  • Rafael Cornejo Norwin Meneses's nephew and distributor in the San Francisco Bay Area since the mid-1970s whose territory stretched to Portland, Oregon, convicted of income tax evasion in 1985 and cocaine trafficking in 1996.
  • Renato Pena FDN San Francisco representative and cocaine dealer for Norwin Meneses who was arrested in 1984 and implicated the CIA in Contra drug trafficking during DEA debriefings.
  • Richard Wilker Former CIA agent who served as technical director for Pyramid International Security Consultants' weapons operations in El Salvador.
  • Ricky Ross Freeway Ricky Donnell Ross led South Central Los Angeles's largest crack cocaine distribution network, expanding from local dealing to a coast-to-coast operation that moved over 150 kilos per week at its peak.
  • Robert Byck Yale University cocaine expert who warned Congress in 1979 about an impending freebase cocaine epidemic, was ignored, and returned in 1986 to criticize the government's failure to act.
  • Robert Owen Oliver North's courier in Central America whose phone number was found aboard a drug-seized Contra supply plane.
  • Robert Parry Robert Parry (1949-2018) was an investigative journalist who broke early Iran-Contra and Contra drug stories at the AP and Newsweek, founded Consortium News in 1995 after being sidelined by mainstream outlets, and produced the most sustained documentary case for the October Surprise allegation, obtaining the withheld Madrid embassy cable reference and discovering the buried Russian intelligence report.
  • Robert Sobel LASD Majors I supervisor who led the Freeway Rick Task Force targeting Ricky Ross, nicknamed "El Diablo" by his detectives for his relentless work ethic and fierce demeanor.
  • Robert Stutman Head of the DEA's New York office who deliberately created the 1986 crack media panic by cultivating reporters to pressure Washington into taking the drug seriously.
  • Roberto D'Aubuisson Salvadoran army major and ARENA party leader who ran death squads during El Salvador's civil war, linked to weapons deals with Ronald Lister's operations.
  • Roger Morris Historian and former NSC staffer who documented connections between Barry Seal's drug operations at Mena, Arkansas and the CIA.
  • Ronald Lister Former police officer who became Danilo Blandón's partner in cocaine trafficking and weapons dealing through Pyramid International Security Consultants, with suspected CIA connections.
  • Ronald Reagan 40th President of the United States who authorized CIA operations in Nicaragua, oversaw the Contra war and the secret drug-crimes reporting exemption, while simultaneously prosecuting the War on Drugs.
  • Seth Rosenfeld San Francisco Examiner reporter whose 1986 investigative stories exposed the Frogman Case Contra drug connections and Norwin Meneses's cocaine trafficking network.
  • Steve Polak LAPD narcotics detective who patrolled South Central Los Angeles from the earliest days of crack cocaine and developed an intense personal vendetta against Ricky Ross, ultimately planting a kilo of cocaine to frame him.
  • Terry Reed Former Air Force intelligence officer who helped the CIA set up weapons manufacturing fronts in Arkansas and Mexico for the Contras.
  • Thomas Dowling Fake Catholic priest and Contra activist who received $73,000 from Oliver North and Adolfo Calero for domestic propaganda operations.
  • Thomas Gordon LASD Major Violators detective who led the investigation into the Blandon-Ross cocaine network after receiving Jerry Guzzetta's Project Sahara reports.
  • Tim LaFrance San Diego arms manufacturer who helped establish weapons manufacturing operations in El Salvador for the Contras through Pyramid International Security Consultants.
  • Tootie Reese Alleged king of cocaine in black Los Angeles during the 1970s, overtaken by the crack era and successors like Ricky Ross.
  • Troilo Sanchez Brother of FDN officials Aristides and Fernando Sanchez, business partner of Norwin Meneses in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, identified by the FBI as a cocaine source for the Frogman ring in San Francisco.
  • Vicente Rappaccioli CIA asset based in Costa Rica who was one of the leaders of UDN-FARN and directly involved in the 1983 Frogman cocaine case but was never charged.
  • Walter Pincus Washington Post national security reporter who led the newspaper's attack on the Dark Alliance series and had a documented history as a CIA operative and propagandist during the Cold War.
  • Webb Hubbell Arkansas lawyer and associate attorney general under Clinton with connections to weapons manufacturing for the Contras and the Mena, Arkansas drug investigation.
  • William French Smith William French Smith (1917-1990) served as U.S. Attorney General from 1981 to 1985 under President Reagan, and as the first Reagan AG signed the secret 1982 Memorandum of Understanding with CIA director William J. Casey that removed drug offenses from the list of crimes CIA assets were required to report to the Department of Justice.
  • William J. Casey William J. Casey was Reagan's 1980 campaign manager and CIA Director from 1981 to 1987 who, among other disputed roles, is alleged to have secretly negotiated with Iranian representatives in Madrid and Paris in 1980 to delay the release of American hostages past Election Day -- the core allegation of the October Surprise -- and who died of a brain tumor in May 1987 as the Iran-Contra scandal unfolded.

Organizations (29)

  • Air America Air America was a CIA proprietary airline that provided covert transportation services during the Vietnam War, trafficking heroin out of the Golden Triangle region.
  • ARDE Alianza Revolucionaria Democratica (ARDE) was a Contra faction based in Costa Rica and commanded by former Sandinista war hero Eden Pastora, formed when UDN-FARN merged with Pastora's group in September 1982.
  • Cabazon Indian Reservation The Cabazon Indian Reservation is located near Indio, California, and is home to the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians.
  • Cali Drug Cartel The Cali Drug Cartel was a powerful Colombian drug trafficking organization based in Cali, Colombia, described in a 1994 *Time* magazine article as controlling 80% of the world's cocaine trade.
  • Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a primary intelligence-gathering organization of the United States government.
  • Contras Nicaraguan rebel groups organized and funded by the CIA to overthrow the Sandinista government, composed largely of former Somoza National Guard officers and implicated extensively in cocaine trafficking throughout the 1980s war.
  • DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration was the principal federal anti-narcotics agency that possessed extensive knowledge of Danilo Blandón's cocaine trafficking as early as 1981 yet took no action while he received U.S. political asylum.
  • Defense Intelligence Agency The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is a major intelligence agency of the United States, specializing in defense and military intelligence.
  • Department of Justice The Department of Justice launched an internal inquiry in 1993 into CIA involvement with The Finders and a potential FBI coverup of the group's operations. The inquiry was initiated after the Department received a copy of the U.S.
  • FDN The FDN was the largest and best-armed Contra faction, created by the CIA and commanded by Enrique Bermudez, with documented connections to cocaine trafficking for fundraising.
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency.
  • Hondu Carib Cargo Air cargo company operated by Adolfo Calero's brother that flew Contra supply missions while connected to drug trafficking.
  • LAPD Municipal police department that witnessed but failed to identify the emergence of crack cocaine in South Central L.A. in 1982.
  • LASD Major Violators Elite narcotics units of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department that investigated the Blandon-Ross cocaine network and were considered among the best drug detectives in the nation.
  • Legion of September 15 Early Contra group of ex-Nicaraguan National Guardsmen based in Guatemala, co-commanded by Enrique Bermudez and Ricardo Lau, that formed the core of what became the FDN.
  • Los Angeles Times Largest newspaper in the western United States that published the 1996 attack on the Dark Alliance series, led by Washington bureau chief Doyle McManus who had previously spread a 1984 CIA leak falsely accusing Sandinista officials of drug trafficking.
  • Medellin Cartel Colombian drug trafficking organization that dominated the international cocaine trade, driving down U.S. prices and creating conditions for the crack epidemic.
  • National Security Council The National Security Council (NSC) is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy matters with senior advisors and Cabinet officials.[^1]
  • Nicaraguan National Guard Somoza's military force that served as army, police, and intelligence service, trained at U.S. military schools, and whose dispersed officers formed the founding cadre of the Contras.
  • Park On Meter Arkansas parking meter manufacturer allegedly used as a front for manufacturing weapons parts for the Contras, with connections to Webb Hubbell.
  • Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). It is the central location for the command and control of the U.S.
  • Pyramid International Security Consultants Newport Beach security company incorporated by Ronald Lister that served as a cover for CIA-connected weapons manufacturing in El Salvador during the Contra war.
  • San Jose Mercury News The San Jose Mercury News published the Dark Alliance series in August 1996, using the Internet to share source documents with the public in an unprecedented act of journalistic transparency.
  • Sandinistas Frente Revolucionario de Sandino (FRS), the leftist revolutionary guerrilla group that overthrew Somoza's U.S.-supported dictatorship in Nicaragua in 1979, triggering the Contra war.
  • State Department The State Department serves as the federal executive department responsible for the United States' foreign policy and international relations.
  • U.S. Army Obviously this is an enormous organization within the larger umbrella of the Department of Defense and well beyond the scope of a single information page. With that said, the U.S.
  • UDN-FARN Early Contra faction based first in Honduras then Costa Rica, commanded by Fernando Chamorro, that shifted allegiances between the FDN, ARDE, and back during the Contra war.
  • USACA San Francisco Contra support group founded by Don Sinicco at the request of Adolfo Calero, infiltrated by drug trafficker Norwin Meneses.
  • Washington Post Major national newspaper whose national security reporter Walter Pincus, a former CIA operative, led the first major media attack on the Dark Alliance series.

Programs (1)

  • Operation Big Spender FBI sting operation that exposed widespread corruption within the LASD Major Violators squads, resulting in the conviction of multiple narcotics detectives and nearly exposing the CIA-Contra drug connection.

Events (3)

  • Bay of Pigs The Bay of Pigs invasion was a failed 1961 CIA operation to overthrow Fidel Castro whose veterans became key operatives in Contra operations and drug trafficking networks during the 1980s.
  • Frogman Case Largest cocaine bust in West Coast history at the time (January 1983), which exposed direct links between Contra drug traffickers in San Francisco and the CIA, connections suppressed through direct CIA intervention.
  • Iran-Contra Affair Political scandal involving the secret sale of arms to Iran to fund the Nicaraguan Contras in violation of the Boland Amendment, leading to indictments of multiple CIA and NSC officials.

Concepts (2)

  • Boland Amendment Series of congressional amendments prohibiting U.S. funding for Contra military operations, widely circumvented by the Reagan administration and the CIA.
  • Crack Cocaine Crack is a smokable, mass-producible form of cocaine that transformed the drug from an expensive luxury into a cheap commodity devastating American inner cities throughout the 1980s.

Places (14)

  • California Most populous U.S. state, home to San Francisco and Los Angeles, the two primary centers of Contra-connected cocaine trafficking by Norwin Meneses and Danilo Blandón during the 1980s.
  • Colombia Colombia is a country in South America that was the world's primary source of cocaine during the 1980s and has been profoundly shaped by drug trafficking, particularly through the operations of the Cali Drug Cartel and the Medellin Cartel.
  • Guatemala Guatemala is a country in Central America that was deeply involved in Contra-related operations during the 1980s and has a history of political instability, military coups, and U.S. involvement in the region.[^1][^3]
  • Honduras Honduras is a country in Central America that served as the primary base of operations for the FDN Contra army during the 1980s and has been a focal point for political instability, military operations, and the influence of various international...
  • Ilopango Airbase Salvadoran military air base that served as the hub for Oliver North's illegal Contra resupply operation and a center for Contra-connected cocaine trafficking during the 1980s.
  • Los Angeles Largest city in California and the center of the crack cocaine explosion in South Central Los Angeles, fueled by cocaine supplied by Danilo Blandón's Contra-connected drug ring throughout the 1980s.
  • Mena, Arkansas Small Arkansas town where Barry Seal based drug-smuggling and weapons operations at Intermountain Regional Airport during the Contra war.
  • Nicaragua Central American nation ruled by the Somoza family dictatorship for forty-six years until the Sandinista revolution in 1979, after which it became the battleground for the CIA-backed Contra war.
  • San Diego Southern California city where Ricky Ross was prosecuted, Danilo Blandón served as a DEA informant, and the pivotal DEA meeting with Gary Webb took place in October 1995.
  • San Francisco Major California city that served as the base of operations for Norwin Meneses's cocaine trafficking network, the site of the Frogman Case, and the location of key DEA and FBI offices investigating Contra drug trafficking.
  • South Central Los Angeles Region of Los Angeles that was the epicenter of the crack cocaine explosion in the early 1980s, where Danilo Blandón's Contra-connected cocaine was converted to crack and distributed by Ricky Ross's network.
  • United States The United States was the destination for Contra-connected cocaine trafficked by Norwin Meneses and Danilo Blandón, the site of the crack cocaine explosion in inner-city neighborhoods, and where the government simultaneously prosecuted the War on Drugs while protecting CIA-linked drug traffickers.
  • Venezuela Venezuela is a country in South America whose president, Hugo Chavez, was a close ally of Manuel Zelaya, the ousted president of Honduras.
  • Vietnam Vietnam was the site of a protracted conflict involving the United States and other international powers. Several individuals who served there later became involved in covert operations and intelligence activities, and the U.S.