The Iran-contra-cocaine criminal iceberg was subjected to a series of bogus investigations and damage control "exposés.". . .But, the hall of shame did not stop with John Tower, Ed Muskie and Brent Scowcroft or Dan Inouye and Lee Hamilton. It included Senator John Kerry and his Special Counsel Jack Blum and Staff Aid Dick McCall. It reached to the Special Counsel, Judge Lawrence E. Walsh, and to The Iran-Contra Scandal: the Declassified History, edited by Peter Kornbluh. . ."The Kerry Report" of December 1988 and the "Walsh Report" of 4 August 1993 are both obstructions of justice, just as were the "Select Committee" and "Tower Commission.". . .Prepared for Sen. John Kerry, Jack Blum and Dick McCall" (25 August 1988). . ."The Kerry Report," pages 130-32, blows Brenneke and Ambassador White off:. . .Then came the "Final Report of the Independent Counsel for Iran/Contra Matters -- Lawrence E. Walsh, independent counsel, 4 August 1993," commonly called the "Walsh Report." It, like the Kerry Report, is a con job and cover-up.
For whom was Kerry covering up? Kerry's investigation and much of the literature commenting on it (by authors like Alfred McCoy, Peter Dale Scott, Jonathan Marshall, and Gary Webb) pointed the finger exclusively at the CIA while dismissing as "McCarthyist paranoia" any allegations of Communist involvement in drug trafficking. No doubt there are corrupt elements in the CIA--no doubt at all; but curious to correlate Kerry's exclusive emphasis on the CIA with the facts that Kerry's committee relied heavily on informants the FBI regarded as Sandinista agents, and that Kerry's associate Peter Kornbluh, whose name I've highlighted above, was a member of the Institute for Policy Studies and an advocate of the pro-Castro/pro-Sandinista lobby.
To put this in context: although it's often noted that after Castro took over Cuba he shut down Mafia gambling operations there, it's less often noted that he continued to allow drug trafficking to the United States, cutting a deal with Florida mob boss Santos Trafficante. Trafficante was at that time part of the CIA's assassination plots against Castro, and in that capacity became a double-agent for Castro (see for brief summary Santos Trafficante: "In September 1960 Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana, took part in talks with Allen W. Dulles, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), about the possibility of murdering Fidel Castro. In 1961 Roselli persuaded Trafficante to join the conspiracy. Meyer Lansky also became involved in this plot and was reportedly offering a million-dollar reward for the Cuban leader's murder. Trafficante also worked closely with the CIA agent, William Harvey, in this operation. By 1962, Trafficante and his friends became convinced that the Cuban revolution could not be reversed by simply killing Castro. However, they continued to play along with this CIA plot in order to prevent them being prosecuted for criminal offences committed in the United States. . .Trafficante continued to work for the CIA and was involved in the Iran-Contra affair.").
Later in the 1970s when Carlos Lehder-Rivas was setting up the Medellin Cartel, he and Robert Vesco made a deal with Fidel Castro to allow use of Cuban air space: "Cuba allowed several major drug smugglers to hide out on the island. In 1982, one of them set up home here at the Marina Hemingway. Though Robert Vesco was indicted in 1989 for smuggling over a ton of cocaine through Cuba, he is still living there. . .Basically, Vesco was Fidel Castro's procurer. He was paying his dues to the Cuban government for his asylum there and in doing so, he was willing to procure anything that they needed, get involved in any type of operation that needed to be.. . .Vesco arranged for one of his business associates to visit Cuba. This is Carlos Lehder, a founding member of the Medellin Cartel. Today he's in a U.S. penitentiary serving a sentence of life plus 135 years. Because his case is under appeal, Lehder declined to discuss any drug business he may have done in Cuba, but he does confirm that he went there and that his visit was approved at a very high level." (Cuba and Cocaine). Cf. ALLEGATIONS OF CONNECTIONS BETWEEN CIA AND THE CONTRAS IN COCAINE TRAFFICKING TO THE UNITED STATES: Volume II: The Contra Story: Appendices: Appendix A: Jack Terrell, Note 19: "In a February 10, 1987 cable to CIA regarding information about Carlos Lehder-Rivas, the FBI reported that Frank Castro was considered to be a narcotics trafficker, mercenary and a person who would do anything for money. The cable also noted that Castro was the subject of a Miami narcotics case and that Castro's break from the anti-Fidel Castro movement was consistent with the ideology of Lehder-Rivas who was pro-Fidel Castro."; also Appendix C: "To what extent did CIA have information indicating that the Government of Nicaragua, the Government of Cuba, or Nicaraguan- or Cuban-sponsored individuals were involved in alleged drug trafficking activities of individuals associated with the Contras? No information has been found to indicate that either the Government of National Reconstruction (GRN) or the Government of Cuba (GOC) was involved in drug trafficking activities with individuals associated with the Contras. CIA reporting concerning drug trafficking by the GRN and the GOC during the 1980s concerned the use of Nicaragua and Cuba for the transshipment of drugs to the United States. None of the reporting linked any Contra organization or Contra member with such activities. . .An October 8, 1982 cable to Headquarters reported that U.S. fugitive Robert Vesco and Interior Ministry official Paul Atha had said in early October 1982 that the GRN was planning a drug smuggling operation to earn cash for the GRN Ministry of the Interior (MINT). . .Reportedly Interior Minister Tomas Borge Martinez would organize and direct the operation with U. S. fugitive Robert Vesco acting as his advisor. According to this report, the GRN was laying the groundwork through trusted collaborators in Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica."
In this context I pose the question: for whom was Kerry covering up?
You found some good names, neighbor-- that's one reason I reposted this- so many players & names & events that, while old, still are interesting. Note Ben-Veniste' keeps popping up as well.