Defence reporter found dead by Moscow home

A senior Russian journalist who embarrassed the country's powerful military establishment with a series of damaging stories has been found dead outside his flat in mysterious circumstances. The body of Ivan Safronov, the 51-year-old defence correspondent for Russia's progressive Kommersant newspaper, was discovered on Friday. He apparently fell from a fifth-floor window. Although prosecutors say they suspect Mr Safranov committed suicide, colleagues of the dead journalist today insisted that he had no reason to kill himself. He is also the latest in a long line of Russian journalists to have died in unexplained circumstances, they added. "Nobody believes he could have committed suicide. He had no reason to kill himself," his colleague, Sergei Dupin, told the Guardian. He added: "What precisely happened we don't know." Mr Safranov - a married father of two - had a happy family life and successful career, Mr Dupin added. Several newspapers pointed suspiciously to Safranov's track record of breaking exclusive stories about Russia's nuclear programme. Last December, he revealed that Russia's experimental Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile - hailed by president Vladimir Putin as the basis for Russia's future nuclear might - did not actually work. It had failed to launch for the third consecutive time, he wrote. His story infuriated Russian military commanders, who continue to deny problems with the missile. They launched an internal investigation and threatened Mr Safranov with legal action. "For some reason, it is those journalists who are disliked by the authorities who die in this country," the mass-selling daily, Moskovsky Komsomolets, observed today. "Ivan Safronov was one of those. He knew a lot about the real situation in the army and the defence industries and he reported it."

Russia has its dead reporters and we have:

1-James McDougal - Clinton's convicted Whitewater partner died of an
apparent heart attack, while in solitary confinement. He was a key
witness in Ken Starr's investigation.

2 -Mary Mahoney - A former White House intern was murdered July 1997 at a
Starbucks Coffee Shop in Georgetown . The murder happened just after she
was to go public with her story of sexual harassment in the White House.

3- Vince Foster - Former White House counselor and colleague of Hillary
Clinton at Little Rock's Rose Law firm. Died of a gunshot wound to the
head, ruled a suicide.

4- Ron Brown - Secretary of Commerce and former DNC Chairman. Reported
to have died by impact in a plane crash. A pathologist close to the
investigation reported that there was a hole in the top of Brown's skull
resembling a gunshot wound. At the time of his death Brown was being
investigated, and spoke publicly of his willingness to cut a deal with
prosecutors. The rest of the people on the plane also died. A few days
later the air Traffic controller committed suicide.

5- C. Victor Raiser II- Raiser, a major player in the Clinton fund
raising organization died in a private plane crash in July 1992.

6-Paul Tulley - Democratic National Committee Political Director found
dead in a hotel room in Little Rock , September 1992. Described by
Clinton as a "Dear friend and trusted advisor".

7-Ed Willey - Clinton fund raiser, found dead November 1993 deep in the
woods in VA of a gunshot wound to the head. Ruled a suicide. Ed Willey
died on the same day his wife Kathleen Willey claimed Bill Clinton groped
her in the oval office in the White House. Ed Willey was involved in
several Clinton fund raising events.

8-Jerry Parks -Head of Clinton's gubernatorial security team in Little
Rock. Gunned down in his car at a deserted intersection outside Little
Rock. Park's son said his father was building a dossier on Clinton. He
allegedly threatened to reveal this information. After he died the files
were mysteriously removed from his house.

9-James Bunch - Died from a gunshot suicide. It was reported that he had
a "Black Book" of people which contained names of influential people who
visited prostitutes in Texas and Arkansas.

10-James Wilson - Was found dead in May 1993 from an apparent hanging
suicide. He was reported to have ties to Whitewater.

11-Kathy Ferguson- Ex-wife of Arkansas Trooper Danny Ferguson, was found
dead in May 1994, in her living room with a gunshot to her head. It was
ruled a suicide even though there were several packed suitcases, as if
she were going somewhere. Danny Ferguson was a co-defendant along with
Bill Clinton in the Paula Jones lawsuit. Kathy Ferguson was a possible
corroborating witness for Paula Jones.

12-Bill Shelton - Arkansas State Trooper and fiancée of Kathy Ferguson.
Critical of the suicide ruling of his fiancée, he was found dead in June,
1994 of a gunshot wound also ruled a suicide at the grave site of his
fiancée.

13-Gandy Baugh - Attorney for Clinton's friend Dan Lassater, died by
jumping out a window of a tall building January, 1994. His client was a
convicted drug distributor.

14-Florence Martin - Accountant & sub-contractor for the CIA, was related
to the Barry Seal Mena Airport drug smuggling case. He died of three
gunshot wounds.

15- Suzanne Coleman - Reportedly had an affair with Clinton when he was
Arkansas Attorney General. Died of a gunshot wound to the back of the
head, ruled a suicide. Was pregnant at the time of her death.

16-Paula Grober - Clinton's speech interpreter for the deaf from 1978
until her death December 9, 1992. She died in a one car accident.

17-Danny Casolaro - Investigative reporter. Investigating Mena Airport
and Arkansas Development Finance Authority. He slit his wrists,
apparently, in the middle of his investigation.

18- Paul Wilcher - Attorney investigating corruption at Mena Airport with
Casolaro and the 1980 "October Surprise" was found dead on a toilet June
22, 1993 in his Washington DC apartment. Had delivered a report to Janet
Reno 3 weeks before his death.

19-Jon Parnell Walker - Whitewater investigator for Resolution Trust
Corp. Jumped to his death from his Arlington , Virginia apartment
balcony August 15, 1993. He was investigating the Morgan Guaranty
scandal.

20-Barbara Wise - Commerce Department staffer. Worked closely with Ron
Brown and John Huang. Cause of death unknown. Died November 29, 1996.
Her bruised, nude body was found locked in her office at the Department
of Commerce.

21-Charles Meissner -Assistant Secretary of Commerce who gave John Huang
special security clearance, died shortly thereafter in a small plane
crash.

22-Dr. Stanley Heard - Chairman of the National Chiropractic Health Care
Advisory Committee died with his attorney Steve Dickson in a small plane
crash. Dr. Heard, in addition to serving on Clinton's advisory council
personally treated Clinton's mother, stepfather and brother.

23-Barry Seal -Drug running pilot out of Mena Arkansas , death was no
accident.

24-Johnny Lawhorn Jr. - Mechanic, found a check made out to Bill Clinton
in the trunk of a car left at his repair shop. He was found dead after
his car had hit a utility pole.

25-Stanley Huggins - Investigated Madison Guaranty. His death was a
purported suicide and his report was never released.

26- Hershell Friday - Attorney and Clinton fund raiser died March 1, 1994
when his plane exploded.

27-Kevin Ives & Don Henry - Known as "The boys on the track" case.
Reports say the boys may have stumbled upon the Mena Arkansas airport
drug operation. A controversial case, the initial report of death said,
due to falling asleep on railroad tracks. Later reports claim the 2 boys
had been slain before being placed on the tracks. Many linked to the case
died before their testimony could come before a Grand Jury.

THE FOLLOWING PERSONS HAD INFORMATION ON THE IVES/HENRY CASE:

28-Keith Coney - Died when his motorcycle slammed into the back of a
truck, 7/88.

29-Keith McMaskle - Died stabbed 113 times, Nov, 1988

30-Gregory Collins - Died from a gunshot wound January 1989.

31-Jeff Rhodes - He was shot, mutilated and found burned in a trash dump
in April 1989.

33-James Milan - Found decapitated. However, the Coroner ruled his death
was due to "natural causes".

34-Jordan Kettleson - Was found shot to death in the front seat of his
pickup truck in June 1990.

35-Richard Winters - A suspect in the Ives / Henry deaths. He was killed
in a set-up robbery July 1989.

THE FOLLOWING CLINTON BODYGUARDS ARE DEAD:
36 -Major William S. Barkley Jr.
37-Captain Scott J . Reynolds
38-Sgt. Brian Hanley
39-Sgt. Tim Sabel
40-Major General William Robertson
41-Col. William Densberger
42-Col. Robert Kelly
43-Spec. Gary Rhodes
44-Steve Willis
45-Robert Williams
46-Conway LeBleu
47-Todd McKeehan

Quite an impressive list! This is what happens to Friends of the Clintons. Even Buddy, the Clintons' dog, wasn't safe.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.