The Myths of Barry Seal Exposed

Bear Bottoms Comment:
The following is the introduction of a manuscript written by FBI Agent Del Hahn now called "For A Little Excitement." Del Hahn was the lead FBI case agent assigned to the task force to investigate Barry Seal in the Middle District of Louisiana. I was a technical consultant regarding issues in the subject of this book though I am not in any way a partner of any possible financial rewards from it. The importance of this book regarding truthful history involving Barry Seal and his criminal organization far outweighs any potential for profit even though it is masterfully written.

The investigative detail and research from and of top level participants directly involved in these issues come only as a career FBI agent could present them: myth killing evidentiary force. This manuscript covers the entire gambit of the Barry Seal saga and reveals truths and myths in an explosive expose.

Here is the introduction:

boomerang: "an action that rebounds detrimentally"
Webster's Dictionary

Introduction

I met John Cummings in 1993 when he was working on Compromised. The book is claimed to be an expose' of CIA drug trafficking centered in Mena, Arkansas which involved Bill Clinton and Barry Seal. Terry Reed, the co-author, says he is not a "conspiracist" but is a realist from Missouri. I find that he is a very intelligent and clever charlatan with "near-photographic memory" who has latched onto the myths of Mena and spun them into a fictional story. Cummings was duped by a real pro.

In 1999 I was contacted by another individual who was working on a book and a film about Barry Seal. I agreed to help him and I started doing some research for him. The more we talked the more it became obvious this guy had his own agenda and wasn't interested in the truth about Barry Seal anymore than Terry Reed was. On the day he told me he had discovered evidence of Seal's involvement in the Kennedy assassination I terminated our relationship.

William L. Bottoms was on the' internet refuting the myths about Barry Seal. I knew who he was and I knew he was right. We began exchanging e-mail, some of which was argumentative and even embittered. However, most of our exchanges were informative and we both learned some things about Barry Seal that we hadn't known before. Bottoms found that the conspiracy and the myths had established such a strong hold on the public that it became more important for him to tell the truth than to keep himself concealed. He is probably the only person qualified to talk about Barry Seal. What he says is based on his personal knowledge.

Following graduation from Northeastern Louisiana University in 1974, Bottoms was commissioned in the Navy and went through pilot training at Pensacola Naval Air Station where he graduated second in his class. As Mission Commander and Plane Commander he flew Anti-submarine Warfare P-3's, the Navy version of the Lockheed Electra, with Patrol Squadron VP-47, The Golden Swordsmen. He made six-month deployments to Misawa, Japan and to Okinawa. He was also assigned to La ReUnion off the coast of Madagascar to fly surveillance on the first Soviet Aircraft Carrier task force to sail into the Pacific. He was a Lieutenant at the time of his release from active duty in 1980. He has accumulated over 30,000 hours flying in a variety of military and civilian aircraft, and has flown as Captain for Eastern Airlines and Iberia Airlines. He began flying for Seal in 1980. He isn't proud of it.

This book is a product of the knowledge and personal experiences of two people who have very different perspectives of the same subject matter. Where Bottoms and I differ will be evident. Hopefully, readers will recognize the truths on the following pages. Once they do, they will understand that the myths about Barry Seal, particularly those told by Terry Kent Reed, were invented and perpetuated by a handful of individuals for their own personal reasons.

DWH,
Baton Rouge, May, 2000

THIS IS AN UPDATE AS TO THE DESTINY OF THE BOOK...

Oh ... gee whiz ... did not mean to trouble you.

I'm just curious about the aircraft modifications.

A friend of mine once tried to get a business going, which would install reverse-pitch props on small twin-engine aircraft.

One of the aircraft which he did install a set on, that work was never paid for; the owner of the aircraft managed to get a judge in another county, to order the release of the aircraft --- my friend had refused to "sign off" on the work ... something about his right to do that as well as F.A.A. reg.'s, I am given to understand.

And then, at some point in the appeals process, where the aircraft's presence was required, "it just suddenly disappeared," says the owner. My friend, at that point, had no money to proceed further; in fact, he hid from us that he had gone quite broke, trying to pursue payment from the owner.

Well, somewhere in the time frame of about 11 years ago, an A/P mechanic up in Minnesssotah ... called my friend and asked if he had ever worked on an aircraft of this type.

My friend said, "Yes; why?"

That A/P mechanic had found some F.A.A./mechanic's papers (of his own) under the seat of the aircraft, which my friend had left behind.

The A/P mechanic was a bit concerned, because he had been asked to do some refurbishment of the aircraft. He said that the aircraft had an NC no. which was obviously not that on these hidden papers, and further, upon his own inspection, he found indications of the old, original NC no.'s underneath a more recent paint job which had preceded this mechnanic's first knowledge of the aircraft.

The A/P mechanic then asked my friend, what truly unique modification(s) might have been made to the aircraft, and my friend responded about the installation of the reverse-pitch props.

The aircraft is a Beech Baron; I don't know the model year, nor the correct, nor the "counterfeit" NC no.'s. I was around when my friend was working on it. In fact, my friend had asked me to help formalize the tech. drawings of the parts and installation, while I was in town. Unfortunately, I was not able to get that work done well at all.

He had some arrangement, a potential partnership with a prop-maker, should sales orders meet such and such a level, I think; but the enterprise eventually, slowly collapsed.

He did refit to reverse pitch props, one or two Beach Barons for the State of Texas, which wished to use them for more effective pursuit of bad guys --- the cops needed to set down quick and in short areas.

The reverse pitch prop equipped Beach Baron was a very nimble aircraft; you could set down and stop very quickly.

My friend died in an aircraft incident, in the winter of 1991. There is some possibility that the aircraft was tampered with; however, I believe that his luck had run out. There was absolutely thick, a 300ft layer of ground fog over a small town destination airfield.

My theory, based upon discussions with him over the years: He thought several passes over the area where he believed the airfield was, would disturb this "soup" enough for him to set down in there. (He'd done this kind of thing before.)

On one of his low passes, he managed to snag the vines in the treetops at the edge of airfield.

Well, he had performed, unwillingly, a "carrier landing of sorts." That "net" of entanglement around the landing gear, did not let go, by chance; and it was almost like a reaching baseball catch by mother earth --- she pulled it in real quick 'n secure.

Goodbye Charlie.

He was a great guy, and he helped me get some breathing time away from home base from time to time. I am not a qualified pilot, but I know my way a wee bit, around the office, so to speak. Including some very "exciting" experience flying here and there, including one actual carrier type landing (successful) on a mountaintop ridge. While I particularly liked the landing on the grass next to the hard strip at Fr. Wayne, one year, in a King Air.

He was a salesman of aircraft and automobiles, and so various toys were at his disposal, on occasion; when I was in the neighborhood, he would say, "Hey kid, how about a ride?"

Yep!

You all are probably bored to tears by this discussion, but for me, a kid who had always wanted to fly, but had been told, "NO!" by the parents, well, I did get some time in the seat.

As well as time in a whole 'nother world from life out in the sticks.

Anyway, I was curious to know if you had any solid recollection of a reverse pitch propped Beach Baron?

Thanks.

The reverse pitch prop equipped Beach Baron was a very nimble aircraft; you could set down and stop very quickly.

Anyway, I was curious to know if you had any solid recollection of a reverse pitch propped Beach Baron?

I'd be curious to know, in detail, a list of the aircraft used at Mena; and in particular, any technical extras you may recall, special features, etc., of each aircraft; no A/C no.'s, please.

No recollection at all of any small aircraft not designed from the factory with reverse pitch props. I can land and stop a normal Baron (say 20 seconds) in much less distance than it can take off in. This is true of most aircraft. Especially the small ones. For that reason, I can see why there would be little demand for such an innovation.

As for aircraft we had at Mena...2 Piper Navajo's with Panther conversions almost identical. These had illegal cargo door installations which enabled the "kicker" to remove and bring the whole door inside the aircraft. We had a internal bladder fuel tank connected into the crossfeed fuel system. We had nacelle and nose fuel tanks. We had 2 JATO bottles connected on the aft lower fuselage. We had HF radio, VLF Omega, Loran, a fuel computer, a skyscope, an encrypted "ringer" that would transmitt LF or VHF, hand held encrypted two-way radios off of the scanner bands, beacon radars, night vision goggles, top of the line (for the time) dual navigation, flight, and communications electronics and a few other goodies. 2 Piper Senecas outfitted much the same as the Navajos but for the conversion, JATO, and cargo doors. This was the base of our fleet and the Seneca's were basically obsoleted by the Navajos. We also had an old Convair and Albatross which were never used, but sat parked on the apron. Late in the game, we had the Fat Lady (C-123) which was used twice before it was sold back to Doan. We had other aircraft and helicopters, but they weren't kept at Mena...though occasionally they went there.

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