"If the people were to ever find out what we have done, we would be chased down the streets and lynched."
-- George H. W. Bush, cited in the June, 1992 Sarah McClendon Newsletter
"I have put thousands of Americans away for tens of thousands of years for less evidence for conspiracy with less evidence than is available against Ollie North and CIA people. . . . I personally was involved in a deep-cover case that went to the top of the drug world in three countries. The CIA killed it."Former DEA Agent Michael Levine
CNBC-TV, October 8, 1996
"The connections piled up quickly. Contra planes flew north to the U.S., loaded with cocaine, then returned laden with cash. All under the protective umbrella of the United States Government. My informants were perfectly placed: one worked with the Contra pilots at their base, while another moved easily among the Salvadoran military officials who protected the resupply operation. They fed me the names of Contra pilots. Again and again, those names showed up in the DEA database as documented drug traffickers.
"When I pursued the case, my superiors quietly and firmly advised me to move on to other investigations."
Former DEA Agent Celerino Castillo
Powder Burns, 1992
"The Subcommittee found that the Contra drug links included:
- Involvement in narcotics trafficking by individuals associated with the Contra movement.
- Participation of narcotics traffickers in Contra supply operations through business relationships with Contra organizations.
- Provision of assistance to the Contras by narcotics traffickers, including cash, weapons, planes, pilots, air supply services and other materials, on a voluntary basis by the traffickers.
- Payments to drug traffickers by the US State Department of funds authorized by the Congress for humanitarian assistance to the Contras, in some cases after the traffickers had been indicted by federal law enforcement agencies on drug charges, in others while traffickers were under active investigation by these same agencies."
Senate Committee Report on Drugs,
Law Enforcement and Foreign Policy
chaired by Senator John F. Kerry
"I really take great exception to the fact that 1,000 kilos came in, funded by US taxpayer money."
DEA official Anabelle Grimm, during a 1993 interview on a CBS-TV "60 Minutes" segment entitled "The CIA's Cocaine." The 1991 CIA drug-smuggling event Ms. Grimm described was later found to be much larger. A Florida grand jury and the Wall Street Journal reported it to involve as much as 22 tons.
Better save a local copy of the above. I suspect it will be "Orwellized" before November 2016 gets here!
The CIA Report that admits cocaine trafficking.
BILL CLINTON MENA DENIAL
Click for Bill Clinton Sound Byte. MP3
This is Bill Clinton's assurance that there was nothing going on at Mena. Note how he "over sells" the denial.
DAN LASATER
Click for Dan Lasater Sound Byte. MP3
This is Dan Lasater in front of the Whitewater committee.
Third paragraph reads.....
"Honduran DC-6 which is being used for runs out of New Orleans is probably being used for drug runs into US" -LtCol Oliver North 09Aug85
The Clinton/Bush narcocracy that has corrupted the US Government today has its roots in the CIA's gun-running operation to the Nicaraguan Contras (a violation of the Boland Amendment and the Logan act), and funded from the sale of cocaine flowing back along the same smuggler route into the northern end of the gun/drugs pipeline at Mena, Arkansas, protected by then-governor Bill Clinton.
This area of the website has been assembled in response to the persistent claims of a few individuals that Mena is a myth, that the CIA never ran cocaine through the Mena airport, or laundered the proceeds through various Arkansas financial institutions including Morgan Guarantee, Madison S&L, Worthen Bank, and most importantly, the Arkansas Development Finance Authority. That such activities took place at Mena (among other locations) should hardly be surprising, as a read through most newspapers shows that government connections to drug running are not only commonplace, they have become the inevitable symptom of these totally corrupted times.
The hyper-links in this page connect, in most cases, to either published articles or congressional records related to the link subject. They are well worth following and although laborious to read (especially the congressional records), are well worth the effort. It is the hard evidence behind the allegations.
The Intermountain Regional Airport at Mena first came to national attention following the crash of a cargo plane in the jungles of Nicaragua. The sole survivor of the crash, Eugene Hassenfuss, confessed to being part of an illegal operation to arm and resupply the Contra forces staged out of the Mena airport, and the scandal known as Iran-Contra erupted across the headlines of the world.
The specific aircraft which crashed in Nicaragua had, during the Vietnam war, belonged to Air America, the CIA proprietary airline that had flown guns to the Laotian Meo in Long Tien, while bringing heroin back. Following the end of the Vietnam war, the aircraft was purchased by legendary drug smuggler Barry Seal, who renamed it the "Fat Lady" and based it at the Mena airport. Following Seal's murder (an obvious setup by the court system), the plane was used in the gun running operation to Nicaragua, ending with the crash.
The fact that guns were being sent to the Contras was itself illegal, under the Boland Amendment. While diverted arms sales were held aloft as the funding mechanism for the gun running to the Contras, the sheer scale of the Contra effort suggested that another, even more clandestine, funding mechanism had to existed. Drug running. To allay this suspicion, Oliver North claimed that he reported any drug activity to the D.E.A. The D.E.A. says he did no such thing. Evidence of drug running connected to the Contra Resupply was made available to the Iran-Contra Special Prosecutor, but it was not followed up.
After the Iran-Contra scandal erupted, individuals began to come forward with stories that the same planes that ferried guns down to Nicaragua were ferrying back cocaine for sale in the United States. Cocaine whose profits were the real source of funding for the Contra's custom made (and numberless) M-16s. These individuals included military personnel such as Eugene Wheaton, and pilots such as Richard Brenneke, and Terry Reed, who claimed they were part of the guns and drugs operation itself. Some, like Chip Tatum, had documents proving their claims. Others were highly respected law enforcement officers and members of government, such as William Duncan, L.D. Brown, and others, who had stumbled on the drug running operation and tried to expose it. Some of those who had knowledge of Mena started to die.
Almost immediately, it became apparent that Mena enjoyed a special status. Every attempt to investigate met with interference. Investigator Russel Welch of the Arkansas Police was ordered to stay away from drug activity at the Mena Airport. Despite a public statement by then-Governor Bill Clinton that he was doing all he could to investigate allegations of CIA drug running at Mena, citizen's groups charged that funding was cut for any investigations that pointed at Mena, and petitioned the Iran-Contra Special Prosecutor to investigate drug running at Mena. He never did.
Politicians elected on a promise to investigate Mena quickly broke those promises.
Appearing before Congress, Former IRS Criminal Investigator William Duncan testified that he was ordered to suppress information about Mena by his superiors, and that investigations into Mena were shut down on orders from the US Attorney!
Even a Congressman, US Representative Bill Alexander, whoseappeal to Bill Clinton for investigative funding was ignored, charged that he had found interference in the Mena affair from the IRS!
Angered by what appeared to be a cover up, Alexander threatened budget cuts on non-cooperative agencies, then directly challenged Richard Thornburgh,the Attorney General Of The United States, to look into Mena. Thornburgh promised he would investigate. He never did.
The IRS works for the Department of the Treasury. Hence, it was worth noting that following US Representative Bill Alexander's complaints of IRS interference, another division of the Treasury Department, the Customs Bureau, issued the following memo, requesting that all records, especially paper records relating to activities at Mena be sent to Washington D.C.. Included in the memo was the request that Customs be notified if no records were found in the individual offices.
![[Foster's Hand]](mena_cover.gif)
Click for full size picture.(352K)
For those who do not wish to download the 300 kilobyte scan, here is a transcript of the first paragraph.(A capital X signifies an unreadable character)
The House Committee on Banking and Financial Services is requesting Customs to make available to the Committee all documents and communications in Customs possession related to alleged money laundering and drug activities occurring at Mena Airport, Arkansas. Attached for your review and action is the Committee's letter and several attachments listing individuals, firms, case numbers etc. The Committee requests Customs search its records for information and documents related to the information contained in the Attachments to the Committee's letter.
Even the press seemed to have a blind spot where Mena was concerned. Writer Roger Morris (author of "Partners In Power") and Sally Denton wrote a well-researched article entitled The Crimes Of Mena. This story, based on Barry Seal's surviving records, had been fact checked and cleared for publication by the legal staff of the Washington Post, when it was suddenly spiked without explanation by Managing Editor Bob Kaiser, a fellow Skull & Bones alumni with ex CIA chief George H. W. Bush.
With only a few notable exceptions like Jack Anderson, and Sarah McClendon, along with a few small town newspapers like the Ozark Gazette, The Guardian, the mainstream press's silence has been deafening.
This self-imposed blindness towards Mena by the America media did not go unnoticed by the foreign press, most notably among them London Telegraph journalist Ambrose Evans-Pritchard.
Mena is a current issue. The recent revelations of highly questionable fundraising practices in the 1996 election, coupled with the suspicious deaths of four 1992 Clinton fundraisers, raises the ugly possibility that the American Presidency, like those of Colombia and Mexico (and so many others), has been bought and paid for with drug money.
It's nonsense to claim that Mena is a myth. The sheer weight of concerns voiced by law abiding citizens regarding the flood of drugs that poured into Arkansas cannot be ignored.
The CIA, after years of denials, finally admitted that it had indeed had operations at Mena, although it continues to deny involvement in drug running.
There is something at Mena. Something that a great number of people are working very hard to conceal.
Part 1 of the Philadelphia Inquirer Story.,
Part 2 of the Philadelphia Inquirer Story.,
Part 3 of the Philadelphia Inquirer Story.,
Part 4 of the Philadelphia Inquirer Story.,
A MENA BIBLIOGRAPHY
SUGGESTED BOOKS
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
MAGAZINE ARTICLES
CONGRESSIONAL REPORTS
Dear Fellow American,
On August 23, 1987, two teenage boys stumbled upon a
drug smuggling operation that was sanctioned by federal
officials and protected by local law enforcement. The
boys, Kevin Ives, 17, and Don Henry, 16, were murdered.
Their bodies were laid across nearby railroad tracks and
mutilated by a passing train.
Most of you are familiar with this nationally-
publicized story which has become know as the "train
deaths." Most of you also know that the murders are
officially unsolved, because every investigation (seven
in all) has been either controlled or shut down to
prevent exposing the CIA-operative drug-smuggling based
in rural Mena, Arkansas.
The "train deaths" is a disturbing and shocking story
but, unfortunately, is not unique. It has, however,
become a symbol - an icon of injustice. It is the
heart-wrenching story of a mother who has plodded a
tenacious journey for tens years with still no end in
sight; it is the inspiring story of a prosecutor who was
professionally destroyed for standing alone against a
corrupt system; it is the disconcerting story of a
deputy sheriff who was stonewalled by his superiors; and
it is the exasperating story of a film maker who risked
everything to expose the truth.
The mother is Linda Ives. She promised her son, Kevin,
that his killers would be brought to justice, but she
cannot keep her promise. It has been ten years and every
level of law enforcement has participated in covering up
the murders. It is clear that the government is not
going to do its job by prosecuting anyone in criminal
court, so Linda is forced to seek accountability in
civil court. It is the best she can do for Kevin.
The prosecutor is Jean Duffey. In 1990, her career and
reputation were destroyed in a brutal smear campaign led
by dirty public officials she was trying to expose. She
slipped quietly into Texas where she became a high
school algebra teacher until . In 1994, the FBI
persuaded her to help them investigate the train deaths
by promising to expose the truth, but when the truth led
to Mena drug-smuggling, the FBI backed off cold. Jean
refused to go away quietly this time.
The deputy sheriff is John Brown. In 1993, despite being
warned to back off by a superior and the Clinton-
appointed state drug czar, John poured his heart and
soul into his investigation. After John had worked the
case for nearly a year, an eye witness came forward,
the FBI demanded control, and John was ostracized.
John resigned in disgust and is now the Chief of Police
for the City of Alexander, near where the boys were
murdered.
The film-maker is Pat Matrisciana. After learning of the
"train deaths" story in 1993, Pat was led to tell it. In
1996, Pat released Obstruction of Justice: The Mena
Connection, which tells the story and names the
individuals who have been implicated in government
documents as the murderers. Two of those individuals are
suing Pat, his film company, and Pat's organization,
Citizens For Honest Government, for $16,000,000.00.
Ordinarily, truth is a defense in a libel suit, but this
suit is in Arkansas and this is a suit that involves
corrupt officials who are being protected by the highest
levels of our government. Pat has found himself on the
front line in a war with murderers, drug smugglers, and
dirty public officials and has realized that the system
- the government - is his enemy.
If Pat loses this lawsuit, he and Citizens For Honest
Government will be destroyed. That would be a terrible
injustice, but even worse, losing the suit would close
the doors to any kind of justice for Kevin and Don. It
is absolutely imperative to defend Pat successfully, and
it can be done. It can be done because evidence will be
made available during the discovery and deposition phase
of the suit that has not been available before. The good
news is, this new evidence will expose what the
government has been hiding for ten years. The bad news
is, discovery and depositions are wildly expensive.
Most of us who are familiar with the train deaths story
are convinced it is the eye of the storm. Swirling
around the eye is CIA drug-smuggling, Clinton
money-laundering, government- sanctioned murders,
bipartisan cover-ups, and corporate media-control. The
law suit against Pat could be the thread that unravels
it all, and Pat has a grip on that thread. The only
thing preventing him from yanking it is money.
It is going to cost at least $100,000 to successfully
defend Pat. That may sound like a lot of money, until
one considers the powers he is up against and the
offense they will launch against him. He has two great
advantages, though - a brilliant lawyer and the truth.
We simply cannot allow justice to be impeded for lack of
money.
Here's some things you can do: Go to the "train deaths"
website at www.idmedia.com, and order the video
Obstruction of Justice or do so by calling
1-800-558-4308 (all profits from the video go to the
Kevin Ives Civil Justice Fund). Call 1-800-965-2344 to
contribute to Pat's defense fund and to join Citizens
For Honest Government (you will get their bimonthly
newsletter). Make copies of this article and distribute
it to everyone you know. Include Linda, Jean, John, and
Pat in your prayers.
God Bless You,
A Friend
Chip Tatum's last known website has vanished. As soon as a new site is available, I will hotlink to it.
THE COCAINE IMPORTATION AGENCY!!
Duane Roberts' Mena documents are archived at: ftp://pencil.cs.missouri.edu/pub/mena/
Covert Action Quarterly home page: http://www.worldmedia.com/caq/
Federation of American Scientists' library of U.S. intelligence documents http://www.fas.org
MIKE RUPPERT'S COP VERSUS CIA WEBSITE
THE SECRET HEARTBEAT OF AMERICA
Mad Cow Productions. http://www.MadCowProd.com
More Mena links (Courtesy of "Uncle Bill" at Free Republic)
The Crimes of Mena - By Sally Denton & Roger Morris
Bill Clinton's Skeleton Closet - Mena Links
Charles Hayes: A Prison Interview
MENA - Marvin Lee Interviews Russell Welch
Congressional Reports On Drug Corruption of Fed. Gov.
Clinton and Bush - Co-accomplices in CIA Drug Industry
Investigative Report - Politics & Covert Operation in Drug War
The Mena Corruption - R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr.
Bill Clinton and The Missing $100 Million
De-Central Intelligence Journal
Jean Duffey Interview By Randall Terry
Compromised - Brian Redman Speaks With John Cummings
Jean Duffey - Mena - Billy Bottoms
Who's Who In The C-130 Scandal
Quinn Interviews Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Dennis Patrick - ADFA and Mena
Sarah McClendon Question To Clinton
The Republican Whitewater Report
Starr Investigation Targets Arkansas Police
Clinton Chronicle Producer Sued
WELCOME TO REHAB 4 ALCOHOLISM IN LONDON, BIRMINGHAM & MANCHESTER (reader requested link)