Dead Men Tell No Tales
By Harry V. Martin
Senator Albert Gore has called for a formal investigation into the "October Surprise". A one-time Democratic presidential candidate, the Tennessee senator is considering a second race for the Democratic nomination in 1992.
But at the heart of the question of any investigation is: who would be the witnesses? The Sentinel has published a 13-part series on the allegation that George Bush and his Republican colleagues made a deal with Iran to delay the release of 52 American hostages in 1980.
As more and more attention is focussed on the issue, little attention has focussed on who would be the witnesses and what happened to many of them.
CYRUS HASHEMI, an arms dealer, was approached by William Casey to set up the meetings with the Republicans and Iranians. He reported the contact to the CIA and died shortly after that.
JOHN TOWER, a U.S. Senator who was deeply involved in the process through his then aide Robert McFarlane. Tower was the chief investigator in the Iran-Contra scandal. He died in a plane crash recently.
ALAN MICHAEL MAY, who managed the funds for Richard Nixon's Committee to Re-elect the President. May allegedly transferred $40 million from a Mexican bank to various U.S. banks to Luxembourg as a "down payment" for the delay of the hostages. His name came up for the first time in the Napa Sentinel last week and he died of a heart attack this weekend at age 50. May had indicated a short time before he died that he feared for his life.
U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE POTTER STEWART, who Bush claims had lunch with him during the missing hours in October 1980, is now dead.
WILLIAM CASEY, the former head of the CIA and principle negotiator in the alleged hostage delay, died on the eve of the Iran-Contra hearings.
HEINRICH RUPP, the man who allegedly flew Casey back from Paris and a long-term CIA operative, was sentenced to jail for 40 years in a CIA bank scandal. His sentence was reduced to two years.
RICHARD BRENNEKE, who also claims he was a pilot involved in the October Surprise and a long time arms dealer for the CIA, went to Rupp's defense and was charged with five counts of perjury. He was acquitted, but has recently changed his story saying he did not fly over in the BAC-111. He claims he flew Pan Am to Paris and flew part of the Paris party back to the United States.
GUNTHER RUSSBACHER, who claims he was the command pilot that flew George Bush to Paris in October 1980 and a long-time Naval Intelligence and CIA operative, is finishing a short term in federal prison on charges he impersonated a U.S. attorney.
MICHAEL RICONOSCIUTO, who was allegedly the man who finalized the money transfers for the deal in Paris and also a long time CIA operative, is being held without bail in a federal prison in Missouri pending a trial in the State of Washington for drug manufacturing. Riconoscuito had warned the media and Congress that he would be arrested if he testified in the INSLAW case. He provided testimony and was arrested within a week.
DONALD GREGG, who was a principle in the alleged meetings with the Iranians and former high official in the CIA, is now Ambassador to South Korea. Gregg's testimony in Brenneke's trial was rejected by a federal jury. Gregg is also supposed to be indicted by a U.S. Federal Grand Jury in Washington, D.C., soon on charges of perjury. Former President Jimmy Carter said that Gregg was the mole in the White House.
ROBERT GATES, implicated by Russbacher as having been involved in the deal, is seeking confirmation from the U.S. Senate as the new CIA director.
DR. EARL BRIAN, said to have been the liasion in setting up the preliminary meetings between the Republicans and the Iranians, has enjoyed extensive contracts with the U.S. government, including involvement in the INSLAW case in which he is alleged to have illegally sold INSLAW's PROMIS software to Israel, Libya, Iraq, Canada, Australia and South Korea. The INSLAW case is currently under investigation.
ARI BEN-MENASHE, an Israeli Mossad agent, has testified to the meetings in Paris and the Israeli role as an arms conduit. The Israeli Mossad is known for its disinformation, and thus Ben-Menashe may not be considered a reliable witness.
RICHARD ALLEN, head of Ronald Reagan's National Security Council, was allegedly instrumental in the deal. Allen has already been nationally discredited.
GEORGE BUSH, President of the United States and former head of the CIA, denies any involvement.
RONALD REAGAN doesn't recall. He also couldn't recall being at any Iran-Contra discussions.
MRS. JUSTICE STEWART POTTER, who was supposed to be having lunch with her husband and Bush at the time of the Paris meeting, does not recall the luncheon, but says she can't recall yesterday, either.
It isn't going to be easy for the Senate investigators. But there are a lot more permanent items on the paper trail that might break the case wide open.
Stay tuned.
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