1 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:08,080 Speaker 1: What's five in my part, it's part five. Here we'll 2 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: saw five. That's right is actually gang talk, which is 3 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 1: quite a stretch. But anyway, a little bit. But this 4 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:18,200 Speaker 1: is our fifth part of what I am now calling 5 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,159 Speaker 1: Brack week, um C I a week. I don't know. 6 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:24,440 Speaker 1: None of them are quite perfect, but that's what we're 7 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:26,880 Speaker 1: calling it. In this episode, we'll see what titles we 8 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:31,360 Speaker 1: come up with. That's very cash money of you. Thank you, 9 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: so yes, it's quite cash money of you to recognize 10 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:41,560 Speaker 1: that so well, all so embarrassing. I we just got 11 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 1: through with Iran contra um. But while kind of while 12 00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:48,559 Speaker 1: Iran Contra was spinning up, I want to get to 13 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: another thing that's happening. Also, if you're if you're on 14 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: here and you're listening to this thinking it's part three, 15 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 1: this is actually part five, and you need to go 16 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:57,960 Speaker 1: over to the you need to go listen to the 17 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: Hood Politics episodes, which you can find in this speed 18 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: and the Hood Politics Speed. So if you're not finding it, 19 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: then you're wrong. So while all of the ship we 20 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 1: just talked about in your show was happening, Ali North 21 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: is also doing more ship of his own, and he 22 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 1: has moved on from Iranian money to finding a new 23 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 1: way to fund his contra buddies, Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. 24 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: Now Manuel had been a friend of the CIA's for 25 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 1: a while. He did and George H. W. Bush are 26 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: good buddies. Um. He had been running cocaine through his 27 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:36,880 Speaker 1: obviously Panama pretty good port, right, pretty good port. Yes. 28 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: Now another um, so another cultural touch point here. Uh, 29 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:47,559 Speaker 1: you guys know that Drink Champs podcast with DJ Envy 30 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 1: and Nori, who was a legendary Kean's rapper. Right, Nori's 31 00:01:53,400 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: name is Noriega referring to this. Yeah, so it's a 32 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 1: little uh not a little uh, a little little touch 33 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 1: point here. Also, I think it's important as the listeners 34 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 1: if this feels a little like the way that this 35 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 1: series went a little like chaotic and kind of you know, 36 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: not very uh linear, and you're here in parts and 37 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:22,399 Speaker 1: pieces here and there, imagine living it. This is exactly 38 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 1: how it felt, because all of this ship is breaking 39 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: at difference. Yes. Um. For example, in nineteen eighty six, 40 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 1: June of nine six, The Times publish as an expose 41 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 1: on the Dictator's elicit, money laundering and drug activities. They 42 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:38,360 Speaker 1: cite an unnamed White House source who claims quote, the 43 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 1: most significant drug running in Panama was being directed by 44 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 1: General Noriega. Now Manuel starts to face legal consequences after 45 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 1: this point, including a ban on selling arms to the 46 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:52,839 Speaker 1: Panamanian Defense Forces like an international band. So, while ran 47 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,119 Speaker 1: Contra is breaking and all of this ship is going 48 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 1: nuts and the Reagan administration is battening down, he sends 49 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:01,399 Speaker 1: a guy into Washington to Wright to get help. Um, 50 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: and I'm gonna quote an next from a write up 51 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: in the National Security Archive. Oliver North, who met with 52 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 1: Noriega's representative, described the meeting in August twenty third nine 53 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: email message to Reagan National Security Advisor John Poindexter. You 54 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: will recall that over the years, Manuel Noriega in Panama 55 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 1: and I have developed a fairly good relationship. North rights, 56 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:23,600 Speaker 1: before explaining Noriega's proposal. If u S officials can help 57 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:25,400 Speaker 1: clean up his image and lift the ban on arms 58 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: sales to the Panamanian Defense Force, Noriega will take care 59 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:33,080 Speaker 1: of the Sandinista leadership for US. So North is telling 60 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: point extra that Noriega can assist with sabotaging the Sandinistas 61 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: and gearing out assassination operations, and his suggestion is we 62 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: should pay Noriega, who's under an arms embargo by US 63 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: a million dollars from those Project Democracy funds raised by 64 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 1: the sale of U S arms for Iran to get 65 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: the Panamanian dictators help, but destroying Nicaraguan economic UH installations. 66 00:03:56,680 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: So this causes a big old debate within the Reagan inners. 67 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 1: Racle highlights include point Exter saying he has nothing against 68 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 1: Noriega other than his illegal activities. Point point Exter is like, well, 69 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: aside from the crimes, he's great if you weren't doing 70 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: all those crimes. We love him. I mean, he's pretty cool, 71 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 1: excited for the fact that he's a criminal. But besides that, 72 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:19,080 Speaker 1: I mean equal now, Alan Fears, who's one of the 73 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:21,760 Speaker 1: c I agents who's heavily involved in everything happening in 74 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:24,880 Speaker 1: Latin America, is against the idea of arming one of 75 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:28,040 Speaker 1: the biggest drug lords in the area with illegal armsteel cash. 76 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 1: And Fears actually maybe one of these guys who's kind 77 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: of kept in the dark specifically so he'll say the 78 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 1: right thing when he gets questioned later and seem honest, right, 79 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: like that's that's the kind one of the guy's Fears 80 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: is I think, Um, but everyone ignores. So Fears does say, like, 81 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:44,840 Speaker 1: I don't think giving Noriega a million dollars is good. Um, 82 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:48,719 Speaker 1: he is ignored. Nobody follows his advice. North meets with 83 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:52,000 Speaker 1: Noriega in London with the support of Elliot Abrams, John 84 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:56,560 Speaker 1: Poindexter and George Schultz. So Scholtzi, who's not on board, 85 00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:59,360 Speaker 1: Iran conscious so much. He's like, but giving a million 86 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 1: dollars to Ma, Well, Noriega sounds like a great plan, 87 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:05,520 Speaker 1: A little cleaner. I'm gonna go do this. Adults is 88 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 1: like this little cleaner like we got too little to 89 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 1: me move apart. Let's against paying foreign people to murder 90 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 1: and get drugs And I'm not against that. I'm just 91 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 1: saying you're to be smarter about it. I am. George. Yeah. 92 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: This is the call that Schultz makes right before deciding 93 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: to one day become the board of directors for a 94 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:31,280 Speaker 1: fake blood testing company. Um fucking George. UM. Noriega is 95 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 1: aling out, man, like you were running. You're running contraband 96 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:41,599 Speaker 1: across multiple continents. Bro, Come on, man, you wanted a glory. 97 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: So Noriega agrees to attack airports, electric and telephone systems. 98 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:50,279 Speaker 1: In Nicaragua on the conference behalf and again, part of 99 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: the deal is that he's going to get some cash money. 100 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:54,479 Speaker 1: Part of the deal is that everyone's going to be 101 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:58,360 Speaker 1: chill about his continuing moving cocaine through his sports. Right. 102 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 1: So then the things are going great for all of 103 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 1: this until in November of six, we get the actual 104 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 1: Iron Contra story breaks, right, and you know, everything that 105 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:12,000 Speaker 1: tought we talked about at the in there happens um 106 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:14,719 Speaker 1: And one of the things that's happening like kind of 107 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 1: in the wake of this, obviously the big deal, as 108 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:19,960 Speaker 1: we've talked about earlier, the big deal is that the 109 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:22,960 Speaker 1: United States was illegally selling missiles to Iran and exchange 110 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 1: for hostages and then light about it. Right, that's the 111 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:28,479 Speaker 1: big deal, right, That's what people get in fucking trouble for. 112 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: But the other thing that's happening is the Iran Contra 113 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 1: deal is tied to everything else that Ali and the 114 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:36,560 Speaker 1: CIA and the NFC are doing in Nicaragua and all 115 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:39,159 Speaker 1: this cocaine that keeps getting into the fucking United States. 116 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:40,480 Speaker 1: And I don't know if you're aware of this, but 117 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:43,240 Speaker 1: Ronald Reagan makes a bit of a bit of an 118 00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 1: impact for himself as an anti drug crusade. Ye, there 119 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:49,800 Speaker 1: are some people you would think that this would have 120 00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:52,960 Speaker 1: been a bigger deal, But the fact that missiles are involved, 121 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:55,720 Speaker 1: that's the sexier thing. The atoll is involved, right, So 122 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:57,919 Speaker 1: that's what gets all the attention. But there is a 123 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:00,360 Speaker 1: little bit of understanding at the time from some people 124 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:02,600 Speaker 1: in the media that like, kind of seems like the 125 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:04,839 Speaker 1: bigger story here is all the fucking cocaine you guys 126 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 1: were letting into the country, right, kind of seems like 127 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:09,360 Speaker 1: that might be a real big, goddamn deal. Like, there's 128 00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 1: a lot of leads here. I feel like you might 129 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: be burying one of them. You guys are the missiles 130 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 1: and stuff is important, you guys work on that. I'm 131 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:17,440 Speaker 1: gonna ask these questions. And there's a guy, a journalist 132 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:21,320 Speaker 1: who does decide during a press conference to ask, like, Hey, 133 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:23,520 Speaker 1: are there any connections between these contrasts that you were 134 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:26,600 Speaker 1: apparently funding with missile money and and drug smuggling people 135 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:29,560 Speaker 1: bring a cocaine to the United States? And this guy 136 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:33,400 Speaker 1: gets screamed down not by the press secretary but by 137 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:36,440 Speaker 1: the New York Times correspondents standing next to him, who says, 138 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: why don't you ask a serious question. Bro, Bro, if 139 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:43,480 Speaker 1: you're on the New York Times keeps coming up in 140 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 1: the you know, if you're on the lefttern and the 141 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 1: New York Times, and that somebody loves that question and 142 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 1: then someone else in the audience shuts it down like 143 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:57,800 Speaker 1: that the the relief that must shoot over your body 144 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 1: at that moment, like, oh my god, that's that is. 145 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 1: I don't know if there's a better example of dodging 146 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:08,440 Speaker 1: a bullet, you know, and like like you're just thinking, Bro, 147 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 1: if this foll knew, I would I would buy him 148 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 1: whatever he wanted. Tonight, Mark Times really got me out 149 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:17,680 Speaker 1: of a sticky. You really got me out of this one. Dog. 150 00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: I owe you a rolex. Yeah, they're they're gonna help 151 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:24,600 Speaker 1: out a lot with the moral panic over the crack 152 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,720 Speaker 1: epidemic too, So they really they really just work in 153 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:30,840 Speaker 1: hand and glove with with our friends in the CIA. 154 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:36,080 Speaker 1: Well kind of so obviously. Uh, there are some criticisms 155 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:38,440 Speaker 1: at the time about the fact that there are very 156 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:40,920 Speaker 1: clearly and this is revealed by the stuff that comes 157 00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:42,600 Speaker 1: out during a Rand contra. One of the things that 158 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:45,240 Speaker 1: we get because of Rand Contra is all the North's diary, 159 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: where He's like, help some cocaine get into the US today. 160 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:52,640 Speaker 1: Whop to do? Um? Yeah, So I found a wonderful 161 00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: night right up in the Middle East. Report by Jonathan Marshall, 162 00:08:56,240 --> 00:08:58,719 Speaker 1: which is a contemporary eight is kind of the year. 163 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: A lot of this is blowing up um, which summarizes, 164 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:04,520 Speaker 1: you know, we have the committee that investigates arand contra 165 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:07,760 Speaker 1: martial in This is summarizing what the committee found and 166 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:12,400 Speaker 1: what it didn't quote. The most glaring operational embarrassment neglected 167 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 1: by the report is the role of drug trafficking and 168 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:17,800 Speaker 1: financing the contras and the logistic operation that supplied them. 169 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:20,360 Speaker 1: The only mention of drugs comes in a staff memo 170 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:24,760 Speaker 1: reprinted in a report appendix that rejects media exploited allegations 171 00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:28,920 Speaker 1: of contra drug trafficking as improbable and unverifiable. Yet other 172 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:32,920 Speaker 1: congressional investigators have condemned the memo as a fraudulent misrepresentation 173 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:35,680 Speaker 1: of the facts. Ample and convincing evidence points to the 174 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 1: existence of a guns for drugs network that brought cocaine 175 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 1: and marijuana into the United States as the price of 176 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:44,200 Speaker 1: running arms down to Central America. The Joint Committee itself 177 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:47,079 Speaker 1: heard testimony from three government witnesses that a high ranking 178 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:51,280 Speaker 1: Iran Contra leaders trafficked in cocaine. Indeed, the committee introduced 179 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:54,160 Speaker 1: into evidence a letter from rob Owen, North's emissary to 180 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:57,800 Speaker 1: Central America mentioning a Contra supply chain used at one 181 00:09:57,840 --> 00:09:59,680 Speaker 1: time to run drugs and part of the crew that 182 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:03,600 Speaker 1: had a middle records. Nice group of boys the CIA shows, 183 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:08,480 Speaker 1: I love it. The report's silence on the involvement of 184 00:10:08,559 --> 00:10:11,800 Speaker 1: terrorists in North's Project Democracy is no less deafening. One 185 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:14,400 Speaker 1: of the logistics agents employed in the Contra cause was 186 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:18,640 Speaker 1: the Cuban exile and career CIA officer Louis Posada. He 187 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 1: came to Central America in nineteen eighty five after breaking 188 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:23,840 Speaker 1: out of a Venezuelan jail where he had been held 189 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:27,400 Speaker 1: for conspiring to bomb a civilian Cuban jet in nineteen 190 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:30,720 Speaker 1: seventies six. That act, the worst terrorist crime ever committed 191 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:34,120 Speaker 1: in the Western Hemisphere, killed all seventy three passengers, including 192 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:37,920 Speaker 1: Cuba's national fencing team. Yet the report mentions Pasada only 193 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:41,560 Speaker 1: in passing and then by his operational code name Ramon Medina. 194 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:43,720 Speaker 1: Just give you an idea that kind of folks, who 195 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:46,640 Speaker 1: who's all He's running drugs with Yeah, this guy who 196 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 1: blew up a civilian airliner. Cool dude. Yeah. Now, the 197 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:53,800 Speaker 1: Iran Contra investigation and report plunges the Reagan White House 198 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:57,760 Speaker 1: into its darkest hours. Public opinion falls through the fucking floor. 199 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:00,560 Speaker 1: And again, we talked about this little bit, but like, yeah, 200 00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:02,680 Speaker 1: this is the first time he's dealing with like some 201 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:06,160 Speaker 1: serious shit. Um, And a bunch of different stuff comes 202 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 1: out of the fallout, which we've talked about in your episodes. 203 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:11,400 Speaker 1: But one of the things that happens is that while 204 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:14,200 Speaker 1: the Reagan White House is in disarray, his opponents in 205 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:17,000 Speaker 1: Congress start digging up other stuff too that's been going 206 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:19,640 Speaker 1: on during his two terms in office. And one of 207 00:11:19,679 --> 00:11:22,040 Speaker 1: the things they start to look at increasingly is this 208 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:26,080 Speaker 1: connection between CIA operations in Latin America and drugs. And 209 00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:29,280 Speaker 1: one thing people who are interested in this find is 210 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:33,440 Speaker 1: a nineteen eighty five article by Associated Press journalists Robert 211 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 1: Perry and Brian Barger. Perry and Barger had published an 212 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:40,800 Speaker 1: investigation this is the very first public evidence that the 213 00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:43,400 Speaker 1: Contras in the CIA were moving fucking drugs into the 214 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:46,600 Speaker 1: United States, which found that Contra groups had quote engaged 215 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:49,200 Speaker 1: in cocaine trafficking in part to help finance their war 216 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:52,400 Speaker 1: against Nicaragua. The article hadn't made much of a splash because, 217 00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:55,839 Speaker 1: according to the Columbia Journalism Review, Reagan's people carried out 218 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:59,320 Speaker 1: a behind the scenes campaign to attack the professionalism of 219 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:02,560 Speaker 1: the ap borders and quote discredit all reporting on the 220 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:06,160 Speaker 1: conference and drugs. That's what the CIA wrote at the time. 221 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:09,720 Speaker 1: Peter Cornblue, writing for the Columbia Journalism Review, notes that 222 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:13,000 Speaker 1: whether the campaign was the cause or not, coverage was minimal. 223 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:16,920 Speaker 1: So the fact that all this is happening is not 224 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:19,120 Speaker 1: like pay attention to that. The way they go after 225 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:20,720 Speaker 1: these journalists and the way their goal is we have 226 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:23,640 Speaker 1: to discredit reporting on this, and also pay attention to 227 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:25,880 Speaker 1: the fact that when this first comes up in public 228 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:28,560 Speaker 1: and eight, it's a New York Times journalist who, as 229 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:32,559 Speaker 1: far as we know, without any CIA advocacy, shuts down 230 00:12:32,559 --> 00:12:34,480 Speaker 1: a line of questioning on it. That's going to be 231 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:40,000 Speaker 1: relevant later. Yes. So in nineteen, the last year of 232 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:43,560 Speaker 1: the Reagan administration, Senator John Kerry as a Senate Foreign 233 00:12:43,559 --> 00:12:46,720 Speaker 1: Relations Subcommittee report, he's the guy running it. They published 234 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 1: a report on specifically how covert support for the Contras 235 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:52,480 Speaker 1: undermined the War on drugs, Right, so this does get 236 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:54,800 Speaker 1: looked into. Uh and I'm gonna quote from the National 237 00:12:54,840 --> 00:12:58,360 Speaker 1: Security Archive. The Kerry Subcommittee did not report the US 238 00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:01,480 Speaker 1: government officials ran drugs. It rather that Mr North, than 239 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:03,840 Speaker 1: on the National Security Council staff at the White House, 240 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:07,360 Speaker 1: and other senior officials, created a privatized contra network that 241 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:11,040 Speaker 1: attracted drug traffickers looking for cover for their operations, didn't 242 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 1: turn a blind eye to repeated reports of drug smuggling 243 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:16,320 Speaker 1: related to the Contras, and actively worked with known drug 244 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:19,880 Speaker 1: smugglers such as the Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega to assist 245 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:23,439 Speaker 1: the Contras. The report cited former Drug Enforcement Administration had 246 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:26,679 Speaker 1: John Lawn as testifying that Mr North himself had prematurely 247 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:30,680 Speaker 1: leaked the d E a undercover operation, jeopardizing agents lives 248 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:34,360 Speaker 1: for political advantage in an upcoming Congressional vote on aid 249 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:39,640 Speaker 1: to the Contras. Awesome, all this ship, all of this, 250 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:41,960 Speaker 1: all of life. It would be such a different story 251 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:49,439 Speaker 1: if the Reagan administration didn't go so hard on violence, gangs, drugs, Like, 252 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:51,920 Speaker 1: if you didn't go so hard about it, it wouldn't 253 00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:54,400 Speaker 1: be such a gotcha, you know what, I'm saying, but 254 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:58,160 Speaker 1: I'm like, like you, like you didn't have to you 255 00:13:58,160 --> 00:13:59,840 Speaker 1: didn't have to create mean, you didn't have to create 256 00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:03,320 Speaker 1: the day program, and like three strikes were they create 257 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:06,439 Speaker 1: three strikes but just all these different, just very punitive 258 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 1: laws around drugs, like you don't have to do that, 259 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:12,280 Speaker 1: and we wouldn't even thought it wouldn't have been so 260 00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 1: like salacious. Yeah, if the if the fucking if Congress 261 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:20,920 Speaker 1: had not been destroying huge numbers of people because they 262 00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 1: were caught with crack cocaine at the same time as 263 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:26,520 Speaker 1: they were bringing in the raw cocaine that gets turned 264 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:29,080 Speaker 1: into crack in order to fund right wing death squads 265 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:31,000 Speaker 1: in other parts of the world, If that all wasn't 266 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:34,120 Speaker 1: happening at the same time, it wouldn't seem like such 267 00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:39,440 Speaker 1: a goddamn conspiracy exactly, because it's like it's yeah, if 268 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:43,840 Speaker 1: this didn't happen, we would be like this is yeah, 269 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:47,320 Speaker 1: we would be like oil on our head, like because 270 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:50,240 Speaker 1: of the amount of like how many countries have gotten 271 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:53,560 Speaker 1: when you add all if this part five, so we okay, 272 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:57,040 Speaker 1: add the countries together, the amount of countries involved in this, 273 00:14:57,160 --> 00:15:03,240 Speaker 1: the amount of government's street dudes. Beau bureaucracies. There's like 274 00:15:03,400 --> 00:15:09,120 Speaker 1: nine countries involved. Yep. Um, it's a big deals as 275 00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:12,560 Speaker 1: we've as we've tried to unravel. Quite complicated. Yes, So 276 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:15,280 Speaker 1: this report that Kerry is kind of the guy running 277 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:19,240 Speaker 1: um does not establish that the CIA is responsible for 278 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:22,160 Speaker 1: bringing crack to the inner cities, nor does it connect 279 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:26,120 Speaker 1: US officials directly to drug dealers in the United States. However, 280 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:29,160 Speaker 1: as the report concluded, it is clear that individuals who 281 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:31,880 Speaker 1: provided support for the Contrast were involved in drug trafficking. 282 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:34,200 Speaker 1: The supply network of the Contrast was used by drug 283 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:38,160 Speaker 1: trafficking organizations, and elements of the Contrast themselves knowingly received 284 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:41,840 Speaker 1: financial and material assistance from drug traffickers. In each case, 285 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:45,119 Speaker 1: one or another agency of the US government had information 286 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:48,880 Speaker 1: regarding the involvement, either while it was occurring or immediately thereafter. 287 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:54,480 Speaker 1: So the report also quoted the chief of the CIA 288 00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:57,640 Speaker 1: Central America Task Force who said, with respect to drug 289 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:00,560 Speaker 1: trafficking by the resistance forces, it is not a couple 290 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 1: of people, it is a lot of people. Now, you 291 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 1: can't do the bad apple man. It is all y'all. 292 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:10,880 Speaker 1: This is all damning because we have we have talked 293 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:13,200 Speaker 1: about this in the context of a rand contract and 294 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:15,600 Speaker 1: then the context of a bunch of other ship years 295 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:18,480 Speaker 1: of shady dealings that we know now, but at the 296 00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:20,480 Speaker 1: time a lot of this was breaking and at the 297 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:23,200 Speaker 1: time that report comes out, a lot of that outside 298 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:26,400 Speaker 1: information is missing. Right, So most Americans who see the 299 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:29,920 Speaker 1: headlines around this, the reasonable assumption to make is like, oh, 300 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,400 Speaker 1: some people we armed in an unpopular conflict. We're also 301 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:36,600 Speaker 1: moving cocaine whatever. The subcommittee report is not big news people. 302 00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:39,320 Speaker 1: That sounds pretty damning. People could not give less of 303 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 1: a ship at the time when it comes up, that's 304 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:47,440 Speaker 1: nineteen seven, is years later. Gary Webb picks that thread 305 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:50,480 Speaker 1: back up and he does about a year of digging, uh, 306 00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:53,320 Speaker 1: and he puts together this three part article series for 307 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:56,480 Speaker 1: The Mercury, which blows the fucking lid off the world. 308 00:16:56,560 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 1: In like a couple of days after this thing drops, 309 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:03,280 Speaker 1: it becomes the biggest story in the country, and it's 310 00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:07,920 Speaker 1: the first massive news story that's gone out primarily over 311 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:10,640 Speaker 1: the Internet. That's where this thing spreads. And in order 312 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:13,119 Speaker 1: to kind of talk about how that happens, um, I 313 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:15,200 Speaker 1: want to quote now from an article in the Columbia 314 00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:19,320 Speaker 1: Journalism Review, the demographics of Web traffic are unknown, but 315 00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:22,200 Speaker 1: some media specialists believe that the rising numbers at Mercury 316 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:25,440 Speaker 1: Center in part reflect what the Chicago Tribune syndicated columnists 317 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:30,520 Speaker 1: Clarence Page calls an emerging Black cyber consciousness. Online newsletters 318 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:33,320 Speaker 1: and other net services made the series readily available to 319 00:17:33,359 --> 00:17:38,840 Speaker 1: African American students, newspapers, radio stations, and community organizations. Patricia Turner, 320 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:41,600 Speaker 1: author of I Heard It through the Grapevine, The Definitive 321 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:45,000 Speaker 1: Study on how information travels through Black America, suggests that 322 00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:48,120 Speaker 1: this marked the quote first time the Internet has electrified 323 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:52,160 Speaker 1: African Americans in this way. The Black Telegraph noted Jack 324 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:55,800 Speaker 1: While a Time magazine columnist, referring to the informal word 325 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:58,440 Speaker 1: of mouth network used since the days of slavery, has 326 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:05,080 Speaker 1: moved into cyberspace. There is I like, I didn't know 327 00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:08,840 Speaker 1: the specifics of what you're saying, but it is true. 328 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:12,240 Speaker 1: Like like, I don't know how we get information that 329 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:14,600 Speaker 1: we get. You just find out through the homies or 330 00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:16,840 Speaker 1: your auntie. I don't know how it happens, It just does. 331 00:18:17,359 --> 00:18:25,040 Speaker 1: But I will say when this broke, this was our 332 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:30,639 Speaker 1: uncles who were like, see there. I tried to tell y'all, 333 00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:32,480 Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying that we thought was like, 334 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:34,119 Speaker 1: all right, man, like you know, it hadn't been to 335 00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:36,280 Speaker 1: jail a few times, you know, you didn't read a 336 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:37,919 Speaker 1: couple of books. You know, you come back and your 337 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:40,159 Speaker 1: prison smart, you know what I'm saying. So like and 338 00:18:40,560 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 1: prison smart is a very specific type of smart, you know. 339 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:47,280 Speaker 1: And uh so, so they got all kind of informations 340 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:49,960 Speaker 1: about the government and the CIA conspired to get it, 341 00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:53,920 Speaker 1: and we're thinking, okay, maybe you know, but like you said, 342 00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:58,919 Speaker 1: it wasn't really big news and and it's it seems 343 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:02,240 Speaker 1: so far fed, but I have no reason to not 344 00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:06,080 Speaker 1: believe my uncle. And then this happens and it was 345 00:19:06,119 --> 00:19:09,000 Speaker 1: like that's a fact check. We'd have tried to tell y'all, 346 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:12,679 Speaker 1: you know, and all that started happening, and it was like, damn, 347 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:17,760 Speaker 1: it turns out ain't crazy, Like oh my god, it 348 00:19:17,840 --> 00:19:20,600 Speaker 1: really yeah, you would lie, and what's you know, I'm saying, 349 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:24,000 Speaker 1: we believed you, but it was like, I don't know, man, yeah, 350 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:26,520 Speaker 1: he's probably well. And it's you know again, one of 351 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:28,240 Speaker 1: the things people can used to just credit this is 352 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:30,040 Speaker 1: pick it like the edges of because it is not 353 00:19:30,119 --> 00:19:34,200 Speaker 1: literally the CIA was not shipping crack directly in the city, 354 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:36,440 Speaker 1: because that's not a very sensible way to go about 355 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:40,440 Speaker 1: doing that, right, just like Apple doesn't directly turn rare 356 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:44,320 Speaker 1: earth minerals into phones. Right, there's a distribution networks exact. 357 00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:46,880 Speaker 1: But if you were like, Yo, who the plug? Who's 358 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:50,080 Speaker 1: your plug? You like c I A yeah, Like no, 359 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:52,359 Speaker 1: they the government, the government, I get I get the 360 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:55,840 Speaker 1: way from the government, like you know you don't, It's like, oh, wait, 361 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:58,880 Speaker 1: yes you do the Uh. It's easy to see why 362 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:03,080 Speaker 1: people see this as a very concerted conspiracy. Honestly, there's 363 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:04,879 Speaker 1: a way in which it's much more. And I'm not 364 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:08,040 Speaker 1: going to say what happened or not, because I'm sure 365 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:11,160 Speaker 1: there's more we don't. What we know is damning. Um, 366 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:13,800 Speaker 1: if it is as simple as the left hand didn't 367 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:16,440 Speaker 1: know what the right was doing, and nobody gave a 368 00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:19,000 Speaker 1: ship about the impacts of these agencies and what they 369 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,200 Speaker 1: were doing in Latin America and how it might affect people, 370 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:24,720 Speaker 1: and nobody was watching them while people were like responding 371 00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 1: to this media circus the time created violently by destroying 372 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:30,359 Speaker 1: huge numbers of people's lives. And that's why all this happened, 373 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:35,320 Speaker 1: which is what the facts directly suggest that's like, that's 374 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:40,560 Speaker 1: enough to revolt over. That's that's enough to yeah that 375 00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:44,399 Speaker 1: I I don't feel like anyway, Let's let's keep telling 376 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:53,880 Speaker 1: the story because there's more to revolt over. Yes, so 377 00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:57,679 Speaker 1: Gary Webb puts out this article. It moves through the 378 00:20:57,680 --> 00:21:00,720 Speaker 1: black community by way of the Internet. It also a 379 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:03,320 Speaker 1: big part of this is black oriented radio talk shows, 380 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:06,040 Speaker 1: which are huge today and really coming into their own 381 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:09,280 Speaker 1: in this period the mid to late nineties, boost this phenomenon, 382 00:21:09,359 --> 00:21:11,960 Speaker 1: and the way in which they spread the story is 383 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:15,320 Speaker 1: by reading out the website address on the air. Never 384 00:21:15,359 --> 00:21:17,400 Speaker 1: happened before, not a thing, not a thing in main 385 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:21,080 Speaker 1: stream that that like these big mainstream radio shows drive 386 00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:23,479 Speaker 1: time ship as like reading out what is being like, 387 00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:26,080 Speaker 1: you need to read this story. Here's a fucking web link. Right. 388 00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:31,000 Speaker 1: That's not how journalism got spread before, but it is now. Um. 389 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:33,960 Speaker 1: These call in programs also become a focal point of 390 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:37,360 Speaker 1: information and debate. African American talk show hosts use their 391 00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:41,080 Speaker 1: programs to address the allegations of ci A complicity in 392 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:44,840 Speaker 1: the crack epidemic, and the public response is forceful. The 393 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:48,000 Speaker 1: power of talk radio is probably like one of the 394 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:50,600 Speaker 1: best examples of like how big this is is Congresswoman 395 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:55,240 Speaker 1: Maxine Waters goes on a show in Baltimore in September, uh, 396 00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:57,920 Speaker 1: and she says that the Congressional Black Caucus is going 397 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:00,199 Speaker 1: to look into this ship. Right, We're gonna like do 398 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:04,520 Speaker 1: a fucking thing on this and it's it's fucking massive. Um. 399 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:06,919 Speaker 1: And and like the fact that Maxine Waters takes this 400 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:09,679 Speaker 1: up is like a big part of why this story 401 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:13,000 Speaker 1: blows out into the mainstream in a big way. Now, 402 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:17,800 Speaker 1: the CIA and the NSC they're watching this ship happen, right, Um, 403 00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:20,879 Speaker 1: they are like everyone is on this right, this is 404 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:24,480 Speaker 1: a massive problem. And the agency the first public thing 405 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:26,239 Speaker 1: they do when this starts to go viral is they 406 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:29,400 Speaker 1: announced we're doing an internal investigation. We're gonna look into 407 00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:32,840 Speaker 1: whether or not we did anything wrong. Don't worry like 408 00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:37,760 Speaker 1: like like you was the vice president, because you were 409 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:44,879 Speaker 1: the vice as president and it's awesome. So the c 410 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:47,399 Speaker 1: i A is like, we're gonna look into ourselves and 411 00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:50,120 Speaker 1: see if we're bad people, don't worry. You can trust us. 412 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:56,800 Speaker 1: We're good people. Um. Obviously me, did I smuggle drugs? Yeah? 413 00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:01,359 Speaker 1: Well the look I don't want to speak for for 414 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:04,120 Speaker 1: black America here, but the evidence that I have suggests 415 00:23:04,119 --> 00:23:09,640 Speaker 1: that this was not taken as overly comforting. I don't 416 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:14,040 Speaker 1: think I believe you like spaces and just like side 417 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:19,480 Speaker 1: eyes like okay, here we go. Um you already know though. 418 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:23,960 Speaker 1: So the Justice Department also launches an investigation. John deuts Choose, 419 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:26,000 Speaker 1: the director of the CIA at this point, has to 420 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:28,320 Speaker 1: go down to Watts and do a town meeting with 421 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:32,280 Speaker 1: concerned citizens to that his organization hadn't smuggled crack into 422 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:35,720 Speaker 1: inner cities to destroy the black community. Um Like, he 423 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:37,320 Speaker 1: has to actually sit down and got to go to 424 00:23:37,359 --> 00:23:40,639 Speaker 1: Watts talk him out of this. Uh. Now that is 425 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:43,680 Speaker 1: not precisely what Gary Webbs article had said, right. Gary 426 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:46,040 Speaker 1: Webb had not made those exact claims, right because he 427 00:23:46,119 --> 00:23:48,160 Speaker 1: what he was saying is that what we've talked about, 428 00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:51,000 Speaker 1: that the CIA is making things easier for these guys 429 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:54,080 Speaker 1: who are moving cocaine into the country. And then separately, 430 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:57,200 Speaker 1: webs articles dealt with how the crack epidemic and things 431 00:23:57,200 --> 00:24:00,400 Speaker 1: like mandatory minimums had hurt the black community, right, um, 432 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:03,960 Speaker 1: and how racially disparate the charging was. But a lot 433 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:08,000 Speaker 1: of people interpreted as, oh, the CIA. There's allegations that 434 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:10,959 Speaker 1: the CIA smuggled crack into the black community and then 435 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,360 Speaker 1: becomes kind of the popular shorthand for the revelations. Representative 436 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:18,919 Speaker 1: Cynthia McKinney calls the CIA the Central Intoxication Agency on 437 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:21,879 Speaker 1: the floor of Congress. This is a pr disaster. It 438 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:24,359 Speaker 1: is a real threat to the agency's funding. They're worried 439 00:24:24,359 --> 00:24:26,760 Speaker 1: about another Church committee, right. They're worried that, like Congress 440 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:29,560 Speaker 1: has going to really fuck them up over this um. 441 00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:31,479 Speaker 1: And there's also a possibility that some people might get 442 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:33,680 Speaker 1: criminal charges who had worked in the agency. That's the 443 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:36,439 Speaker 1: thing they're concerned about because of how big a brush 444 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:38,240 Speaker 1: fire this starts. I don't know, man, you think they 445 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:42,399 Speaker 1: should get some criminal charge? I might suggest if anyone 446 00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:45,240 Speaker 1: belongs in prison with a lot of these CIA guys 447 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:48,280 Speaker 1: and this sor like day, oh love, you should say 448 00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:51,359 Speaker 1: right next to the other drug smuggles. So that's what 449 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:54,959 Speaker 1: you did. The agency spins up a reaction to what 450 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:58,560 Speaker 1: they internally call a crisis, but before they can really 451 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:01,520 Speaker 1: do anything, a save you appeared. Do you want to 452 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:03,439 Speaker 1: know who the savior is? The one who pulls the 453 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:05,960 Speaker 1: CIA is fat out of the Fire'll give you a hint. 454 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:09,000 Speaker 1: It's the same people who did It's it's the legacy 455 00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:13,440 Speaker 1: news media. See as we have talked about a surprise 456 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:20,479 Speaker 1: villain here. You know, is it a surprise given the 457 00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:22,639 Speaker 1: rest of these episodes, or maybe it's the one we 458 00:25:22,680 --> 00:25:26,600 Speaker 1: didn't expect that. Yeah, it's uh, it's John Cena. Not 459 00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 1: John Cena. It's a stone cold coming out from the back. 460 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:34,960 Speaker 1: Oh my god. The New York Times has a fooling chair. Yes, yeah, 461 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:37,120 Speaker 1: and that's that's who roll. Well, it's actually the Los 462 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:40,040 Speaker 1: Angeles Times is a big part of this two as anyway, Webbs. 463 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:42,119 Speaker 1: As I've talked about a bunch webb store. It's the 464 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:45,480 Speaker 1: first earth shattering piece of investigative journalism in the US 465 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:48,640 Speaker 1: that came from something that wasn't a major paper of record. Right, 466 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:51,320 Speaker 1: this isn't blowing up in any in like this period 467 00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:52,879 Speaker 1: of time, at least, this isn't blowing up in the 468 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:55,440 Speaker 1: places it's supposed to come out of. So the Los 469 00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:58,720 Speaker 1: Angeles Times, the Washington Post, in the New York Times, 470 00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:03,000 Speaker 1: three of the really the big legacy. Yeah, they're fucking angry. 471 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:06,040 Speaker 1: They're not angry because they don't want this information out. 472 00:26:06,040 --> 00:26:09,480 Speaker 1: They're angry that they got fucking scooped and they're angry 473 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:12,280 Speaker 1: that in interviews, Gary Webb is saying stuff like, you 474 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:13,960 Speaker 1: don't have to be the New York Times or the 475 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:17,840 Speaker 1: Washington Post to bust a national story anymore. Now Gary 476 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:20,440 Speaker 1: was well ahead of the time, because we know he's 477 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:22,879 Speaker 1: right right, that's what happens. Washington Post in the New 478 00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:25,760 Speaker 1: York Times, big as they are not where a lot 479 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:27,920 Speaker 1: of ship busts anymore. A whole lot of stuff comes 480 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:30,840 Speaker 1: up from the ground these days, and oftentimes the New 481 00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:32,800 Speaker 1: York Times in the Post these days make their money 482 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:37,280 Speaker 1: kind of paying editorial writers to comment on shit. Um, 483 00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:40,520 Speaker 1: this is the start of that. And and so the 484 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:42,400 Speaker 1: people who are going to like go after them, we're 485 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:44,040 Speaker 1: gonna go apeshit. A lot of them are kind of 486 00:26:44,119 --> 00:26:47,399 Speaker 1: editorial writers. But the intercept does a good job of 487 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:49,439 Speaker 1: kind of summing up what happens next here in an 488 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:52,320 Speaker 1: article they wrote quote. Newspapers like the Times in the 489 00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:54,520 Speaker 1: Post seemed to spend far more time trying to poke 490 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:56,439 Speaker 1: holes in the series than in following up on the 491 00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:59,560 Speaker 1: underreported scandal at its heart, the involvement of a US 492 00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:03,360 Speaker 1: back proxy forces and international drug trafficking. The Los Angeles 493 00:27:03,359 --> 00:27:06,399 Speaker 1: Times was especially aggressive, scooped in its own backyard. The 494 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:09,720 Speaker 1: California paper assigned no fewer than seven team reporters to 495 00:27:09,720 --> 00:27:12,760 Speaker 1: pick up art webs reporting well. Employees denied an outright 496 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:15,280 Speaker 1: effort to attack The Mercury News. One of the sevent 497 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:18,080 Speaker 1: team referred to it as the get Gary Web team. 498 00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:20,879 Speaker 1: Another set at the time, we're going to take away 499 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:24,240 Speaker 1: that guy's pulitzer. According to Cornblue c j R. Piece. 500 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,159 Speaker 1: Within two weeks of the publication of Dark Alliance, The 501 00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:30,000 Speaker 1: l A Times devoted more words to dismantling its competitors 502 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:35,520 Speaker 1: breakout hit than comprised the series itself. It's just so 503 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:38,600 Speaker 1: they throw down. You're it's just like you're guys, You're 504 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:41,679 Speaker 1: you're totally missing the point here. Man, you're missing, and 505 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:44,080 Speaker 1: you're you're missing a bigger story. You're missing a bigger 506 00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:46,440 Speaker 1: story here due and it is true, salty, somebody got 507 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:50,520 Speaker 1: there first. We have to Gary webs reporting is imperfect 508 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:52,800 Speaker 1: number one. Any story this big, there's gonna be some errors. 509 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:56,040 Speaker 1: But especially Gary doesn't have a big editorial team. There's 510 00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:58,240 Speaker 1: not a huge team of fact checkers. It is not 511 00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:01,080 Speaker 1: it is. It is a new were reporter. It is 512 00:28:01,119 --> 00:28:03,959 Speaker 1: a newer outlet, and there are some problems with it right, 513 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:06,440 Speaker 1: and some of them are pretty basic errors. And these 514 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:08,640 Speaker 1: errors are not the result of him trying to cook 515 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:11,119 Speaker 1: something up or lie, the result of writing for a 516 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:14,040 Speaker 1: small publisher without a strong editorial team. One of the 517 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:15,960 Speaker 1: examples of a funk up that Webb did make is 518 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:19,600 Speaker 1: he never called the CIA for comment. That may sound silly, 519 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:21,320 Speaker 1: but that is a thing that you do when you're 520 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:23,920 Speaker 1: writing an article like this. You you after you've got 521 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:26,239 Speaker 1: things nailed down, you go for comment. That is when 522 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:29,359 Speaker 1: I would write articles about militias and ship like Jason Wilson, 523 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:31,680 Speaker 1: and I would would wind up ringing up these fucking 524 00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:33,879 Speaker 1: militia leaders and shipped to ask the questions about things 525 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:36,280 Speaker 1: they'd said online. It's what you do. You give people 526 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:38,960 Speaker 1: a chance to respond when possible they don't have. You 527 00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:40,800 Speaker 1: don't have to wait for them to respond to publish 528 00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:42,680 Speaker 1: the article, but you do have to give them a 529 00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:46,800 Speaker 1: chance to respond. Webb claims that he did reach out 530 00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:49,520 Speaker 1: and they never responded. The CIA denies that he ever 531 00:28:49,560 --> 00:28:52,200 Speaker 1: reached out. We just actually don't know who's telling the 532 00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:54,560 Speaker 1: truth here. But the thing that he fox up is 533 00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:57,640 Speaker 1: he never rights in the story I reached out to 534 00:28:57,680 --> 00:28:59,800 Speaker 1: the CIA for comment, and they didn't give it right. 535 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:03,080 Speaker 1: That is that is an issue. Now, a fair minded 536 00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:05,440 Speaker 1: person would say, well, that doesn't mean anything about the 537 00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:09,760 Speaker 1: veracity of his reporting. It's yea yeah, but the legacy 538 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:14,480 Speaker 1: papers pounce on this ship. There are other issues as well. 539 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:17,160 Speaker 1: The specific drug dealers Web had hung his story on 540 00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:21,600 Speaker 1: absolutely did sell coke and absolutely did use proceeds from 541 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:24,440 Speaker 1: these sales to fund the contrast, but they were tiny. 542 00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:27,240 Speaker 1: We're talking the guys who were directly tied to the 543 00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 1: contrast that he talks about in a storys they got 544 00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:32,920 Speaker 1: the contrast something like that, right, not a lot of money. 545 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:35,880 Speaker 1: So from the guys he's focusing on in his article, 546 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:39,000 Speaker 1: there's not enough to say that the CIA or that 547 00:29:39,080 --> 00:29:41,240 Speaker 1: the funding of the contrast is making a big dent 548 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:44,360 Speaker 1: on the contrast or are on the crackt right, Like, 549 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:47,760 Speaker 1: there's he's he's he's using the small case and he's 550 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:49,840 Speaker 1: assuming there's more, and he is right, there was a 551 00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:53,680 Speaker 1: shipload more, But he is also kind of quoting some 552 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:56,200 Speaker 1: stuff out of context that makes his case seems stronger 553 00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:58,320 Speaker 1: than it is what he actually has his evidence that 554 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:01,160 Speaker 1: like there is something really the damning here to look at, 555 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:02,960 Speaker 1: and it ties into these other fund up things that 556 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:05,720 Speaker 1: have been done around sentencing in these other disparities, And 557 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:08,600 Speaker 1: it's possible there's a real like if he it's like, 558 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:11,600 Speaker 1: it's one of those things. If it were a better article, 559 00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:13,880 Speaker 1: there would have been some softening of the language. A 560 00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:16,959 Speaker 1: good editor would have softened some of the language, and 561 00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:21,240 Speaker 1: good legacy media journalists in a responsible media environment would 562 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:23,160 Speaker 1: have seen what he was saying. Even even if they'd 563 00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:25,800 Speaker 1: seen in a responsible environment, even saying the articles that 564 00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:28,280 Speaker 1: went out, they would have been like, well, what he's 565 00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:31,440 Speaker 1: claiming that the CIA brought was responsible for helping to 566 00:30:31,440 --> 00:30:33,600 Speaker 1: bring cocaine ing a crack epademic into the United States. 567 00:30:33,640 --> 00:30:36,440 Speaker 1: What he's saying isn't entirely supported by the case of 568 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:38,880 Speaker 1: these two guys, because these guys are kind of small fry. 569 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:41,200 Speaker 1: But it's interesting that there's that much evidence, and I 570 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:43,360 Speaker 1: wonder if there's more, And they would have looked into 571 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:45,360 Speaker 1: that article that came out in nineteen eighty five and 572 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:47,560 Speaker 1: got clamped down on by the CIA, right there would 573 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:49,840 Speaker 1: have find found other stuff, including ship in that nine 574 00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:53,440 Speaker 1: eight report. There was stuff they could have just found 575 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:56,560 Speaker 1: that would have been that was already out, already reported 576 00:30:56,640 --> 00:30:59,560 Speaker 1: already something that the government had said was true and 577 00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:01,640 Speaker 1: put that with what Webb had had been, like, oh, ship, 578 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:03,480 Speaker 1: there's a lot here, and then they would have looked 579 00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:05,160 Speaker 1: in the more and then they would have fucking found more. 580 00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:08,680 Speaker 1: That's not what the legacy media does. Instead, they pounce 581 00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:12,240 Speaker 1: on the shortcomings and web series um and when they 582 00:31:12,360 --> 00:31:15,240 Speaker 1: start trying to tell the other side of the story, 583 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:17,640 Speaker 1: which is how it gets framed, the c I A 584 00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:21,800 Speaker 1: not available for comment earlier, suddenly, yeah, we'll talk to 585 00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:24,440 Speaker 1: you about this. Come on in New York Times. You know, 586 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:28,600 Speaker 1: we love giving people access where the CIA so we 587 00:31:28,760 --> 00:31:31,320 Speaker 1: know about their efforts. And they're surprised elation at the 588 00:31:31,360 --> 00:31:33,840 Speaker 1: willingness of mainstream news outlets to attack web out of 589 00:31:33,880 --> 00:31:36,920 Speaker 1: spite because they wrote about all of this and internal 590 00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:41,480 Speaker 1: documents that are now declassified down there. They wrote about 591 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:44,640 Speaker 1: how happy they were about what what the what fucking 592 00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:46,360 Speaker 1: the l A Times that ship we're doing in a 593 00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:49,600 Speaker 1: piece called Managing a Nightmare written by a c I 594 00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:52,360 Speaker 1: A fellow named Jumovic, And I'm gonna quote from the 595 00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:56,720 Speaker 1: intercept again here. The CIA watched these developments closely, collaborating 596 00:31:56,800 --> 00:31:59,800 Speaker 1: where it could with outlets who wanted to challenge Webbs reporting. 597 00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:03,560 Speaker 1: Media inquiries had started almost immediately following the publication of 598 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:06,720 Speaker 1: Dark Alliance, and Jomovic, in Managing a Nightmare, cites the 599 00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:10,040 Speaker 1: CIA success and discouraging one major news affiliate from covering 600 00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:13,120 Speaker 1: the story. He also boasts that the agency effectively departed 601 00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:15,600 Speaker 1: from its own long standing policies in order to discredit 602 00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:18,320 Speaker 1: the series. For example, in order to help a journalist 603 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:21,120 Speaker 1: working on a story that would undermine the Mercury News allegations, 604 00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:24,080 Speaker 1: Public Affairs was able to deny any affiliation of a 605 00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:27,080 Speaker 1: particular individual, which is a rare exception to the general 606 00:32:27,160 --> 00:32:30,240 Speaker 1: policy that the CIA does not comment on any individual's 607 00:32:30,280 --> 00:32:35,880 Speaker 1: alleged CIA ties. Word now, the document chronicles the shift 608 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:38,760 Speaker 1: in public opinion as it moves from like oh my god, 609 00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:41,240 Speaker 1: what has the government been doing two in favor of 610 00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:44,520 Speaker 1: the CIA's angle, which is like nah, Gary Webbs full 611 00:32:44,520 --> 00:32:47,360 Speaker 1: of shit. Yeah. This trend starts about a month and 612 00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:50,520 Speaker 1: a half after the series is published. Quote that third 613 00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:53,600 Speaker 1: week in September was a turning point in media coverage 614 00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:57,440 Speaker 1: of this story, Jumovic wrote, and he cites respected columnists, 615 00:32:57,520 --> 00:33:01,040 Speaker 1: including prominent blacks, along with the New York Daily News, 616 00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:04,920 Speaker 1: the Baltimore Sun, the Weekly Standard, and the Washington Post. 617 00:33:05,400 --> 00:33:11,000 Speaker 1: So that's pretty cool. Huh yeah, yeah, that's it's pretty perfect. Yeah, 618 00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:13,880 Speaker 1: didn't even didn't even need to do anything. They got it. 619 00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:16,960 Speaker 1: They got back again, they got us. Don't even worry 620 00:33:16,960 --> 00:33:19,240 Speaker 1: about it again. If you're on the lecter and the 621 00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:25,200 Speaker 1: collective side of like oh yeah, oh oh yeah again no, yeah, yeah, nah. 622 00:33:25,440 --> 00:33:29,680 Speaker 1: There's a grand conspiracy and everything is connected, being like, well, okay, 623 00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:31,480 Speaker 1: the CIA is doing all this shady ship to bring 624 00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:34,000 Speaker 1: cocaine in, and then the New York Times plays a 625 00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:36,480 Speaker 1: major role in hyping up fears of a crack epidemic, 626 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:39,000 Speaker 1: which is used to justify arresting a shipload of black 627 00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:41,160 Speaker 1: men and breaking up a bunch of families. And then 628 00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:43,520 Speaker 1: as soon as the allegations come out that the CIA 629 00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:46,200 Speaker 1: was the one that brought in the cocaine, well, all 630 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:48,520 Speaker 1: of these same media organizations who had pushed up the 631 00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:52,760 Speaker 1: crack epidemic act to crack down on the story, and 632 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:55,120 Speaker 1: and the journalist who had like broken the story that 633 00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:57,120 Speaker 1: they've done this, well, yeah that does kind of seem 634 00:33:57,160 --> 00:34:00,040 Speaker 1: like a fucking conspiracy, but it really does. Again, and 635 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:02,800 Speaker 1: all of this actually what I think all of this 636 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:07,240 Speaker 1: is is a mix of different conspiracies. Uh, reckless and 637 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:10,680 Speaker 1: callous disregard for what is happening in Black American for 638 00:34:10,719 --> 00:34:14,200 Speaker 1: who gets hurt by this um racist policing and racist 639 00:34:14,239 --> 00:34:16,800 Speaker 1: trends in law enforcement. And the fact that the media 640 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:20,240 Speaker 1: is also pretty racist, always searching for like a story 641 00:34:20,440 --> 00:34:22,920 Speaker 1: and do not care as much about whether or not 642 00:34:23,080 --> 00:34:24,920 Speaker 1: the story is true as whether or not you can 643 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:28,319 Speaker 1: scare people. Um, and just yeah, the fact that they 644 00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:31,880 Speaker 1: mostly hire a bunch of fucking upper class white people 645 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:34,920 Speaker 1: from fancy schools who don't know anything about what's going 646 00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:37,440 Speaker 1: on in the black community, who gets scared by this 647 00:34:37,600 --> 00:34:40,359 Speaker 1: kind of coverage and right racist bullshit, and who are 648 00:34:40,360 --> 00:34:42,680 Speaker 1: always going to act to defend other dudes who went 649 00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:44,320 Speaker 1: to Yale and just happened to wind up in the 650 00:34:44,360 --> 00:34:47,400 Speaker 1: CIA instead. The New York Times editorial desk force or 651 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:51,920 Speaker 1: cool stuff, good, wonderful, great system. Yeah, I think you're you. 652 00:34:52,160 --> 00:34:55,600 Speaker 1: You nailed it. Uh, in the sense that you have 653 00:34:55,840 --> 00:35:01,640 Speaker 1: all these sort of concentric circles, these these these forces 654 00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:05,600 Speaker 1: you know, pressing down on the community that whether it's 655 00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:11,239 Speaker 1: police lawn you know, law enforcement, you know, unfair sentencing, uh, 656 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:14,480 Speaker 1: war on drugs, the drugs coming in, the c I A, 657 00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:17,800 Speaker 1: the d A, all these things all falling, not to 658 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:23,319 Speaker 1: mention like um, you know, discriminatory housing and just all 659 00:35:23,360 --> 00:35:28,520 Speaker 1: these things all happening. It's like you're you're anybody would 660 00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:32,560 Speaker 1: think are are all these people sitting around one table 661 00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:35,520 Speaker 1: and kind of deciding you know what I'm saying. And 662 00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:38,279 Speaker 1: that's that's when you get into the crazy because now 663 00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:40,719 Speaker 1: it's just like a plan and it doesn't know it 664 00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:42,959 Speaker 1: doesn't have to be a bunch of ship that's really 665 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:47,239 Speaker 1: bad result of a bunch of different gnarly trends and conspiracy. Again, 666 00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:50,160 Speaker 1: it's not that there's no those conspiracies all we've been 667 00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:54,279 Speaker 1: talking about this week's conspiracies. They're just not the Illuminati. 668 00:35:54,560 --> 00:35:57,880 Speaker 1: They're not well, yeah, it's not one big thing that 669 00:35:58,080 --> 00:36:01,600 Speaker 1: all spout from. It's all these little dudes that just 670 00:36:01,719 --> 00:36:07,000 Speaker 1: happen to have yeah, overlapping interests and whether it's and 671 00:36:07,120 --> 00:36:10,040 Speaker 1: it's it's this weird, like this weird power thing to 672 00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:15,360 Speaker 1: where it's like it's not so much I'm doing everything 673 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:19,399 Speaker 1: in my power to make sure you suffer. It's more 674 00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:23,080 Speaker 1: your success don't matter to me. Yeah, you know what 675 00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:25,239 Speaker 1: I'm saying. And that's like, and that's the thing that like, 676 00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:29,080 Speaker 1: it's it's it's it's what as as a I mean, 677 00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:31,359 Speaker 1: sometimes it is when you're just an out and out 678 00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:34,759 Speaker 1: near you know, Nazi, white supremacist, to where you're like, 679 00:36:34,880 --> 00:36:36,880 Speaker 1: I am doing everything in my power to make you 680 00:36:37,040 --> 00:36:41,640 Speaker 1: suffer versus you're just inconsequential and your success doesn't matter 681 00:36:41,719 --> 00:36:43,000 Speaker 1: to me. You're not a part of the country I 682 00:36:43,080 --> 00:36:45,160 Speaker 1: think of. And there are some people who are like, no, 683 00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:48,160 Speaker 1: I'm actually just super racist and I run a police 684 00:36:48,280 --> 00:36:50,680 Speaker 1: union that funds you know, a number of camp and 685 00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:53,080 Speaker 1: I want to push for mandatory minimums because I'm racist. 686 00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:56,960 Speaker 1: But other people are pushing for mandatory minimums because they're uh, 687 00:36:57,200 --> 00:36:59,560 Speaker 1: their voters got scared by the New York Times who 688 00:36:59,640 --> 00:37:01,120 Speaker 1: did it, but because it was a good story and 689 00:37:01,160 --> 00:37:03,879 Speaker 1: they're incredible and they're kind of races too, and all 690 00:37:03,960 --> 00:37:07,920 Speaker 1: of this, all of this feeds together. Um, anyway, let's continue. 691 00:37:08,200 --> 00:37:11,960 Speaker 1: But first, you know, what isn't a conspiracy prop show 692 00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:17,400 Speaker 1: straight up plans baby, that's right, not a conspiracy is 693 00:37:17,520 --> 00:37:21,000 Speaker 1: the products and services that support this podcast. The products 694 00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:23,719 Speaker 1: and services that support this podcast do meet around a 695 00:37:23,800 --> 00:37:27,520 Speaker 1: big table and they do secretly run the world. But 696 00:37:27,719 --> 00:37:32,160 Speaker 1: they're cool, so it's fine. They got nice shoes, they 697 00:37:32,280 --> 00:37:43,000 Speaker 1: got great shoes, incredible shoes. Anyway, here's ads. We're back. 698 00:37:43,280 --> 00:37:45,239 Speaker 1: We just got back from the secret table where our 699 00:37:45,239 --> 00:37:50,319 Speaker 1: sponsors run the world and can't confirm sneaker game. And yeah, 700 00:37:50,400 --> 00:37:53,399 Speaker 1: now I want to say, don't revolt and burn things down. 701 00:37:53,719 --> 00:37:57,560 Speaker 1: Um that's don't do that, um proper, you want to 702 00:37:57,560 --> 00:37:59,160 Speaker 1: take the jet skis out. I want to see if 703 00:37:59,200 --> 00:38:01,160 Speaker 1: the ones that are played gold work as well as 704 00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:03,640 Speaker 1: the ones with a platinum coating on man, I think 705 00:38:03,680 --> 00:38:08,040 Speaker 1: an aspen they work best well, of course without but 706 00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:11,160 Speaker 1: not the not the aspen. Our listeners know the secret 707 00:38:11,200 --> 00:38:14,720 Speaker 1: aspen that that that exists on on Mars for members 708 00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:18,080 Speaker 1: of the conspiracy. There's a space aspen. Yeah, there's a 709 00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:22,920 Speaker 1: Euroba aspen that. Oh that's even nicer. So it's incredible. 710 00:38:23,239 --> 00:38:26,359 Speaker 1: The fucking shrimp cocktails also better shrimp than you get there, 711 00:38:27,880 --> 00:38:30,399 Speaker 1: like the vein of in the in the shrimp that weed. 712 00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:33,719 Speaker 1: It's just gold. It's just gold instead of poop. But yeah, 713 00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:38,960 Speaker 1: you know, burned down the system anyway. Anyway, So, um, 714 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:42,239 Speaker 1: we're talking about the media response to all of this 715 00:38:42,360 --> 00:38:44,880 Speaker 1: ship and how they shut it down. One of the 716 00:38:44,960 --> 00:38:47,680 Speaker 1: most useful papers in terms of putting the kabash on 717 00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:50,960 Speaker 1: people getting angry about Dark Alliance was the Washington Post. 718 00:38:51,640 --> 00:38:54,520 Speaker 1: Uh and I want to quote now again from the CIA. 719 00:38:55,640 --> 00:38:58,719 Speaker 1: Because of the Post's national reputation, It's articles especially were 720 00:38:58,760 --> 00:39:01,000 Speaker 1: picked up by other papers, helping to create with the 721 00:39:01,040 --> 00:39:04,200 Speaker 1: Associated Press called a firestorm of reaction against the San 722 00:39:04,280 --> 00:39:08,200 Speaker 1: Jose Mercury News. Now about a month or so after 723 00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:11,640 Speaker 1: of this follows kind of of critical media coverage of 724 00:39:11,640 --> 00:39:13,680 Speaker 1: the series, and by the end of that first month, 725 00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:16,840 Speaker 1: the quote unquote balanced reporting just attacking Gary Webb in 726 00:39:16,920 --> 00:39:19,920 Speaker 1: his article outnumbers the stories that are actually taking what 727 00:39:20,040 --> 00:39:23,520 Speaker 1: he's talking about seriously and in their right. Up of this, 728 00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:26,319 Speaker 1: the CIA credits all of this to the Washington Post, 729 00:39:26,400 --> 00:39:28,879 Speaker 1: the New York Times quote, and especially at the Los 730 00:39:28,920 --> 00:39:33,960 Speaker 1: Angeles Times um webs webbs editors start to distance themselves 731 00:39:34,000 --> 00:39:36,440 Speaker 1: and abandon their reporter. By the end of October, two 732 00:39:36,520 --> 00:39:39,360 Speaker 1: months after the publication of Dark Alliance quote, the tone 733 00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:43,040 Speaker 1: of the entire CIA drug story had changed. Jumavick was 734 00:39:43,080 --> 00:39:45,680 Speaker 1: pleased to report quote. Most press coverage included as a 735 00:39:45,760 --> 00:39:49,680 Speaker 1: routine matter, the now widespread criticism of the Mercury News allegations. 736 00:39:51,080 --> 00:39:54,160 Speaker 1: I can bet now I don't. I'm not, I wasn't 737 00:39:54,160 --> 00:39:57,560 Speaker 1: an adult during this time, but I can bet that 738 00:39:58,400 --> 00:40:02,400 Speaker 1: the tone among whatever plugged in or tapped in like 739 00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:05,200 Speaker 1: black people in this professional space that would be knowing 740 00:40:05,239 --> 00:40:09,239 Speaker 1: all this stuff is like, you know, this is all 741 00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:13,160 Speaker 1: the confirmation we need. The fact that you're going after 742 00:40:13,280 --> 00:40:15,000 Speaker 1: this man so much it makes us be like, oh, 743 00:40:15,080 --> 00:40:18,480 Speaker 1: so he's so he's right. Okay, yeah, I got it. 744 00:40:18,560 --> 00:40:21,279 Speaker 1: Thanks guys, Okay, yeah, I got it, Like yeah, yeah, 745 00:40:23,600 --> 00:40:25,920 Speaker 1: But now that y'all going through all this to stop him, 746 00:40:26,239 --> 00:40:29,080 Speaker 1: now I know. Yeah. Um, And that is how a 747 00:40:29,160 --> 00:40:31,560 Speaker 1: lot of people react. And we have now learned to 748 00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:33,480 Speaker 1: a point of certainty with all of the stuff that's 749 00:40:33,480 --> 00:40:35,719 Speaker 1: come out since that's been classified, that's been reported on. 750 00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:39,320 Speaker 1: Gary Webb was right. The claim that he made was 751 00:40:39,400 --> 00:40:42,120 Speaker 1: that the CIA deliberately enabled the cocaine trade to fund 752 00:40:42,160 --> 00:40:46,279 Speaker 1: the contrast. That was absolutely true. His central thesis, his 753 00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:49,560 Speaker 1: central thing that he was trying to show was real. Now, 754 00:40:49,680 --> 00:40:51,520 Speaker 1: he didn't have all of the information that we have 755 00:40:51,680 --> 00:40:53,320 Speaker 1: in order to prove it, and that is a flaw 756 00:40:53,520 --> 00:40:57,160 Speaker 1: in the article. Um, but all of the journalism quote 757 00:40:57,239 --> 00:40:59,880 Speaker 1: unquote journalism that was done to attack webs work was 758 00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:04,000 Speaker 1: deeply flawed itself, as the Columbia Journalism Review makes clear. 759 00:41:04,680 --> 00:41:08,200 Speaker 1: All three papers ignored evidence from declassified National Security Council 760 00:41:08,280 --> 00:41:10,840 Speaker 1: email messages, and The New York Times and The Washington 761 00:41:10,880 --> 00:41:14,760 Speaker 1: Post ignored evidence from Oliver North's notebooks, which lends support 762 00:41:14,800 --> 00:41:17,440 Speaker 1: to the underlying premise of the Mercury News series that 763 00:41:17,600 --> 00:41:20,560 Speaker 1: US officials would both condone and protect drug traffickers if 764 00:41:20,640 --> 00:41:23,719 Speaker 1: doing so advanced the Contra cause. The October twenty one 765 00:41:23,840 --> 00:41:26,760 Speaker 1: New York Times piece didn't even mention the Carry Committee report. 766 00:41:27,120 --> 00:41:30,520 Speaker 1: A decade ago, the national media lowballed the Contra drug story. 767 00:41:30,640 --> 00:41:33,680 Speaker 1: David Corne observed in the nation, now it's been there, 768 00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:39,120 Speaker 1: done that. On October, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence 769 00:41:39,160 --> 00:41:41,960 Speaker 1: held its first hearing on the controversy surrounding the new 770 00:41:42,040 --> 00:41:46,120 Speaker 1: Contra drug allegations. Jack Bloom, former lead investigator for the 771 00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:50,440 Speaker 1: Carry Committee, was lead witness. Bloom testified that his investigators 772 00:41:50,480 --> 00:41:53,840 Speaker 1: had found no evidence whatsoever that the African American community 773 00:41:53,920 --> 00:41:56,800 Speaker 1: was a particular target of a plot to sell crack cocaine, 774 00:41:57,320 --> 00:41:59,720 Speaker 1: or that high US official head of policy of supporting 775 00:41:59,719 --> 00:42:03,640 Speaker 1: the through drug sales which is not what Web had alleged. Right, 776 00:42:03,880 --> 00:42:05,759 Speaker 1: Web does not allege a plot. Web says that the 777 00:42:05,800 --> 00:42:08,879 Speaker 1: CIA is helping coke move into the country, which is true. Yes, 778 00:42:09,040 --> 00:42:12,279 Speaker 1: and Bloom testifies further quote, if you ask whether the 779 00:42:12,360 --> 00:42:15,600 Speaker 1: United States government ignored the drug problem and subverted law 780 00:42:15,680 --> 00:42:18,239 Speaker 1: enforcement to prevent embarrassment and to reward our allies in 781 00:42:18,280 --> 00:42:21,120 Speaker 1: the contra war, the answer is yes, which you might 782 00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:25,759 Speaker 1: recognize as saying Gary Webb was right, yes, right, exactly exactly. Now. 783 00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:29,000 Speaker 1: The CIA found, of course, no intent to smuggle cocaine 784 00:42:29,040 --> 00:42:31,560 Speaker 1: into the United States or to enable drug smugglers to 785 00:42:31,640 --> 00:42:35,480 Speaker 1: do the same. Instead, they blamed all the extremely documented 786 00:42:35,560 --> 00:42:38,720 Speaker 1: cases of contrast smuggling coke into the US as something 787 00:42:38,840 --> 00:42:42,120 Speaker 1: all their agents had just missed because like g Chucks, 788 00:42:42,360 --> 00:42:45,440 Speaker 1: the CIA forgot to mandate that CIA agents had to 789 00:42:45,480 --> 00:42:48,839 Speaker 1: report evidence of drug smuggling by their contacts. Right, that's 790 00:42:48,880 --> 00:42:51,080 Speaker 1: literally the excuse, Like, well, they missed it because they 791 00:42:51,120 --> 00:42:53,120 Speaker 1: weren't told to report it, so they just didn't notice it. 792 00:42:53,320 --> 00:42:55,200 Speaker 1: They just missed all this blow right because it was 793 00:42:55,239 --> 00:42:58,080 Speaker 1: their job to spot it. Right. Listen, Like I said, 794 00:42:58,719 --> 00:43:05,040 Speaker 1: I'm here for the lobsters. I'm not here or the beef. Yeah, 795 00:43:05,040 --> 00:43:06,839 Speaker 1: I don't even see those cows. I don't even see 796 00:43:06,880 --> 00:43:11,520 Speaker 1: those I don't even see what I'm here for this. Yeah, 797 00:43:11,600 --> 00:43:14,520 Speaker 1: I'm gonna quote from PBS again. In the winter of 798 00:43:14,600 --> 00:43:17,040 Speaker 1: nineteen two, as the United States was plotting how to 799 00:43:17,160 --> 00:43:19,960 Speaker 1: overthrow the Sandinista government that came to power in Nicaragua, 800 00:43:20,120 --> 00:43:22,800 Speaker 1: a letter a memorandum of understanding m o U was 801 00:43:22,880 --> 00:43:25,960 Speaker 1: being drafted in Washington, d c. The presumptive author was 802 00:43:26,040 --> 00:43:28,800 Speaker 1: the U S Attorney General, the late William French Smith. 803 00:43:29,080 --> 00:43:32,680 Speaker 1: The recipient was the Central Intelligence Agency Director William Casey. 804 00:43:33,160 --> 00:43:35,680 Speaker 1: The subject was a list of offenses that CIA field 805 00:43:35,760 --> 00:43:38,040 Speaker 1: officers in the field were required to report if they 806 00:43:38,080 --> 00:43:40,880 Speaker 1: witnessed or became aware of a crime, particularly if it 807 00:43:40,960 --> 00:43:43,640 Speaker 1: involved an informant or someone the CIA officer wanted to 808 00:43:43,719 --> 00:43:46,880 Speaker 1: recruit as an agent. The letter of understanding listed all 809 00:43:47,000 --> 00:43:49,560 Speaker 1: kinds of crimes, from murder to passport fraud, but it 810 00:43:49,640 --> 00:43:54,879 Speaker 1: omitted narcotics violations because we know, yeah, if he's killing people, 811 00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:56,440 Speaker 1: we want to know, But if he's moving blow into 812 00:43:56,480 --> 00:43:58,399 Speaker 1: the country, we don't really give a ship. That's literally 813 00:43:58,480 --> 00:44:02,120 Speaker 1: that's what it's saying right now. This is too glaring 814 00:44:02,160 --> 00:44:04,479 Speaker 1: of an oversight to have left without comment, and weeks 815 00:44:04,560 --> 00:44:07,480 Speaker 1: later there's a follow up letter based on internal discussion 816 00:44:07,560 --> 00:44:09,840 Speaker 1: in the Justice Department that gets sent to the c I. 817 00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:12,600 Speaker 1: A quote, I have been advised that a question arose 818 00:44:12,640 --> 00:44:15,120 Speaker 1: regarding the need to add all narcotics violations to the 819 00:44:15,200 --> 00:44:17,719 Speaker 1: list of non employee claims. This is something Smith writes 820 00:44:17,760 --> 00:44:23,239 Speaker 1: to Casey in February. Uh so you know that sounds good, 821 00:44:23,360 --> 00:44:25,640 Speaker 1: but this actually doesn't add drugs to the list of 822 00:44:25,680 --> 00:44:28,240 Speaker 1: things that have to be reported. Um because Smith, instead 823 00:44:28,280 --> 00:44:30,480 Speaker 1: of adding it to the list, just sites existing federal 824 00:44:30,560 --> 00:44:33,800 Speaker 1: policy on narcotics enforcement and writes, quote, in light of 825 00:44:33,840 --> 00:44:36,320 Speaker 1: these provisions, and in view of the fine cooperation of 826 00:44:36,360 --> 00:44:39,640 Speaker 1: the Drug Enforcement Administration has received from the CIA, no 827 00:44:39,840 --> 00:44:43,440 Speaker 1: formal requirement regarding the reporting of narcotics violations has been 828 00:44:43,800 --> 00:44:48,200 Speaker 1: included in these procedures. So basically, we're already working so 829 00:44:48,360 --> 00:44:51,840 Speaker 1: good together. Federal employees are already required to talk about 830 00:44:51,880 --> 00:44:54,239 Speaker 1: this stuff, so we don't need to add. We we 831 00:44:54,320 --> 00:44:57,440 Speaker 1: can keep narcotics exempted from the things c I agents 832 00:44:57,480 --> 00:45:01,759 Speaker 1: after report because we know they will right which we 833 00:45:01,960 --> 00:45:08,000 Speaker 1: know they weren't. Now, Inspector CIA Inspector General Fred Hits 834 00:45:08,120 --> 00:45:12,080 Speaker 1: tells the PBS when he's questioned that because they're asking, like, 835 00:45:12,200 --> 00:45:14,960 Speaker 1: what do you make of this CIA inspector general? It 836 00:45:15,000 --> 00:45:16,719 Speaker 1: seems shady, and he's like, well, it's at best a 837 00:45:16,800 --> 00:45:22,040 Speaker 1: mixed message, right these now listen, that's a mixed message. Yes, 838 00:45:22,200 --> 00:45:24,680 Speaker 1: six these dudes may not be good at criming, but 839 00:45:24,760 --> 00:45:28,360 Speaker 1: they are good at excuses. They're incredible at excuses, and 840 00:45:28,480 --> 00:45:33,520 Speaker 1: here they're what had Hattenwim was game is ridiculous, It 841 00:45:33,640 --> 00:45:37,280 Speaker 1: hits very this is very funny, claims that he to PBS. 842 00:45:37,360 --> 00:45:40,360 Speaker 1: He doesn't believe CIA agents would have enabled drug traffic 843 00:45:40,400 --> 00:45:42,919 Speaker 1: to allow the Contrast to fund themselves, because that would 844 00:45:42,920 --> 00:45:46,600 Speaker 1: have been bad pr Now you and I know prop 845 00:45:46,960 --> 00:45:49,840 Speaker 1: that the Reagan administration and the CIA actively worked to 846 00:45:49,880 --> 00:45:53,520 Speaker 1: discredit journalists reporting on the CIA for doing just that. 847 00:45:54,320 --> 00:45:56,440 Speaker 1: When the agency took any action to crack down on 848 00:45:56,440 --> 00:45:59,680 Speaker 1: the drug trade, it was purely for show. In seven, 849 00:46:00,200 --> 00:46:03,000 Speaker 1: CIA Director Robert Gates sent a memorandum to the CIA 850 00:46:03,120 --> 00:46:07,240 Speaker 1: Deputy director demanding that CIA officers cease relationships with Contrast, 851 00:46:07,480 --> 00:46:12,400 Speaker 1: even suspected of trafficking narcotics. Here's PBS again. Gates's memorandum 852 00:46:12,440 --> 00:46:15,400 Speaker 1: instructed George to vet names of air crews. Air Services 853 00:46:15,560 --> 00:46:19,000 Speaker 1: employed companies and subcontractors with the d E, a, U, S, Customs, 854 00:46:19,040 --> 00:46:21,520 Speaker 1: and the FBI to ensure that none of the contractors 855 00:46:21,600 --> 00:46:24,440 Speaker 1: used by the CIA were involved in narcotics. For some reason, 856 00:46:24,680 --> 00:46:27,920 Speaker 1: this memorandum quote was not issued in any form that 857 00:46:27,960 --> 00:46:31,840 Speaker 1: would advise agency employees generally of this policy. It stated 858 00:46:31,920 --> 00:46:34,360 Speaker 1: in his report. It never got to the field agents 859 00:46:34,400 --> 00:46:36,160 Speaker 1: who were supposed to use it as a guide. So 860 00:46:36,280 --> 00:46:39,080 Speaker 1: it's just like, look, we recognized the problem, and we 861 00:46:39,280 --> 00:46:41,840 Speaker 1: made it a rule that they had to run everything 862 00:46:41,920 --> 00:46:43,440 Speaker 1: by the FBI in the DA. They had to check 863 00:46:43,480 --> 00:46:44,879 Speaker 1: on these guys and vet them to make sure they're 864 00:46:44,880 --> 00:46:46,719 Speaker 1: not moving drugs. We noticed there was a problem, and 865 00:46:46,800 --> 00:46:49,200 Speaker 1: we took action. What did you tell anyone whose job 866 00:46:49,239 --> 00:46:51,160 Speaker 1: it was to vet these people that they had to 867 00:46:51,239 --> 00:46:53,920 Speaker 1: do that? Well, no, we forgot to. We sucked that 868 00:46:54,000 --> 00:46:57,320 Speaker 1: one up. We really fucked that one. Upp tootles. Hey, Homy, 869 00:46:57,400 --> 00:47:00,960 Speaker 1: that's that's clerical, bro. Listen, listen, charge it to my head, 870 00:47:01,040 --> 00:47:03,439 Speaker 1: not my heart. I'm not a big deal. We tried 871 00:47:03,520 --> 00:47:05,560 Speaker 1: to do the right thing. It just got sucked up 872 00:47:05,640 --> 00:47:10,319 Speaker 1: for reasons that were completely unavoidable. Guys, guys, you're looking 873 00:47:10,360 --> 00:47:14,759 Speaker 1: at the locker room. Guys, listen, Uh, when the team 874 00:47:14,880 --> 00:47:19,200 Speaker 1: comes in, just make sure they know that they gotta 875 00:47:19,239 --> 00:47:23,040 Speaker 1: stop grabbing asses. Okay, you gotta stop grabbing asses. Guys. 876 00:47:23,160 --> 00:47:26,239 Speaker 1: That everybody's mad at us. So when you see a 877 00:47:26,360 --> 00:47:29,680 Speaker 1: juicy ass, you can't grab it. Okay, all right, all 878 00:47:29,719 --> 00:47:37,319 Speaker 1: right here come to guys. It's just silence. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, 879 00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:39,000 Speaker 1: we don't need to say any more than that. Um 880 00:47:39,200 --> 00:47:42,040 Speaker 1: I said it. Yeah, I said it. At some point, 881 00:47:43,400 --> 00:47:46,239 Speaker 1: you guys saw me see it. We put it in 882 00:47:46,360 --> 00:47:49,080 Speaker 1: the rule book. Now they're not required to read the 883 00:47:49,160 --> 00:47:51,360 Speaker 1: rule book. In fact, they're not allowed to. We didn't 884 00:47:51,360 --> 00:47:53,120 Speaker 1: give it to them. The rule books are held on 885 00:47:53,200 --> 00:47:56,600 Speaker 1: the top of a mountain in eastern fucking Turkmenistan, and 886 00:47:56,880 --> 00:47:58,440 Speaker 1: and none of them can get to it. But it's 887 00:47:58,480 --> 00:48:00,640 Speaker 1: in the rule books. You know, what else do you 888 00:48:00,719 --> 00:48:03,120 Speaker 1: want for us? You would to track down these agents 889 00:48:03,400 --> 00:48:05,600 Speaker 1: and put a paper in their hands. Yeah, I told 890 00:48:05,640 --> 00:48:08,839 Speaker 1: him they can't do it, man. Yeah, they're honorable men. 891 00:48:09,160 --> 00:48:12,600 Speaker 1: You know they won't do it. And do it anyway. Yeah. So, 892 00:48:13,120 --> 00:48:14,680 Speaker 1: as the years have gone on and all this has 893 00:48:14,719 --> 00:48:16,759 Speaker 1: come out, it has become clear that Gary Webb was 894 00:48:17,000 --> 00:48:20,120 Speaker 1: guilty of being sloppy right. It's not perfect or even 895 00:48:20,160 --> 00:48:24,279 Speaker 1: ideal reporting. There's issues with it. His conclusions and allegations, 896 00:48:24,320 --> 00:48:26,640 Speaker 1: while not supported by the text of his article, though, 897 00:48:26,880 --> 00:48:29,120 Speaker 1: are supported by the facts that we know now and 898 00:48:29,160 --> 00:48:31,160 Speaker 1: the facts that have emerged since, and a number of 899 00:48:31,200 --> 00:48:34,319 Speaker 1: the facts that Gary didn't bring up but were available then, 900 00:48:34,400 --> 00:48:36,239 Speaker 1: and that the Washington Post, in the New York Times 901 00:48:36,280 --> 00:48:38,040 Speaker 1: and the l A Times should have brought up, like 902 00:48:38,120 --> 00:48:40,000 Speaker 1: the ship from the Cary Report, like the ship from 903 00:48:40,000 --> 00:48:43,200 Speaker 1: the AP report and eight five um. Of course, the 904 00:48:43,280 --> 00:48:45,960 Speaker 1: fact that Gary has been vindicated by time did not 905 00:48:46,200 --> 00:48:48,920 Speaker 1: mean anything for Gary Webb. The damage had been done 906 00:48:48,960 --> 00:48:52,080 Speaker 1: to his career. He was disgraced, and the CIA crack 907 00:48:52,120 --> 00:48:54,880 Speaker 1: epidemic story had gone from a mainstream outrage to a 908 00:48:54,960 --> 00:48:59,600 Speaker 1: conspiracy theory that was widely mocked. The Washington Post even published. 909 00:49:00,040 --> 00:49:01,600 Speaker 1: Of the things they do in this period is they 910 00:49:01,640 --> 00:49:04,239 Speaker 1: put in an article like a warning about the black 911 00:49:04,320 --> 00:49:08,640 Speaker 1: community susceptibility to conspiracy theories. Where's the Washington Post. We 912 00:49:08,760 --> 00:49:11,719 Speaker 1: gotta let you know, We've noticed a troubling trend, which 913 00:49:11,760 --> 00:49:14,840 Speaker 1: is black people they're sharing conspiracy theories. He's not a 914 00:49:14,880 --> 00:49:17,520 Speaker 1: good book. You gotta watch you say around him because 915 00:49:17,520 --> 00:49:20,480 Speaker 1: you know, the kind of believe anything. They really think 916 00:49:20,520 --> 00:49:22,680 Speaker 1: the whole government's out to get them and the media. 917 00:49:22,920 --> 00:49:26,480 Speaker 1: What a silly group of people, do you believe? It? Mean? 918 00:49:26,560 --> 00:49:29,439 Speaker 1: Whateverence do they have that that might be happening. Yeah, 919 00:49:29,840 --> 00:49:32,560 Speaker 1: it's like, yeah, it's like sucking hitting your friend in 920 00:49:32,640 --> 00:49:34,359 Speaker 1: the head with a hammer and being like his real 921 00:49:34,440 --> 00:49:36,879 Speaker 1: susceptible to getting hit in the head with a hammer. Boy, 922 00:49:36,960 --> 00:49:39,520 Speaker 1: that guy's head can't stop catching hammers. Am I right? 923 00:49:40,040 --> 00:49:43,040 Speaker 1: Jesus Jez. Can't do anything around this guy. Man might 924 00:49:43,080 --> 00:49:45,000 Speaker 1: get a hammer to his head, can't bring a hammer out. 925 00:49:45,040 --> 00:49:49,120 Speaker 1: He keeps getting hit with him. Yeah. Webb's career never recovered. 926 00:49:49,239 --> 00:49:52,200 Speaker 1: On December two four, he shot himself in the head 927 00:49:52,280 --> 00:49:55,799 Speaker 1: with a thirty eight. Ten years later, David Carr, writing 928 00:49:55,840 --> 00:49:58,040 Speaker 1: for The New York Times, wrote an article that serves 929 00:49:58,120 --> 00:50:00,040 Speaker 1: as the closest will get to an apology for the 930 00:50:00,239 --> 00:50:02,879 Speaker 1: Great Lady. We've quoted from it a couple of times. Here. 931 00:50:03,200 --> 00:50:06,799 Speaker 1: There's widespread recognition that it was pretty fucked up, although 932 00:50:06,840 --> 00:50:09,560 Speaker 1: you can still find articles in mainstream says Gary Webb 933 00:50:09,760 --> 00:50:12,000 Speaker 1: was not, you know, really fucked up, and like we 934 00:50:12,080 --> 00:50:14,160 Speaker 1: weren't wrong to go after him and to ignore all 935 00:50:14,200 --> 00:50:17,440 Speaker 1: of these problems and act as cover for the CIA, 936 00:50:17,800 --> 00:50:20,960 Speaker 1: like it's it's all fucked up prop But that's the story. 937 00:50:21,320 --> 00:50:26,200 Speaker 1: That's all the story, man. So it was like seven 938 00:50:26,480 --> 00:50:30,920 Speaker 1: seven countries involved mad moving parts people at the highest 939 00:50:31,040 --> 00:50:35,720 Speaker 1: level of government. A journalist breaks it, tells the truth, 940 00:50:36,280 --> 00:50:42,279 Speaker 1: Polkes's head up the rest of the journalism community, and 941 00:50:43,239 --> 00:50:45,279 Speaker 1: then the due A kills himself because he makes him 942 00:50:45,280 --> 00:50:48,080 Speaker 1: feel like he's taking crazy pills. It's one of those things. 943 00:50:48,120 --> 00:50:52,080 Speaker 1: There's a meme spreading around that's like the the award 944 00:50:52,160 --> 00:50:54,880 Speaker 1: for the CIA Award for Excellence in Journalism, and it's 945 00:50:54,920 --> 00:50:57,600 Speaker 1: a bullet and that is an accurate joke in like 946 00:50:57,719 --> 00:51:00,200 Speaker 1: parts of Latin America rights in Latin America, the c 947 00:51:00,360 --> 00:51:03,120 Speaker 1: i a s s it was either directly did or 948 00:51:03,160 --> 00:51:05,320 Speaker 1: through there. And in other parts of the world, the 949 00:51:05,400 --> 00:51:08,160 Speaker 1: CIA has assassinated a lot of journalists. They don't have 950 00:51:08,320 --> 00:51:09,680 Speaker 1: to do that. You don't have to send a guy 951 00:51:09,719 --> 00:51:12,480 Speaker 1: with a silenced weapon to kill Gary Webb. New York 952 00:51:12,560 --> 00:51:14,520 Speaker 1: Times has got your back. They're just gonna hound him 953 00:51:14,560 --> 00:51:18,320 Speaker 1: to suicide because they got scooped. We're good, baby, damn 954 00:51:18,880 --> 00:51:21,360 Speaker 1: saves us. The bullet money that's that's that's see. I 955 00:51:21,360 --> 00:51:23,920 Speaker 1: didn't know that one because Bud mcmarty killed himself too. 956 00:51:24,760 --> 00:51:29,480 Speaker 1: He shared and I'm sure there's yeah, um boy, yeah, 957 00:51:29,480 --> 00:51:33,200 Speaker 1: I don't want to get into other It's totally understandable 958 00:51:33,239 --> 00:51:36,120 Speaker 1: if you're feeling conspiratorial after this. And I'm not gonna 959 00:51:36,160 --> 00:51:39,000 Speaker 1: say much more than that because it's cool and fine, 960 00:51:39,920 --> 00:51:42,759 Speaker 1: proper you got anything to plug well, this has been 961 00:51:43,040 --> 00:51:50,479 Speaker 1: a phenomenal piece of art we've put together that. Yeah, 962 00:51:50,719 --> 00:51:54,120 Speaker 1: so op over to the politics spot man, you know 963 00:51:54,480 --> 00:51:57,879 Speaker 1: where hopefully if you had part five, it is when 964 00:51:57,920 --> 00:52:01,239 Speaker 1: you know that the pieces that this was altogether was 965 00:52:01,800 --> 00:52:03,920 Speaker 1: how come I can't talk and you didn't warn me out? 966 00:52:04,560 --> 00:52:07,400 Speaker 1: And and this is and this was my idea to 967 00:52:07,560 --> 00:52:13,719 Speaker 1: do this series. You warn me out? But yeah, now 968 00:52:14,760 --> 00:52:19,320 Speaker 1: politics pod and uh, what upcoming topics do you have 969 00:52:19,440 --> 00:52:22,480 Speaker 1: on politics? Oh man? Besides the other parts of this 970 00:52:23,000 --> 00:52:25,920 Speaker 1: I have? Uh did we talk about the queen already? 971 00:52:25,920 --> 00:52:28,600 Speaker 1: We already talked about the Queen? We got tapping in 972 00:52:28,880 --> 00:52:31,560 Speaker 1: or it's up like lessons on how you need to 973 00:52:31,600 --> 00:52:34,759 Speaker 1: tap in before you talk to people? Uh? I got 974 00:52:34,880 --> 00:52:37,319 Speaker 1: a book reading list where you can get your weight up. 975 00:52:37,440 --> 00:52:40,879 Speaker 1: Talk about a little bit of things like that. Um, yeah, 976 00:52:41,040 --> 00:52:44,960 Speaker 1: it's a lot going on over there. Check out hood 977 00:52:45,040 --> 00:52:50,239 Speaker 1: Politics and get uh props cold Brew Tear for get 978 00:52:50,280 --> 00:52:53,960 Speaker 1: my cold Brew and his book terror Form. Yes, it's 979 00:52:53,960 --> 00:52:58,680 Speaker 1: all there. Yeah, and the and the um your music, Yeah, 980 00:52:58,719 --> 00:53:03,439 Speaker 1: there's new music. Yeah, all all named Terraform because what's 981 00:53:03,480 --> 00:53:05,640 Speaker 1: your what's your website again? It's is it prop hip 982 00:53:05,680 --> 00:53:08,399 Speaker 1: hop dot com? Yes it is. Thank you, Sophie prop 983 00:53:08,480 --> 00:53:11,239 Speaker 1: hip hop dot com for all the things prop hip 984 00:53:11,320 --> 00:53:15,719 Speaker 1: hop dot com terra Form. Check it all out. You 985 00:53:15,760 --> 00:53:18,879 Speaker 1: can find me with my novel, which you should read, 986 00:53:18,960 --> 00:53:22,520 Speaker 1: called After the Revolution. Go to any place that sells books, 987 00:53:22,560 --> 00:53:25,960 Speaker 1: any website that sells books. Type it in After the Revolution. 988 00:53:26,200 --> 00:53:29,120 Speaker 1: You can buy a copy the Homie books paperback all that. 989 00:53:29,440 --> 00:53:31,840 Speaker 1: You can also type in After the Revolution a k 990 00:53:32,040 --> 00:53:34,040 Speaker 1: Books and you'll find it there. Talk to the homie 991 00:53:34,080 --> 00:53:37,800 Speaker 1: skull Fucker Mike. Yeah, you can learn the ballad of 992 00:53:37,880 --> 00:53:41,240 Speaker 1: skull Fucker Mike uh and more to come in the sequel. 993 00:53:41,400 --> 00:53:43,359 Speaker 1: He needs a Yeah, I was like, the goulfucker needs 994 00:53:43,440 --> 00:53:45,960 Speaker 1: his own uh side. So you're gonna learn a lot 995 00:53:46,000 --> 00:53:49,160 Speaker 1: more about skull Fucker my. But let's all funk our 996 00:53:49,200 --> 00:53:53,359 Speaker 1: own skulls right now to chill out after being sad. 997 00:53:53,960 --> 00:54:00,319 Speaker 1: Thank you, what a great week, Yes in two