1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:02,960 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, it's Josh and Chuck and we're coming to 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:06,000 Speaker 1: see you guys, some of you some cities. Just listen up. 3 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:08,200 Speaker 1: That's right, because you know, we just did Chicago and 4 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:10,879 Speaker 1: Toronto and it went great, and I think our topic 5 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: of went really well. Everyone loved hearing about me. That's right. 6 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:18,639 Speaker 1: So if you're in Boston, you can come see us 7 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 1: in August twenty nine at the Wilbur Portland, Maine, Maine, 8 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: at the State Theater on August thirty. I can't wait. 9 00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: I'm gonna Labor Day weekend. I'm gonna stay the whole weekend. 10 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 1: I'll be all over Maine. That's great, man. Where else. 11 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 1: We're gonna be in Orlando on October nine, and then 12 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:35,680 Speaker 1: on October t we're going to be in New Orleans, Man. 13 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 1: And then later on that month we're doing a three 14 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:42,600 Speaker 1: night stand at the Bellhouse in Brooklyn. That's right. Is 15 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: sold out, but you can still get tickets for the 16 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:47,559 Speaker 1: and we will see you then. Check it out at 17 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:51,920 Speaker 1: s y s K live dot com. Welcome to Stuff 18 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: you should Know, a production of My Heart Radios How 19 00:00:54,520 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: Stuff Works. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark. 20 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 1: There's Charles W Chuck Bryant with Jerry over there eating 21 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:10,680 Speaker 1: with chopstick. As a matter of fact, you know what, 22 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,960 Speaker 1: Jerry pulls up the chopsticks. It's time to record. That's right. Yeah, 23 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 1: he's got she's got Facebook open and she's sitting there 24 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:20,240 Speaker 1: with her chopsticks. So it's we're recording. Jerry's been fork 25 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:25,760 Speaker 1: free since eighty three. Speaking of eighty three, your shirt, 26 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:28,680 Speaker 1: I guess it's kind of eighty three ish. It looks 27 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:31,960 Speaker 1: very Thomas Magnum. It does chuck. It does not just 28 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: the shirt, the whole outfit. Look at the jeans, the shoes. Yeah, yeah, 29 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 1: you got the Ferrari out back. Thank you for noticing, man, 30 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 1: I look like a chubby Thomas Magnum. It's funny because 31 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: I just finished Stranger Things three, and um, I saw 32 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: that there was Have you seen it yet? Are you 33 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: into that? No? I I like the first season. I 34 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: never really got back into it after that. No, no 35 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: offense to anybody. Sure, Uh, the main the sheriff guy, yeah, 36 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: Hop wears a shirt kind of like that through most 37 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: of this season. And so someone did a cut of 38 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:09,639 Speaker 1: a like a Magnum p I intro and had him 39 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 1: running around and shooting things and jumping into cars. I'll 40 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:14,360 Speaker 1: set to the Magnum thing and it really fits at 41 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:19,119 Speaker 1: that song with the guy with a shirt like that 42 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: and it's magnum. Of course he has a mustache too. Well, 43 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: I'm a mustache less chubby. You should wear a mustache. 44 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:28,920 Speaker 1: That's look interesting. I don't know. I do solve a 45 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 1: lot of mysteries, though. Nothing can change a look like mustaches, 46 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 1: Oh dude, especially spontaneously, right, especially a fake mustache, because 47 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:40,720 Speaker 1: you just put it on and bam, you're done. So uh, 48 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: I tried. I'm gonna go back to the eight three segue. 49 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: Yeah we're here, right, We're right in the middle of 50 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:48,920 Speaker 1: the eighties. Yeah, like this is super eighties. This is 51 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 1: as eighties as it gets. I wrong. Contra fair, that's 52 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 1: what we're talking about. Some people call it irong gate 53 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:59,800 Speaker 1: poo poo, that name iron contra sure um. I remember 54 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 1: this going on at the time too. I remember watching 55 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 1: Oliver North testify too, and my sister was like, he's 56 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: so dreamy. Look at how much poise he has. He 57 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:14,399 Speaker 1: had his dress greens on, had his boy scout three 58 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:18,919 Speaker 1: fingers up like swearing. I really think he did do that. Um, 59 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: but even as an adult, like everything I knew about 60 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: Iron Contra, like until researching this, it was just the 61 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 1: glossiest version. Well, I mean I was like ten and eleven, 62 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 1: so you were like seven and eight. Sure, sure, but 63 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 1: I mean like still over time, as you age, you're like, oh, 64 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: that's what was going on or oh I understand that 65 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 1: even as an adult, my conception of it was not 66 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: very thorough at all. And as I dug into I'm like, 67 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 1: this is one of the shadiest things has ever done ever. Yeah, 68 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 1: and it was really great to do this and like 69 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 1: now I know it. Now I have a full understanding 70 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: of what happened. And if it ever comes up at 71 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: a party and people like, oh what was that all about? Anyway, 72 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 1: and be like, well, please sit down for an hour 73 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 1: and I'll just pull up my smartphone and play our episode. 74 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: Actually maybe an hour and a half. We'll see how 75 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 1: this goes. Yeah, by the way, everyone, this is a 76 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: two parter buckle up and so, uh, this is part one. 77 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:19,599 Speaker 1: I figured we'd start with the beginning. I think that's 78 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 1: a really good idea. That reminds me of my friend 79 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:28,919 Speaker 1: in college watched the movie. Uh, which one was it? Shortcuts. 80 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:32,279 Speaker 1: The movie that was on two video cassettes. It was 81 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:34,240 Speaker 1: so long, you know, they had to split them up. 82 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: Was it Magnolia A Bridge too far? I can't remember. 83 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:40,520 Speaker 1: My friend in college, very very famously among our friends, 84 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:44,280 Speaker 1: watched the second tape first and then watch the first 85 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:46,919 Speaker 1: tape second and didn't really put it together. She was 86 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 1: just like, I thought it was a little confusing, really, 87 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:52,320 Speaker 1: so it was accidental. Oh yeah, And then she was 88 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 1: like and then she showed up in the and the 89 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:58,479 Speaker 1: second part, and I was like, she's already dead. She 90 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:01,119 Speaker 1: was kind of country. This is kind of funny movies, 91 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: one of them anachronisms. Yeah, well, this is not anachronism, 92 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:08,440 Speaker 1: because we're gonna be normal, smart, singing people and start 93 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:10,839 Speaker 1: at the beginning. And there's really no better place to 94 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:15,200 Speaker 1: start than the election of Ronald Reagan. In Ronald Reagan, 95 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:18,520 Speaker 1: if you weren't familiar with him already when he was president, 96 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:21,719 Speaker 1: he had already been governor of California. But even before that, 97 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 1: he had a pretty extensive career in Hollywood. And while 98 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:29,839 Speaker 1: he was a pretty big star in Hollywood at least 99 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:33,000 Speaker 1: B plus list if not a list actor, I mean, 100 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,600 Speaker 1: he was a medium sized star, but definitely way more 101 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:40,360 Speaker 1: famous as president than he ever was as a movie star. Um. 102 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:46,039 Speaker 1: He learned to detest communism. And at the time, communism 103 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:49,600 Speaker 1: was a really big thing in Hollywood, like it was 104 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:54,920 Speaker 1: very fashionable, um, especially among the intellectuals of Hollywood. And 105 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:56,760 Speaker 1: he learned to hate it so much so that by 106 00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: the time he got to be president, he had this 107 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 1: idea that there was it was impossible for capitalist democracy 108 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:11,160 Speaker 1: and communism to coexist even peacefully on Earth. You couldn't 109 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:13,159 Speaker 1: have both. You had to have one or the other. 110 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:15,839 Speaker 1: And by god, Ronald Reagan was going to see to 111 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:19,360 Speaker 1: it that the one that we had was a capitalist democracy. Yeah. 112 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:24,440 Speaker 1: He wanted to stamp out communism wherever it reared its head. Uh, 113 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 1: and it was rearing its head close to home, which 114 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 1: we'll see here in a second, but all over the world. 115 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, for sure. He it was called the Reagan Bits, 116 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:34,440 Speaker 1: and pieces of it were right, and he came up 117 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 1: with the Reagan doctrine. And the Reagan doctrine was, um, 118 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:44,520 Speaker 1: we will aid any any opposition to communism wherever it's spouts, 119 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:47,640 Speaker 1: Like if you're if you're fighting against a communist revolution, 120 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 1: will support your country. If you're a rebel fighting against 121 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:55,760 Speaker 1: a leftist communists, Um government will help you overthrow. That's 122 00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:01,040 Speaker 1: the Reagan doctrine. Yeah, via money, via arm via training, 123 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: via covert operations that we carried out ourselves. There were 124 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:08,880 Speaker 1: all kinds of ways that we could and did help 125 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:12,560 Speaker 1: stem the flow of communism. So there was, as you 126 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 1: were saying, there was a place pretty close to home 127 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:18,000 Speaker 1: where communism had sprouted up, and that was Nicaragua down 128 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 1: in Central America, and in Central America in the thirties, 129 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:26,280 Speaker 1: the Sandinista government had taken power and had held onto 130 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:28,840 Speaker 1: power well into the seventies and by this time the 131 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 1: early eighties, and it drove Ronald Reagan nuts that there 132 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:36,440 Speaker 1: was a communist power right there that was being supported 133 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: by the Soviet Union through Cuba. Ostensibly. I've never gotten 134 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 1: the impression that this was ever conclusively proven. They definitely 135 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:47,239 Speaker 1: got support from Cuba. But whether it was the Soviet 136 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:50,120 Speaker 1: Union who was really calling the shots of nick Nicaragua 137 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:53,000 Speaker 1: or not, I I don't know. Yeah, And I think 138 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 1: you know, to go even further back and draw the 139 00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 1: lines a little even more clear. The Sandinistans were named 140 00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: for Augusto Sandino, who led the Nationalist rebellion against what 141 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 1: the US occupation of Central America. That's where it started. 142 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: That's where it all started. And from nineteen you know, 143 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,160 Speaker 1: the US occupied This is all part of the Banana Wars. 144 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:21,080 Speaker 1: So we occupied Nicaragua from nineteen twelve to nineteen thirty three, Uh, 145 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:22,960 Speaker 1: for a lot of reasons, but one was like, hey, 146 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 1: no one's going to build a canal here unless it's US. 147 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:28,000 Speaker 1: That was sort of one of the main reasons. And uh, 148 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:31,440 Speaker 1: that all ceased in nineteen thirty three with Roosevelt's Good 149 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:34,839 Speaker 1: Neighbor Policy, which is basically like, we're gonna pull out 150 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:39,400 Speaker 1: of Nicaragua. Yeah, okay, So but we we had our 151 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: fingers all over Central America for many, many, many years. 152 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:46,520 Speaker 1: And that's why when people forget or choose not to 153 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:50,640 Speaker 1: remember when people flee horrible situations in Central America to 154 00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:53,040 Speaker 1: come to the United States now like kind of where 155 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:56,240 Speaker 1: all these horrible situations started years and years ago because 156 00:08:56,240 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 1: of things that we did well. When when Reagan became president, 157 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:04,480 Speaker 1: UM intervening in Nicaragua, Nick Man, I'm going to have 158 00:09:04,559 --> 00:09:08,640 Speaker 1: a hard time if I can't say Nicaragua. UM intervening 159 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:13,800 Speaker 1: in Nicaragua became like a like first and foremost priority 160 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:18,559 Speaker 1: for them. Almost immediately they started UM funding the Contras. 161 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:21,760 Speaker 1: The Contra rebels are the groups who were fighting against 162 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:26,240 Speaker 1: the Santainista government. They were right wing groups, UM, and 163 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:28,080 Speaker 1: they were funding them, they were training them, like you 164 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:30,040 Speaker 1: were saying, and they're doing all this secretly. There was 165 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:34,280 Speaker 1: an operation called Operation Black Eagle, that one that was 166 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:38,160 Speaker 1: something else. So we were already funding them and at 167 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: the time, Congress was on board. Congress was on board, 168 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:44,600 Speaker 1: especially at first because the Republicans controlled the House. Well, 169 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:47,360 Speaker 1: you know how when somebody comes in andto steamrolls over 170 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:51,479 Speaker 1: the other party, usually in a presidential election, very frequently 171 00:09:51,559 --> 00:09:54,760 Speaker 1: there's in the mid terms, the congressional mid terms, there's 172 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:57,720 Speaker 1: like a backlash against that flip. Believe it or not, 173 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:01,240 Speaker 1: That happen to Ronald Reagan inwo Yeah, and the House 174 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:05,880 Speaker 1: did flip. They flipped over to the Democrats, and UM 175 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:10,800 Speaker 1: that Democrat controlled House, combined with a Newsweek cover story 176 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:16,280 Speaker 1: that came out, kind of turned the tide against UM 177 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:19,840 Speaker 1: Reagan's policy on helping out in Nicaragua. Yeah, there was 178 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: a CIA director named William Casey who was UM. He 179 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:26,719 Speaker 1: was kind of telling Congress what they needed here, here 180 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,880 Speaker 1: and there, uh you have been here vague briefings that 181 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:33,560 Speaker 1: that was probably um a generous way to say it. 182 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:38,240 Speaker 1: Sometimes Casey would send another guy though, named Dwyane Dewey Clarridge. 183 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:41,440 Speaker 1: And this is where things really went south because Claridge 184 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:46,320 Speaker 1: did not present well to Congress UM. And anytime Congress 185 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:51,680 Speaker 1: feels like they're being subverted or ignored or like kept 186 00:10:51,679 --> 00:10:53,800 Speaker 1: out of the loop or like not able to offer 187 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:56,959 Speaker 1: their checks and balances on the executive branch, they really 188 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:59,240 Speaker 1: get mad. They do. And like we're seeing that today. 189 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:03,360 Speaker 1: This is like history just repeats itself over and over again, exactly. Yeah. 190 00:11:03,559 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 1: And and in this particular case, the place where UM 191 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:11,480 Speaker 1: where the administration, the regular administration, and Congress just started 192 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:14,800 Speaker 1: budding heads over Nicaragua, it was Duyne Clarridge. You know, 193 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 1: he just that's how poor job he did. But in 194 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:21,320 Speaker 1: his defense, he was coming from a place where he 195 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:24,160 Speaker 1: was a CIA man through and through. And this is 196 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:27,440 Speaker 1: less than ten years after Congress had just basically rooted 197 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:31,360 Speaker 1: out the CIA held public hearings. That's when like the 198 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:35,000 Speaker 1: um MK ultra came out and the fact that they've 199 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:39,439 Speaker 1: been dosing unsuspecting Americans with LSD so that's his defense. 200 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:42,080 Speaker 1: He was mad because they uncovered all the awful things 201 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:45,520 Speaker 1: that he'd been doing, right, right, right, true compassion, Chuck, 202 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:49,920 Speaker 1: that's true compassion. So um, So Congress is starting to 203 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:53,679 Speaker 1: get a little unhappy with this. And there was one 204 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:58,840 Speaker 1: congress Man in particular named Edward Boland, I believe, and 205 00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:02,080 Speaker 1: he was from Massachusetts, and he said, hey, I just 206 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:05,760 Speaker 1: read about this cover story in Newsweek has a title 207 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:10,160 Speaker 1: America's Secret War colon Nicaragua. Seems like they should have 208 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:13,680 Speaker 1: flip flopped that, you know, Nicaragua colon America's Secret War. 209 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:18,560 Speaker 1: I think they both had the same end goal. It's fine. 210 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:20,800 Speaker 1: But he was like, wait, why am I reading about 211 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:23,880 Speaker 1: this in a magazine? And I'm a member of Congress, 212 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:27,560 Speaker 1: right because at this time, like Congress is like, well, okay, 213 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:30,160 Speaker 1: we think we're just kind of funding things, we're maybe 214 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:33,400 Speaker 1: helping out a little bit. This Newsweek magazine was like, no, no, no, 215 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:37,040 Speaker 1: it's way more than that. Like there's way more American 216 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:39,720 Speaker 1: involvement down in Nicaragua than than you've been led to 217 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:45,600 Speaker 1: believe Congress, like actual covert CIA ops like blowing up 218 00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:49,880 Speaker 1: bridges and blowing up buildings and uh, you know, direct 219 00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:54,480 Speaker 1: saboteur type ops. Yeah, not just here's some arms and 220 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:56,920 Speaker 1: then you know, you you close this one eye, believe 221 00:12:57,000 --> 00:12:59,560 Speaker 1: this eye open when you're shooting. There was way more 222 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:02,200 Speaker 1: involved than that. Or we could just do the shooting 223 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:08,160 Speaker 1: basically here, just let me do it. So Congress, uh, 224 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:10,920 Speaker 1: in the guys of Edward Bowland said nope, we're not 225 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:14,200 Speaker 1: doing that, and they passed the Bowling Amendment, which basically said, 226 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:19,080 Speaker 1: if if you cannot use CIA funds or depart Defense 227 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:23,640 Speaker 1: Department funds to aid the contras in Nicaragua, it's done. 228 00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:27,559 Speaker 1: Good night. Congress went to sleep, and so that should 229 00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:28,959 Speaker 1: have been the that's the end of it, right, because 230 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:32,240 Speaker 1: Congress passed a well it was at a loft now 231 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:36,200 Speaker 1: passed an amendment enact enact yea, and so everyone just stopped. Right, 232 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:38,280 Speaker 1: that's how it works. All right, what's part two going 233 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:43,079 Speaker 1: to be about. We're just gonna see here quietly. So, um, 234 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 1: this did not stop anything. Uh. Here's what happened. In nine. 235 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:51,520 Speaker 1: The CIA had this one operation where they went into 236 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 1: the commercial shipping harbors of Nicaragua. Oh boy, I know 237 00:13:55,720 --> 00:14:00,959 Speaker 1: it's it's I said it right in my head all morning. Nicaragua. Uh, 238 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:03,320 Speaker 1: and they put mines there. You know, I was about 239 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 1: to say land mines, but they were c mines, floating mines, 240 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:11,040 Speaker 1: and uh, the idea here was we're gonna plant these 241 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:14,679 Speaker 1: mines that we're gonna whip up our own press releases 242 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:17,400 Speaker 1: for the Contras where they take credit for it, like, 243 00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:19,360 Speaker 1: we don't even trust them to write a good press release, 244 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 1: wrote the press release for so where the contrasts are 245 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:26,120 Speaker 1: saying that they did it, and Uh, the overall effect 246 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:28,040 Speaker 1: it's going to have is they're not gonna be able 247 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:31,080 Speaker 1: to ship arms via the seaport, at least into Nicaragua. 248 00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:33,960 Speaker 1: Plus it also makes the Contras look way more together 249 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:37,000 Speaker 1: and with it than they actually were, right, Like, all 250 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 1: we need to do is give them some money, and 251 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:40,360 Speaker 1: they got it covered. Right. So the CIA does this 252 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:44,680 Speaker 1: and and they're thinking, Okay, so, um my shipping in 253 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:48,520 Speaker 1: the Nicaraguan harbors is going to stop. It does not stop. Um. 254 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:51,520 Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, there there were there was damage. 255 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:53,920 Speaker 1: So they used little firecracker mines which make a big 256 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:56,400 Speaker 1: blast and a lot of water everywhere. But the big ship. 257 00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:58,480 Speaker 1: It's not gonna hurt the ship. Well, it's sunk a 258 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:01,600 Speaker 1: lot of small fishing vessels, but it also damaged ships 259 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:07,160 Speaker 1: from the Netherlands, Great Britain, Japan, and the USSR commercial ships. 260 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:11,400 Speaker 1: So um. The Wall Street Journal broke this story and said, hey, 261 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:13,920 Speaker 1: you guys, you Congress, You remember how you pass this 262 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:18,080 Speaker 1: amendment saying there could be no CIA involvement in in Nicaragua. Well, 263 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:22,280 Speaker 1: they mind the harbor of the sovereign nation, and it 264 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:25,120 Speaker 1: blew up a bunch of other other country ships. In 265 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:29,360 Speaker 1: Congress once again, it's like, man, you keep doing secret 266 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:33,400 Speaker 1: things behind their back. That really makes us mad. Should 267 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 1: we take a break. All right, let's take a break. 268 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:48,360 Speaker 1: Stuff you should know. Gosh, stuff you should know. Stuff 269 00:15:48,360 --> 00:16:04,440 Speaker 1: you should know. Okay, let's keep going. So what does 270 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:06,800 Speaker 1: Congress do? They're like, all right, they're mad. We passed 271 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:09,200 Speaker 1: one bowl in amendment, which I don't think we said, chuck. 272 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:13,880 Speaker 1: The first Bowling Amendment was passed four hundred and eleven 273 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:18,840 Speaker 1: to zero, unanimously saying do not mess around in Nicaragua anymore. 274 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:21,840 Speaker 1: That's when you know Congress is mad when they unanimously 275 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:24,640 Speaker 1: agree on something. And then then the Wall Street Journal 276 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:27,360 Speaker 1: breaks the story about the harbor mining long after the 277 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:31,720 Speaker 1: Bowling Amendment was passed. And now Congress is even madder, right, 278 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:36,040 Speaker 1: So they passed two more amendments, bowling amendments. Uh, because 279 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:40,600 Speaker 1: there were loopholes basically that allowed you know, the the 280 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:43,720 Speaker 1: US to sort of do these things semi legally. So 281 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:45,560 Speaker 1: it was like, well, here's a loophole, so it wasn't 282 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:48,000 Speaker 1: really fully illegal that we did this stuff. That's like 283 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:53,040 Speaker 1: the Reagan Administration's way, all right, they close ease loopholes 284 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:58,240 Speaker 1: and uh, now this was like it was pretty iron clad. 285 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:00,600 Speaker 1: I don't know about iron clad, but it was pretty 286 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:03,760 Speaker 1: tight amendment wise. At the very least, Congress walked away 287 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:08,399 Speaker 1: thinking it's done. It's we made ourselves quite clear. Ronald 288 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:11,160 Speaker 1: Reagan signed these into law. Yeah he didn't. He didn't. 289 00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:15,120 Speaker 1: He accepted these things. I think he even said like, yeah, 290 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,040 Speaker 1: this is a good idea, great way to go, Congress 291 00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:21,280 Speaker 1: and signed it. Um I'm not gonna do a Reagan impression, 292 00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:24,800 Speaker 1: but um so the Congress thought that the matter was settled, 293 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:27,840 Speaker 1: but it wasn't settled. Like this is how laser focused 294 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:34,280 Speaker 1: Reagan was on overthrowing the Santinista government down in Nicaragua. 295 00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 1: He just took a CIA operation and took it even 296 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:44,480 Speaker 1: further underground than it had been before. Basically, he was like, Okay, 297 00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:47,640 Speaker 1: if you guys are gonna outlaw this stuff, um, we're 298 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:51,000 Speaker 1: just gonna have to get even more illegal. Yeah. So 299 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:53,120 Speaker 1: there were a couple of factions here at work. One 300 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:57,720 Speaker 1: was this continued operation underground, deep deep, underground now, and 301 00:17:57,760 --> 00:18:00,479 Speaker 1: then there was Reagan's public Like he still wanted to 302 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:04,000 Speaker 1: get real money from Congress so he didn't have to 303 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:07,680 Speaker 1: do this stuff, so he kept up this public PR campaign, 304 00:18:08,359 --> 00:18:13,080 Speaker 1: beating this drum about communism matter doorstep. Uh. He said 305 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:16,480 Speaker 1: that the contrasts were the moral equals of our founding fathers. 306 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:18,159 Speaker 1: That's a big one to pull out, Like, that's a 307 00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:23,159 Speaker 1: direct quote of our founding fathers. Um and started in 308 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:25,960 Speaker 1: with the and again you see the stuff kind of 309 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:29,720 Speaker 1: repeating itself, the campaign of fear, where he basically said, 310 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:33,040 Speaker 1: unless we do something tough here, then there will be 311 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:36,439 Speaker 1: a tidal wave of FEAT people. I don't even know 312 00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:39,119 Speaker 1: what that means, but that's that just seems super offensive, 313 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:42,240 Speaker 1: swarming into our country. He meant, you know, refugees, FEAT 314 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:45,399 Speaker 1: people seeking a safe haven. It was one word, even 315 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:47,800 Speaker 1: I think one word. It's funny because I looked at 316 00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:49,959 Speaker 1: FEAT people and that's a company that like, I think 317 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:52,720 Speaker 1: it makes shoelaces and they're like, yn't see it again, 318 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:58,199 Speaker 1: say dot com. Uh, so this is all going on 319 00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:01,600 Speaker 1: and on the on the on the down low, all 320 00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 1: the operations are going on, and on the public facing side. 321 00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:08,479 Speaker 1: Reagan's just continuing this PR push right basically saying like, Congress, 322 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:11,919 Speaker 1: look at these heartless old you know, gas bags, turning 323 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:15,240 Speaker 1: off the funding to these founding father moral equivalent to 324 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:17,960 Speaker 1: our founding fathers. Go vote these guys out of office 325 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:21,120 Speaker 1: and voting some people who will turn the funding back on. Yeah. 326 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:25,480 Speaker 1: And while the contrast may have been fighting communism, they 327 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:29,440 Speaker 1: were doing so through means that the Founding Fathers probably 328 00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:32,560 Speaker 1: would not have approved of, like murder and torture and 329 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:38,000 Speaker 1: rape and mutilation, kidnapping and not. You know, I mean 330 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:40,000 Speaker 1: it wasn't so widespread that it was like that's all 331 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:43,720 Speaker 1: they were doing, but they would resort to those tactics. Uh. 332 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:46,639 Speaker 1: And that's not Founding father stuff. No, it's definitely not, not, 333 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:48,480 Speaker 1: as far as I've ever learned. Now, I don't think so. 334 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:51,000 Speaker 1: And I mean it's had a few hundred couple hundred 335 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:53,720 Speaker 1: years to come out and it still hasn't. So Yeah, 336 00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:55,520 Speaker 1: I read some of the stuff too, Like some of 337 00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:59,240 Speaker 1: the UM affidavits were like just brutal. Oh yeah, dude. 338 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:02,840 Speaker 1: The a war down in Nicaragua, the civil war that 339 00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:06,159 Speaker 1: the US basically fomented and supported. UM, it went on 340 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:08,720 Speaker 1: for a decade, like it was, it went on into 341 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:13,000 Speaker 1: the nineties, and it was like not just like countrymen 342 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:17,600 Speaker 1: against countrymen, Like civilians were getting murdered by the scores 343 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:20,959 Speaker 1: and just they would get kidnapped and tortured and killed, 344 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:24,320 Speaker 1: and like it was a really brutal time in Nicaragua. 345 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:27,240 Speaker 1: And the regular administration is right in the middle of this, 346 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:29,240 Speaker 1: like providing as much I eat as they can to 347 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:31,840 Speaker 1: one side. Yeah, And it was one of the big 348 00:20:31,880 --> 00:20:35,639 Speaker 1: problems was that the Contras back then were a bunch 349 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:38,680 Speaker 1: of different factions and they didn't answer to a single leader. 350 00:20:39,359 --> 00:20:41,400 Speaker 1: And the one thing I got out of the affidavits, 351 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:44,400 Speaker 1: one of which this woman described them taking her children 352 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:47,520 Speaker 1: and her finding their mutilated bodies the next day, it 353 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:50,679 Speaker 1: was brutal. Um. One of the leaders said that there's 354 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:56,160 Speaker 1: there's no disciplinary system at all within the Contra groups. 355 00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:59,680 Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah, like there's no accountability, so you could 356 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:02,159 Speaker 1: do any thing you wanted, and there's no discipline set up, 357 00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:06,400 Speaker 1: so it was just they were fractured and no one, 358 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 1: you know, was talking to each other, and it was 359 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:12,480 Speaker 1: just a big mess. Right. But Reagan was doing his 360 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:16,120 Speaker 1: best to paint everything in black and white Contrast good 361 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:20,320 Speaker 1: Sandinista's bad. So anything that Contrast did was good, and 362 00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:22,359 Speaker 1: stuff that couldn't be painted as good would just be 363 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:25,960 Speaker 1: denied or glossed over, not reported on. That's right. So 364 00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:29,280 Speaker 1: while while Reagan's out running around trying to drum up 365 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:33,240 Speaker 1: public support for the Contrast and thus congressional aid being 366 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:36,560 Speaker 1: turned back on, and also saying don't do drugs, he yeah, 367 00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:37,920 Speaker 1: that was a big one, even though we're shipping a 368 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:40,840 Speaker 1: lot of drugs back and forth. It's awfully rich now 369 00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:43,359 Speaker 1: that you know all that stuff, you know. Um, he's 370 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:47,879 Speaker 1: also secretly supporting them going in flagrant violation of what 371 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:51,600 Speaker 1: Congress has said that that America can do. Um. He 372 00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:55,000 Speaker 1: tells his people he wants the Contrast movement to be 373 00:21:55,080 --> 00:21:57,879 Speaker 1: kept alive, body and soul. Is how we put it, 374 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:01,800 Speaker 1: which any basically said do it. This is what history 375 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:04,439 Speaker 1: has told us, is that Reagan basically said keep the 376 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:07,480 Speaker 1: Contra movement alive, body and soul. I'm gonna go work 377 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:11,000 Speaker 1: on Congress. I'm putting my hands over my ears from 378 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:14,320 Speaker 1: now on. Whether that's true or not, we will probably 379 00:22:14,359 --> 00:22:18,760 Speaker 1: never know as far as the history books is concerned. Yeah, 380 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:22,600 Speaker 1: that was, that's what happened, right. So, uh, here's what 381 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:24,920 Speaker 1: they did. They said, the CIA has a bad rap 382 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:28,119 Speaker 1: um for a lot of reasons, and Congress is not 383 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:31,720 Speaker 1: super friendly with them. Well, they expressly forbade the CIA 384 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:34,080 Speaker 1: from operating them. Right, So he said, here's what we're 385 00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:37,240 Speaker 1: gonna do. Um, we're gonna use the National Security Council. 386 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:40,880 Speaker 1: And there the CIA chief, William Casey, he's around. He's 387 00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:43,960 Speaker 1: gonna just like advise here and there. And William Casey 388 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:45,840 Speaker 1: was like, oh no, I really got to be involved 389 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:47,560 Speaker 1: because this is really good stuff. They're like no, no, no no, 390 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:51,639 Speaker 1: we're talking like officially here. That okay exactly. So at 391 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:56,240 Speaker 1: first National Security Advisors Robert McFarlane, and then he was 392 00:22:56,320 --> 00:23:00,720 Speaker 1: succeeded by John Poindexter. Very important to remember that name. Um, 393 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:03,120 Speaker 1: and then case he's still there, like you said, doing 394 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:06,480 Speaker 1: his thing on the download unofficially right. I think even 395 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:08,840 Speaker 1: in some cases kind of stepping on toes or whatever. 396 00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:12,560 Speaker 1: He was like a an additional boss to the to 397 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:15,880 Speaker 1: the main guy, the guy everybody's heard of, the guy 398 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:18,679 Speaker 1: whose mind or whose name jumps to mind when you 399 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:22,960 Speaker 1: hear about this, Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, and in in 400 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:25,920 Speaker 1: in retrospect, especially if you went, if you live through 401 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:28,600 Speaker 1: the Iran Contra hearings and you're familiar with all the North, 402 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:32,000 Speaker 1: like you would guess that when all the North was 403 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:38,080 Speaker 1: tapped to head up this extraordinarily difficult secret operation to 404 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:42,199 Speaker 1: go against Congress and keep the Contra movement alive and 405 00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:47,760 Speaker 1: kicking that Ali North was a a a bad, a 406 00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:51,960 Speaker 1: covert operator to the ninth degree. Right, that is not 407 00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:57,400 Speaker 1: at all correct. No career marine, very highly decorated marine, 408 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:03,600 Speaker 1: served in Vietnam one, silver stars and purple hearts, devout Catholic, 409 00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:07,760 Speaker 1: and by all accounts a stand up guy, and to 410 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:12,160 Speaker 1: many many Americans he is uh still like a top 411 00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:14,840 Speaker 1: notch American hero. Sure well, he was like the president 412 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:17,240 Speaker 1: of n r A until I think recently. Yeah, I 413 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:19,679 Speaker 1: think there's some scandal that just happened where there was 414 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:22,520 Speaker 1: it came out that he like tried to depose Wayne 415 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:25,640 Speaker 1: Lapierre or something like that. I don't know. I don't either, 416 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:28,800 Speaker 1: But but even beyond that, like even beyond whether he's 417 00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:30,919 Speaker 1: a stand up guy or not, as far as you know, 418 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:36,600 Speaker 1: patriotism is concerned just job experience he had like none, 419 00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:39,280 Speaker 1: He had no experience whatsoever as far as I could 420 00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:42,159 Speaker 1: ever tell in covert operations. He did a pretty good 421 00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:45,760 Speaker 1: job for he did an amazing job. He was basically 422 00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:51,240 Speaker 1: the the White Houses operations and intel arm of the 423 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:53,800 Speaker 1: shadiest stuff that was doing stuff that was so shady 424 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:56,080 Speaker 1: the c i A. Was even kept in the dark 425 00:24:56,119 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: about it. That's how shady this stuff Alie North was doing. 426 00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:01,400 Speaker 1: And he had no experience. He's learning as he went, 427 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:03,600 Speaker 1: just making it up as he went along. And he 428 00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:05,479 Speaker 1: really did do a pretty good job of it if 429 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:07,879 Speaker 1: you look at it from that angle. Just as far 430 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:12,320 Speaker 1: as like getting getting or done so um, what they 431 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:14,399 Speaker 1: basically decided was all right, if we can't get the 432 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:18,959 Speaker 1: real taxpayer money and like official funds, we'll just go 433 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:23,240 Speaker 1: and raise funds on the side and secret um through 434 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:26,480 Speaker 1: business people that you know, we can have these big 435 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:30,720 Speaker 1: parties and dinners and say, hey, listen, communism is knocking 436 00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:32,959 Speaker 1: at our door. This wouldn't be good for America, wouldn't 437 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:35,800 Speaker 1: be good for your company, And why don't you give 438 00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:39,680 Speaker 1: us some money, open up the checkbook. Reagan's here, you 439 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:41,600 Speaker 1: want a photo. Yeah, sometimes he would show up to 440 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:45,399 Speaker 1: these secret fundraisers and uh it was, it was, it 441 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:47,960 Speaker 1: really worked. Like they raised a ton of money from 442 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:51,520 Speaker 1: the business elite of America to stop the sand and 443 00:25:51,560 --> 00:25:56,200 Speaker 1: Easton's Nicaragua. So they actually forget this. They founded they 444 00:25:56,240 --> 00:25:59,920 Speaker 1: had two private citizens found a nonprofit, the National Endow 445 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:03,840 Speaker 1: Meant for the Preservation of Liberty. It's sole purpose was 446 00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:07,280 Speaker 1: to get these funds, these illicit funds to send to 447 00:26:07,359 --> 00:26:10,800 Speaker 1: the Contrast, which means that the people who are donating 448 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:14,680 Speaker 1: to the president's illegal secret proxy war could write their 449 00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:20,639 Speaker 1: donations off on their taxes. It's just mind boggling hilarious 450 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:23,520 Speaker 1: in some senses. Yeah, but they were not the most 451 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:26,720 Speaker 1: stand up nonprofit because, as you point out, they raise 452 00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:30,520 Speaker 1: six point three million dollars through that organization. Uh during 453 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:34,040 Speaker 1: six about three point three million made it to the Contras. 454 00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:39,320 Speaker 1: And uh so that means a fifty two program expense rate. 455 00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:41,919 Speaker 1: That's pretty bad. Yeah, it's not good at all. Now, 456 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:45,400 Speaker 1: three million dollars it took supposedly to run to run 457 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:50,040 Speaker 1: that nonprofit, those fundraising breakfast for a year. Yeah, pretty 458 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:54,320 Speaker 1: bad good omelets though, so um yeah, oh yeah, the best. Yeah. 459 00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:57,359 Speaker 1: So from this this idea like okay, this is this 460 00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:00,760 Speaker 1: is probably kind of legal. We're just fundraising. We're not 461 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:03,960 Speaker 1: giving any American taxpayer funds, We're just getting other people 462 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:06,920 Speaker 1: that donate. Private citizens. Saudi Arabia was a big one, 463 00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:10,159 Speaker 1: and it was all the stop communism. So, like, I 464 00:27:10,160 --> 00:27:14,520 Speaker 1: think their intentions were that, oh definitely, there's were yeah, 465 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:17,800 Speaker 1: and but there was this definite end justifies the means 466 00:27:18,040 --> 00:27:20,320 Speaker 1: kind of thing. And and it really isn't the president 467 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:23,520 Speaker 1: really the most powerful person in the world. Can Congress 468 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:25,719 Speaker 1: really tells the president what to do as far as 469 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:29,119 Speaker 1: foreign policy goes? Nah, that was kind of the idea, 470 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:32,399 Speaker 1: I think. So Saudi Arabia donated a bunch of money. 471 00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:36,320 Speaker 1: There's all these private citizens donating money. Um, And here's 472 00:27:36,359 --> 00:27:40,960 Speaker 1: the thing. The contras found themselves flush with cash, many 473 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:44,680 Speaker 1: millions of dollars over just two years. Saudi Arabia alone 474 00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:48,520 Speaker 1: donated thirty two million. To the contrast, this is a 475 00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:53,159 Speaker 1: couple of loosely affiliated factions fighting in two spots of 476 00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:58,520 Speaker 1: Nicaragua that suddenly have thirty plus million dollars at their disposal. 477 00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:02,080 Speaker 1: The problem is they don't have the contacts in the 478 00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:06,400 Speaker 1: international arms trade to buy arms with this money. They said, 479 00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:08,679 Speaker 1: a bunch of money. They're like, who wants this? And 480 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:12,000 Speaker 1: they were getting crickets, got some bombs, right, you know, 481 00:28:12,119 --> 00:28:15,120 Speaker 1: the cartoonist black kind, the round ones that are shiny 482 00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:22,680 Speaker 1: before Craigslist two. Right, So they're only uh, their only 483 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:25,639 Speaker 1: avenue was to go back to the Americans and Oliver 484 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:28,520 Speaker 1: North and uh he began working with a guy named 485 00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:31,600 Speaker 1: Richard S. Cord. He was a retired forced retired we'll 486 00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:34,080 Speaker 1: get into that in a minute, Air Force major general, 487 00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:38,080 Speaker 1: and he had a lot of experience. Um, there was 488 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:41,680 Speaker 1: this group of dudes in the nineteen seventies and eighties 489 00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:46,080 Speaker 1: that were uh former CIA or current CIA, former CI 490 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:49,640 Speaker 1: A former and current American military who were all had 491 00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:54,720 Speaker 1: their fingers in the illegal arms trade. So exactly what 492 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:59,800 Speaker 1: you can imagine a Hollywood writer would come up with this, 493 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:02,920 Speaker 1: the real life version of Yeah, sure, so they would. 494 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:06,520 Speaker 1: They would, Um, you could farm out assassinations to them. 495 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:11,920 Speaker 1: They could rustle up mercenaries, they could carry out sabotage operations. 496 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:15,200 Speaker 1: They could find whatever, gun, bomb, anything you need on 497 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:20,440 Speaker 1: some money laundered, right, anything that is extraordinarily illegal and 498 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:23,000 Speaker 1: deals in death. Like these guys could get their hands 499 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:27,680 Speaker 1: on some poison, sure, a bomb disguised as a briefcase. 500 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:30,040 Speaker 1: We got it, buddy, and they would. Here's the other 501 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:33,760 Speaker 1: thing too. They were an illegal black market arms ring, 502 00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:36,479 Speaker 1: but they were also even more illegal in that they 503 00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:39,200 Speaker 1: would sell to whoever. Whether you were an enemy or 504 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:41,600 Speaker 1: a friend of America, it didn't matter. These guys were 505 00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:46,320 Speaker 1: operating well above any sort of national loyalty or anything like. Yeah, 506 00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:49,800 Speaker 1: this was about making money, like many millions of dollars. Yeah, 507 00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:52,960 Speaker 1: you're right. So, especially guy like se Cord, he wasn't 508 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:56,000 Speaker 1: He was in it to make dough definitely, whereas an 509 00:29:56,000 --> 00:30:00,320 Speaker 1: Ali North was seemingly in it to stop the you know, communism. Right. 510 00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:02,640 Speaker 1: So that's that's an important point. But the fact that 511 00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:05,800 Speaker 1: they that they contract with c Cord to kind of 512 00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:09,680 Speaker 1: swoop in and help um hook the contrasts up with 513 00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:13,960 Speaker 1: arms means that the Reagan administration is contracting with this 514 00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:19,880 Speaker 1: extraordinarily illegal black market arms ring. Yeah, one of which 515 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:21,960 Speaker 1: they took down some of these dudes over the years 516 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:24,600 Speaker 1: from one of them. One of the founders of this 517 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:27,200 Speaker 1: group was a c I A OP named Edwin Wilson. 518 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:31,760 Speaker 1: He UH was sentenced He served twenty two years, twelve 519 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:34,440 Speaker 1: of which were in solitary confinement, but was sentenced to 520 00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:38,080 Speaker 1: fifty two years for illegally arming Libya with ten thousand 521 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:41,440 Speaker 1: machine guns and twenty tons of C four that he 522 00:30:41,520 --> 00:30:44,960 Speaker 1: hid in barrels of mud and flew on a charter 523 00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:49,040 Speaker 1: jet to Libya. Hollywood stuff. I know, it really is, 524 00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:51,840 Speaker 1: like this really happened crazy, And it wasn't just Libya. 525 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:56,360 Speaker 1: This guy was funding or Um outfitting Momar Kadafi Da 526 00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:59,240 Speaker 1: Mean was another customer. Like, whoever, if you need to 527 00:30:59,320 --> 00:31:01,840 Speaker 1: keep a strangle old on power in your country, were 528 00:31:01,920 --> 00:31:03,880 Speaker 1: the people to help you do that? Yeah? And when 529 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:08,720 Speaker 1: I teased earlier about Richard c. Cord being forced into retirement, 530 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:13,120 Speaker 1: that was due to his connection with UH, with Edwin Wilson. Right, 531 00:31:13,360 --> 00:31:15,360 Speaker 1: so he was forced to retire from the Air Force. 532 00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:18,120 Speaker 1: They couldn't pin anything on him, but there was enough 533 00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:20,040 Speaker 1: of a connection there where he had to step down. Yeah. 534 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:21,800 Speaker 1: They're like, you can do this the hardway or the 535 00:31:21,840 --> 00:31:23,440 Speaker 1: easy way. We're going to give you the option, and 536 00:31:23,520 --> 00:31:25,280 Speaker 1: he took the easy way and then he went on 537 00:31:25,360 --> 00:31:27,360 Speaker 1: to make a lot of money. Right. He was like Okay, well, 538 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:30,560 Speaker 1: I'll just do the armstealing thing full time now, and 539 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:32,920 Speaker 1: he did so. When they brought him in. At first, 540 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:37,120 Speaker 1: s Cord was basically acting as like a very las 541 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:40,960 Speaker 1: a Fair intermediary. He was basically the guy who on 542 00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:43,040 Speaker 1: behalf of all the North was like, yeah, I can 543 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:45,960 Speaker 1: introduce the Contrast to my friends in the arms ring 544 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:49,640 Speaker 1: in Canada, of all places. Yeah. He introduced the Conscious 545 00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:52,000 Speaker 1: to some Canadian arms dealers. So now the setup was 546 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:55,360 Speaker 1: this the friendliest arms arms stealers, right, They're like, all 547 00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:57,920 Speaker 1: these bullets will really put a hold in somebody. A. Yeah, 548 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:01,040 Speaker 1: oh sorry, I meant to include get launchers on that order. 549 00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:05,960 Speaker 1: Sorry sorry. Um, that's pretty good. So U s Cord 550 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:09,000 Speaker 1: was just there to make some introductions, make sure things 551 00:32:09,040 --> 00:32:12,400 Speaker 1: went smoothly. Um. And then it was up to the 552 00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:15,479 Speaker 1: Contrast to use these funds that were coming in from 553 00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:19,800 Speaker 1: other people and to buy weapons from the Canadians. Easy 554 00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:22,840 Speaker 1: pac Right, You'd think, Okay, that's fine, that's done. It's 555 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:26,880 Speaker 1: still has like a slight veneer of arms length legality 556 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:29,720 Speaker 1: as far as America's concerned. Yeah, and we should mention 557 00:32:29,800 --> 00:32:32,000 Speaker 1: too that he to do this, he set up a 558 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:36,040 Speaker 1: shell company. Uh, the Stanford Technology Trading Group with an 559 00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:40,640 Speaker 1: Iranian American businessman named Albert Hakim who knew how to 560 00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:44,280 Speaker 1: get around certain official procedures and stuff like that. He's 561 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:47,520 Speaker 1: another guy who could get things done. So he set 562 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:50,800 Speaker 1: up Swiss bank accounts, untraceable accounts because that's what you 563 00:32:50,880 --> 00:32:54,400 Speaker 1: do to run the funds through. And this became known 564 00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:59,040 Speaker 1: as the Enterprise. Yeah, there's Stanford Technology Trading Company or 565 00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:02,880 Speaker 1: or Group starting Group a k a. The Enterprise. Yeah, 566 00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:04,960 Speaker 1: that was like everybody called it that because they're like 567 00:33:05,040 --> 00:33:08,840 Speaker 1: this sounds way cooler, the enterprise, right, all right, but 568 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:10,960 Speaker 1: like you were alluding to, you think it would have 569 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:14,440 Speaker 1: been going great. But the contrast in the North, who 570 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:17,760 Speaker 1: was the f d N. They were the largest, by far, 571 00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:20,560 Speaker 1: the largest group. They were the better organized from what 572 00:33:20,560 --> 00:33:22,400 Speaker 1: I understand. Yeah, they were doing a pretty good job. 573 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:25,080 Speaker 1: But in the South they were not doing a very 574 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:27,960 Speaker 1: good job. No. Somehow they were like, we don't have 575 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:30,640 Speaker 1: the arms and equipment. They're like, what are you talking about. 576 00:33:30,640 --> 00:33:31,960 Speaker 1: You have the same amount of money, you have the 577 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:35,400 Speaker 1: same contact, just by the weapons, and they're like no't know. 578 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:39,440 Speaker 1: So ali North is like, okay, all right, here's what 579 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:41,840 Speaker 1: we're gonna do. He called the leaders of the f 580 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:44,360 Speaker 1: d N and the fsl N to Miami to meet 581 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:46,360 Speaker 1: with him, and he said, here's here's how it's going 582 00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:51,040 Speaker 1: to be. From now on, any venner of legality is 583 00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:53,800 Speaker 1: going out the window. From now on, I'd like you 584 00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:57,120 Speaker 1: to meet your new boss, Richard C. Court. Not only 585 00:33:57,640 --> 00:33:59,720 Speaker 1: is he going to make sure you have arms, he's 586 00:33:59,720 --> 00:34:03,960 Speaker 1: going to take the funnel money himself by the arms himself, 587 00:34:04,440 --> 00:34:06,760 Speaker 1: and then he's going to have it kicked out of 588 00:34:06,840 --> 00:34:11,840 Speaker 1: a plane over your camps. So now America is directly 589 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:16,520 Speaker 1: involved in supporting and arming and training the Contra rebels 590 00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:20,040 Speaker 1: in the north and the south of Nicaragua. And if 591 00:34:20,120 --> 00:34:22,600 Speaker 1: there was any again, if there's any kind of legality, 592 00:34:22,800 --> 00:34:26,239 Speaker 1: it's totally gone at this point. Yeah. And in the meantime, 593 00:34:26,680 --> 00:34:30,760 Speaker 1: uh c Cord and Acheam were marking up their stuff 594 00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:33,960 Speaker 1: as much as like dude. They made a lot of 595 00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:36,200 Speaker 1: money off of this, They made a ton, but they 596 00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:38,440 Speaker 1: put it, they put a lot back into the enterprise. 597 00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:41,200 Speaker 1: I mean, they took this job very seriously. If you 598 00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:43,680 Speaker 1: are if you were all the North, you were quite 599 00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:45,719 Speaker 1: happy with the work you were getting from Richard C. 600 00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:49,919 Speaker 1: Cord and Albert Hakim because the shipments went out on time. 601 00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:52,200 Speaker 1: They got everything they needed. They had so much money 602 00:34:52,239 --> 00:34:54,720 Speaker 1: they had it left over, but they were also investing 603 00:34:54,760 --> 00:34:59,080 Speaker 1: it into the enterprise. They bought UM planes, they rented airstrips, 604 00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:03,840 Speaker 1: they hired him employees. They contracted with other like UM airlines, 605 00:35:03,920 --> 00:35:06,600 Speaker 1: like a Cia front UM. I can't remember the name 606 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:08,520 Speaker 1: of it right now, but they were. They were doing 607 00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:11,960 Speaker 1: the work for sure. Great healthcare, yeah, the best benefits, 608 00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:15,080 Speaker 1: all of the all of the Contras had really nice teeth. 609 00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:19,279 Speaker 1: After Richard Scorn took over work from home. All right, 610 00:35:19,320 --> 00:35:21,839 Speaker 1: so let's take another break here and we'll come back 611 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:24,799 Speaker 1: and bring it home for part one with a little 612 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:31,160 Speaker 1: bit about the propaganda machine that was set up. Stuff 613 00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:40,520 Speaker 1: you should know, Gosh, stuff you should know. Stuff you 614 00:35:40,520 --> 00:35:54,799 Speaker 1: should know, alright, Chuck. So things are in full swing. 615 00:35:55,000 --> 00:36:01,080 Speaker 1: America is unknowingly totally hooking up the cow basically running 616 00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:04,080 Speaker 1: this proxy war that the Contras are fighting against the 617 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:09,080 Speaker 1: Santaista government. Um. The enterprise is working full boar. And 618 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:13,400 Speaker 1: if it if it couldn't get any more illegal, if 619 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:15,960 Speaker 1: you thought it couldn't get any more illegal, prepared to 620 00:36:16,120 --> 00:36:19,640 Speaker 1: just be knocked right over. Yeah. So here on the 621 00:36:19,719 --> 00:36:23,279 Speaker 1: home front, Um, it was decided that there needed to 622 00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:29,120 Speaker 1: be a pretty massive and dense um propaganda campaign. And 623 00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:31,520 Speaker 1: it's we're not talking about Reagan just going on the 624 00:36:31,600 --> 00:36:35,040 Speaker 1: news talking about communism being at our doorstep. We're talking 625 00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:38,239 Speaker 1: about a real deal propaganda campaign. Uh. And they even 626 00:36:38,280 --> 00:36:41,400 Speaker 1: set up an office, the Office of Public Diplomacy for 627 00:36:41,520 --> 00:36:44,880 Speaker 1: Latin America and the Caribbean, that was founded and managed 628 00:36:44,880 --> 00:36:48,040 Speaker 1: by a Cuban American named Otto Reich. Uh. And this 629 00:36:48,239 --> 00:36:51,440 Speaker 1: was all exposed later on by the Miami Herald by 630 00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:54,200 Speaker 1: the reporting of a guy named Alfonso Chardi. Yeah. I 631 00:36:54,320 --> 00:36:56,600 Speaker 1: just want to interject your real quick So do you 632 00:36:56,680 --> 00:36:59,920 Speaker 1: remember when we've done, you know, historic stuff in the 633 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:03,200 Speaker 1: pass And I'm like, go read the contemporary articles. There 634 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:06,839 Speaker 1: was some really good reporting going on because the story 635 00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:09,920 Speaker 1: was so huge and multifaceted. Oh yeah, I mean Newsweek 636 00:37:09,960 --> 00:37:13,279 Speaker 1: broke it before Congress knew, right, The Washington Post broke 637 00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:16,040 Speaker 1: it in the All Street Journal, Yeah, Wall Street Journal, 638 00:37:16,120 --> 00:37:18,960 Speaker 1: and then the Miami Herald Lly Times did a lot 639 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:21,759 Speaker 1: of really good going on, like in Miami's backyard. But 640 00:37:21,800 --> 00:37:24,200 Speaker 1: it was back when it wasn't like oh, think piece, 641 00:37:24,239 --> 00:37:26,960 Speaker 1: think peace, think piece, actual I think piece think piece. 642 00:37:27,040 --> 00:37:30,200 Speaker 1: You know, it's like real reporting, and even then it 643 00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:32,800 Speaker 1: still didn't wasn't up to snuff in the end, But 644 00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:36,080 Speaker 1: they were actual journalists, like actually paying attention in writing 645 00:37:36,080 --> 00:37:38,239 Speaker 1: about this stuff and informing the public about it. And 646 00:37:38,320 --> 00:37:39,840 Speaker 1: this is when you and I were kids, and I 647 00:37:39,920 --> 00:37:42,640 Speaker 1: think like maybe even the seeds of us, because we 648 00:37:42,760 --> 00:37:45,600 Speaker 1: both kind of had desires to be real deal journalists 649 00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:48,520 Speaker 1: in our lives at one point. Yeah, what got us? Now? 650 00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:52,640 Speaker 1: Speaking of what a joke? R I p Mad magazine? 651 00:37:53,040 --> 00:37:57,040 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, what a shame. Yeah, they tried that reboot. 652 00:37:57,480 --> 00:38:02,080 Speaker 1: It didn't work. Stuff it is. It's it's tough bizin 653 00:38:02,160 --> 00:38:04,359 Speaker 1: these days. And I got friends that worked for him too, 654 00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:09,319 Speaker 1: Like in this recent reiteration, yeah or iteration, I guess 655 00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:11,239 Speaker 1: I know. One of their illustrators is the stuff you 656 00:38:11,239 --> 00:38:13,759 Speaker 1: should know fan from years back. Yeah. Yeah, it's very 657 00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:18,520 Speaker 1: sad to see it go. So uh it's very eighties 658 00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:22,560 Speaker 1: reference though it really wasn't up track. So um, all right, 659 00:38:22,640 --> 00:38:25,560 Speaker 1: this is going on. They set up this office run 660 00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:32,160 Speaker 1: by autoke and this whole thing was designed and orchestrated 661 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:36,120 Speaker 1: by the CIA. But here's the deal. The CIA wasn't 662 00:38:36,160 --> 00:38:38,960 Speaker 1: supposed to be doing this. They were barred from doing this. Yeah, 663 00:38:39,040 --> 00:38:42,080 Speaker 1: there was a long standing like prohibition on the CIA 664 00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:45,759 Speaker 1: from operating in the US. Basically like we know who 665 00:38:45,880 --> 00:38:48,359 Speaker 1: you are, and we know you're so good. You can't 666 00:38:48,440 --> 00:38:50,840 Speaker 1: use that stuff on us. You can only use it overseas. 667 00:38:51,320 --> 00:38:53,920 Speaker 1: It's fine if you go overthrow other countries in on 668 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:56,480 Speaker 1: your mind tricks. Yeah, it used those on other groups, 669 00:38:56,520 --> 00:38:58,200 Speaker 1: but you can't use them here in the States. And 670 00:38:58,280 --> 00:39:02,520 Speaker 1: actually Reagan himself also had his own executive order explicitly 671 00:39:02,640 --> 00:39:07,480 Speaker 1: banning the CIA from, let's see um, doing any activity 672 00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:12,360 Speaker 1: that was intended to influence United States political processes, public opinion, 673 00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:17,680 Speaker 1: or media. This is Reagan's executive Order twelve three thirty three. 674 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:22,759 Speaker 1: And he at least his administration was like, forget about that. 675 00:39:22,840 --> 00:39:25,560 Speaker 1: We'll just get around that. Yeah, And who was this um? 676 00:39:26,800 --> 00:39:30,120 Speaker 1: It says here that they the CIA's uh, like the 677 00:39:30,160 --> 00:39:35,320 Speaker 1: biggest foremost psychological warfare expert retired from the agency officially 678 00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:38,160 Speaker 1: and then was hired as a consultant. I guess to 679 00:39:38,280 --> 00:39:41,360 Speaker 1: this Office of Public Diplomacy was that Auto Reich? Was 680 00:39:41,440 --> 00:39:45,600 Speaker 1: that someone else? That's the whole point, right, Yeah, But 681 00:39:45,760 --> 00:39:47,640 Speaker 1: that was how That's why I was saying earlier, like 682 00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:51,640 Speaker 1: Reagan that's the Reagan administration way, just like here's the 683 00:39:51,719 --> 00:39:54,080 Speaker 1: letter of the law. Well, let's change this letter in 684 00:39:54,120 --> 00:39:56,719 Speaker 1: our sentence, and now we're following the letter of the law, 685 00:39:57,480 --> 00:39:59,840 Speaker 1: you know. And that's what they did. So the CIA 686 00:40:00,120 --> 00:40:03,600 Speaker 1: psychological warfare guy retired, came on as a console and said, oh, 687 00:40:03,680 --> 00:40:06,960 Speaker 1: here's what you do. You need to basically start setting 688 00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:10,279 Speaker 1: up some sting operations because the the point of this 689 00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:13,320 Speaker 1: is too I can't remember who said this, but to 690 00:40:13,719 --> 00:40:17,239 Speaker 1: paint or to glue black hats on the Sandinistas and 691 00:40:17,320 --> 00:40:20,759 Speaker 1: white hats on the contrast in the public mind. Right, 692 00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:24,600 Speaker 1: So when you say, uh, sting operations, we mean literally 693 00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:30,839 Speaker 1: the United States and all over north smuggling cocaine into Nicaragua, 694 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:38,160 Speaker 1: photographing Sandinistan officials with this shipment, and then smuggling the 695 00:40:38,200 --> 00:40:40,920 Speaker 1: cocaine back to the United States back to Florida. Back 696 00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:43,239 Speaker 1: to Florida, They're like, we told you we'd bring it back. 697 00:40:43,800 --> 00:40:47,200 Speaker 1: Chill man, unbelievable, give us our driver's licenses back. So 698 00:40:47,440 --> 00:40:50,040 Speaker 1: this photo is published. This is during the middle of 699 00:40:51,080 --> 00:40:54,840 Speaker 1: the Just Say No movement um champion by Nancy Reagan. 700 00:40:55,560 --> 00:40:59,800 Speaker 1: So it all, it all fit on the surface, But 701 00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:02,359 Speaker 1: what was going on behind the scenes is just unconscionable. 702 00:41:02,960 --> 00:41:08,480 Speaker 1: It is unconscionable, unconscionable both but that so, but this 703 00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:12,080 Speaker 1: gave Reagan this photograph that got published all over the place. Yeah, 704 00:41:12,080 --> 00:41:13,480 Speaker 1: and he's like, look what's going on. Look what these 705 00:41:13,520 --> 00:41:16,240 Speaker 1: guys are doing. These are they're bringing this stuff into America. 706 00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:19,239 Speaker 1: They're killing our kids, exactly right. So these are the 707 00:41:19,320 --> 00:41:22,160 Speaker 1: people that were fighting or where the contras are fighting. 708 00:41:22,239 --> 00:41:25,400 Speaker 1: How can you keep the funding turned off for the contrast, Congress, 709 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:29,120 Speaker 1: you jerks? And that was the only evidence too. Yeah, 710 00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:32,440 Speaker 1: the somehow came out and said, by the way, I 711 00:41:32,480 --> 00:41:34,880 Speaker 1: don't know if anybody cares or not, but we have 712 00:41:35,400 --> 00:41:39,840 Speaker 1: no evidence whatsoever that this Santinistan official has ever engaged 713 00:41:39,880 --> 00:41:43,200 Speaker 1: in drug trafficking aside from this photograph. But this was 714 00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:46,480 Speaker 1: a follow up, probably weeks after the big splash of 715 00:41:46,600 --> 00:41:50,000 Speaker 1: the original photograph came out. So that was one sting operation. 716 00:41:50,560 --> 00:41:55,000 Speaker 1: There's another one that involved Manuel Noriega, the dictator of Panama, 717 00:41:55,880 --> 00:42:00,200 Speaker 1: who actually was selling drugs to America's youth. But he 718 00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:02,960 Speaker 1: was also a friend of the CIA exactly so much 719 00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:05,239 Speaker 1: so that he was a CIA operative for a very 720 00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:07,080 Speaker 1: long time. Yeah, I don't know about a friend, but 721 00:42:07,160 --> 00:42:10,200 Speaker 1: he was at least an asset, right. So, um, this 722 00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:13,440 Speaker 1: seeing operation was they were going to through Panama, have 723 00:42:13,600 --> 00:42:17,800 Speaker 1: Panama arranged for a shipment of arms to be seized 724 00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:23,040 Speaker 1: in um, Honduras, Salvador, Al Salvador on its way to Honduras, 725 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:27,160 Speaker 1: or maybe just in Al Salvador, ostensibly arms from Nicaragua. 726 00:42:27,920 --> 00:42:32,080 Speaker 1: Basically saying, you're arming Salvadorians, you're arming Hondurans, you're exporting 727 00:42:32,160 --> 00:42:35,040 Speaker 1: your revolution. This is exactly the kind of thing that 728 00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:37,960 Speaker 1: Ronald Reagan has been saying, we need to contain, We 729 00:42:38,080 --> 00:42:41,719 Speaker 1: need to pluck this sprout of communism out from Nicaragua 730 00:42:41,880 --> 00:42:44,680 Speaker 1: because they're trying to spread out of the region. Totally 731 00:42:44,760 --> 00:42:48,040 Speaker 1: made up, complete sting operation, and it didn't even work 732 00:42:48,440 --> 00:42:51,279 Speaker 1: because Manuel Noriega was like, I didn't like that New 733 00:42:51,400 --> 00:42:54,520 Speaker 1: York Times piece you guys just published about me. I'm 734 00:42:54,560 --> 00:42:56,719 Speaker 1: going to keep this shipment of arms from myself. Yeah, 735 00:42:56,760 --> 00:42:58,799 Speaker 1: but I love it. First he was like I can 736 00:42:58,880 --> 00:43:02,440 Speaker 1: do that, Oh yeah, sure, send me the arms. And 737 00:43:02,480 --> 00:43:06,200 Speaker 1: then we were like, okay, there would be uh. I 738 00:43:06,320 --> 00:43:10,239 Speaker 1: think it's from the Iran Contra investigation. The description of 739 00:43:10,280 --> 00:43:15,000 Speaker 1: Manuel Noriega was that he ran a narco kleptocracy, that 740 00:43:15,200 --> 00:43:18,839 Speaker 1: was the government that he ran. He was about down 741 00:43:18,920 --> 00:43:21,560 Speaker 1: that word. He was as shady as they come. That 742 00:43:21,760 --> 00:43:27,080 Speaker 1: just means drugs fevery yeah, exactly. Yeah. So, um, this 743 00:43:27,239 --> 00:43:29,520 Speaker 1: is what's going on in the United States in the 744 00:43:29,920 --> 00:43:32,680 Speaker 1: in the mid eighties. And here's the deal. If you 745 00:43:32,760 --> 00:43:35,120 Speaker 1: were a reporter at the time and you were reporting 746 00:43:35,160 --> 00:43:39,279 Speaker 1: on this stuff, uh, the NSC didn't like that very much. 747 00:43:39,320 --> 00:43:42,360 Speaker 1: So they would meet with editors and reporters themselves and 748 00:43:42,480 --> 00:43:45,600 Speaker 1: be like, hey, can you, like, can you report on 749 00:43:45,640 --> 00:43:47,960 Speaker 1: the sand anistance that they're really not good people? Like, 750 00:43:48,080 --> 00:43:50,160 Speaker 1: can you help us out a little bit? Well, but 751 00:43:50,239 --> 00:43:53,399 Speaker 1: here's the thing. If you didn't play ball, then didn't 752 00:43:53,400 --> 00:43:56,480 Speaker 1: they cook up some story that they would uh that 753 00:43:56,760 --> 00:43:59,400 Speaker 1: they would send like Sandinistan sex workers there to the 754 00:43:59,600 --> 00:44:02,560 Speaker 1: like pleasure of the reporters. That was the rumor was 755 00:44:02,640 --> 00:44:05,759 Speaker 1: that if if you were a journalist who reported favorably 756 00:44:05,800 --> 00:44:08,440 Speaker 1: on the Santinista government, the reason you reported favorably on 757 00:44:08,520 --> 00:44:11,239 Speaker 1: him was because the Santinista government was furnishing you with 758 00:44:11,360 --> 00:44:13,880 Speaker 1: sex workers. Right. That was that was directly from the 759 00:44:13,960 --> 00:44:17,000 Speaker 1: Office of Public Diplomacy. And I read the thing about it, 760 00:44:17,040 --> 00:44:18,840 Speaker 1: and they said. The guy was like, and we're not 761 00:44:18,920 --> 00:44:22,080 Speaker 1: just talking women either. If they were gay men, then 762 00:44:22,160 --> 00:44:25,320 Speaker 1: they would we would send gay sex workers, so totally 763 00:44:25,400 --> 00:44:28,080 Speaker 1: discredit them. It's like a complete page right out of 764 00:44:28,120 --> 00:44:32,480 Speaker 1: the Edward Burnet's playbook. It's orchestrated by the CIA's foremost 765 00:44:32,560 --> 00:44:35,759 Speaker 1: expert on psychological warfare. And this was the state of 766 00:44:35,880 --> 00:44:40,600 Speaker 1: America in the mid eighties. But that was just one 767 00:44:40,719 --> 00:44:43,719 Speaker 1: dimension of this whole thing. And I say, this is 768 00:44:43,800 --> 00:44:45,480 Speaker 1: the end of part one. What do you think. I 769 00:44:45,560 --> 00:44:49,160 Speaker 1: think that's great, And uh, we're gonna make this a hanger. 770 00:44:50,280 --> 00:44:52,840 Speaker 1: That's right, and is uh per tradition. We are not 771 00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:55,640 Speaker 1: going to do a listener mail, but uh instead we'll 772 00:44:55,640 --> 00:44:59,360 Speaker 1: do a call, which we rarely do. Um a little 773 00:44:59,480 --> 00:45:01,640 Speaker 1: just a little marketing call everyone, if you like stuff. 774 00:45:01,680 --> 00:45:03,799 Speaker 1: You should know. We've been doing this so long. We're 775 00:45:03,840 --> 00:45:06,400 Speaker 1: so bad at this, yet we've managed to grow. Anyway, 776 00:45:06,560 --> 00:45:09,200 Speaker 1: it's crazy. Tell a friend, share an episode with a 777 00:45:09,320 --> 00:45:11,439 Speaker 1: friend right now that they don't have to. You don't 778 00:45:11,440 --> 00:45:13,520 Speaker 1: have to explain what a podcast is, right, it's a 779 00:45:13,560 --> 00:45:15,719 Speaker 1: lot cleaner now. Maybe start with a good one like 780 00:45:15,840 --> 00:45:18,600 Speaker 1: ballpoint Pens or something. Yeah, tell a friend about the show. 781 00:45:19,080 --> 00:45:21,640 Speaker 1: Leave a nice review or just any kind of review 782 00:45:21,719 --> 00:45:24,879 Speaker 1: at all on iTunes that would help us out. Yeah. Yeah, 783 00:45:25,120 --> 00:45:28,480 Speaker 1: that's how classy Chuck and I are. He even corrected 784 00:45:28,600 --> 00:45:31,840 Speaker 1: himself from good review to just any review whatever you 785 00:45:31,920 --> 00:45:33,800 Speaker 1: want to leave. We're not going to try to influence, 786 00:45:33,840 --> 00:45:36,399 Speaker 1: you know, like the rigging White House. That's all right. 787 00:45:36,960 --> 00:45:38,879 Speaker 1: Uh so, Yeah, we'd really appreciate it. Spread a little 788 00:45:38,920 --> 00:45:41,759 Speaker 1: of try and turn one person onto our podcast this week, 789 00:45:41,800 --> 00:45:44,400 Speaker 1: and that really helps us out. Nice Chuck, how about that. 790 00:45:44,560 --> 00:45:46,200 Speaker 1: It sounds like a good pyramid. We'd like to do 791 00:45:46,280 --> 00:45:48,360 Speaker 1: this once every five or six years. Well, thank you 792 00:45:48,480 --> 00:45:50,120 Speaker 1: for joining us this week. If you want to get 793 00:45:50,160 --> 00:45:51,880 Speaker 1: in touch with us, you can go on to stuff 794 00:45:51,880 --> 00:45:54,560 Speaker 1: you Should Know dot com and check out our social links. 795 00:45:54,600 --> 00:45:57,960 Speaker 1: You can also send us an email two stuff podcast 796 00:45:58,040 --> 00:46:03,279 Speaker 1: at i heeart radio dot com. Stuff you Should Know 797 00:46:03,360 --> 00:46:05,800 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeart Radio's How Stuff Works. For 798 00:46:05,880 --> 00:46:08,520 Speaker 1: more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 799 00:46:08,600 --> 00:46:11,240 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. 800 00:46:14,400 --> 00:46:14,440 Speaker 1: H