WaPo Covered For CIA In Iran-Contra Crack Scandal

Over at The Root, you can read an excerpt of my colleague, Ryan Grim's book This Is Your Country On Drugs: The Secret History Of Getting High In America. A particularly juicy one, at that: the incredible true story of two newspapers, sparring over the story of Nicaraguan Contras, inner-city drug dealers, and the way the whole thing eventually evolved into a tidy little tale of a "victimized" black community, under the thrall of paranoia.

Most people experienced the journalism this way: The San Jose Mercury News broke open "the story of the connection between L.A. crack dealers and the U.S.-funded Nicaraguan Contras." A month later, the Washington Post tore the Mercury News up. Grim says, "The Washington Post, while it launched its assault on the Mercury News, had facts at its disposal demonstrating that the story was accurate." And he goes on to document a fascinating internal struggle at the Post, between reporter Douglas Farah, on the ground in Nicaragua, and the DC-based National Security Reporter Walter Pincus:

Pincus says he didn't actually disagree with Webb's thesis--that the Contras were running drugs--but rather objected to the idea that the CIA was running drugs. Webb had reported, rather, that the Contras were a CIA-backed army but didn't pin the trafficking on them directly. "To me, it was no great shock that some of the people the agency was dealing with were also drug dealers. But the idea that the agency was then running the drug program was totally different."

Pincus' front-page piece ran at more than 4,000 words and was headlined, "CIA and Crack: Evidence Is Lacking of Contra-Tied Plot." The evidence, in fact, was not lacking. It was on the editing room floor. The New York Times and Los Angeles Times would also weigh in with stories purporting to debunk Webb's scoop, but only the Post, as far as I know, did so with independent evidence that backed him up.

And here's the thing: to everyone who despairs of the seemingly too-close cocktail connections between DC journos and the corridors of power, you're going to recognize this story. Pincus had "flirted with joining the CIA and who is routinely accused of having been an undercover asset in the '50s." And while Pincus maintains that the cloak-and-dagger rumors were "overblown," Farah talks about it in pretty clear terms: "At the time, I didn't realize he had been an agency employee for a while. That might have helped me understand what was going on there a bit."

Farah continues:

"If you're talking about our intelligence community tolerating--if not promoting--drugs to pay for black ops, it's rather an uncomfortable thing to do [report on] when you're an establishment paper like the Post," Farah says. "If you were going to be directly rubbing up against the government, they wanted it more solid than it could probably ever be done."

Farah, by the way? He now works for the Department of Homeland Security as a consultant on drug policy. Circle of life.

MORE:
Black, Paranoid and Absolutely Right [The Root]

[DC readers can talk to author Ryan Grim about the book tonight at Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St, NW, starting at 6:30pm. Chances are, he won't be holding, but it never hurts to ask!]

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Comments

[arvay]

It's unfortunate that this story hasn't received wide attention.

It's a clear illustration of the fact that the Cold War transformed us partially into what we claimed we were fighting -- ruthless people with no regard for human life.

The fact that crack spread from its intended "customers" into the society at large also illustrates how inhumanity kills and harms those its practitioners claim to be defending. I have doubts about restitution for slavery, but clearly the victims of this domestic atrocity need to be compensated if possible.

And those who perpetrated it need the hammer of justice, a thousand times more than Bernie Madoff.

Combined with the unconstitutional measures taken by Bush and partially continued by Obama, we are faced with the fact that our liberties are being harshly circumscribed. And the oligarchs that control our government make nonsense of our "democracy."

Is this a failed state yet? Let's see how far down the economic crisis drags us before we answer that.

[S1m0n]

So what was the evidence?

[charon]

No surprise here. Whether CIA directed, or just enabled, allowed, and encouraged makes no difference. Webb was right. Deep in the government of this alleged democracy is the most vile group of people in the world, ruthless, morally depraved, and insanely righteous.

[research]

So rev Wright was correct about the crack from the CIA.

[LuckyLT2]

Unfortunately, people are so concerned about their own self importance to see and hear the truth.

[RevRayGreen]

Mena Arkansas Airport (google it)

[magic3400]

Of course they were (CIA), my last tour of while active duty (USMC) was south of the border providing assistance to certain agencies and friendly military units.

I can say if you look at the Barry Seal story and apply it to other countries in the Americas, you get a real good idea what certain elements of this government are capable of.

Most operations that took place down there are still classified and probably will not be declassified until we are all gone.

Some of the stories I've read are out in left field, but some (like this one) is worth reading.

[terramartom]

As though the CIA is just a bunch of boy scouts who would never hurt anyone, for any reason. No?
How about trained brutally heartless Government sanctioned killers!

[Durango]

Anyone who thinks those cargo planes were returning from Honduras empty knows nothing about air freight.

What do you think they were carrying? Bananas?

In secret flights accountable to no one?

All of which pales compared to the Nicaraguans murdered by this illegal war.

Crimes which have never been paid for. And which led in a direct line to George Jr's illeagl war in Iraq and around the globe.

That's what you get when you don't hold people accountable for their crimes. More crimes.

And I thought the Republicans paraded themselves as the "Law and Order' Party?

They believe in obeying the law just about as much as they are able to keep their pants on.

[GreatNews27]

Well, duh!!! But it's ok. They're Republicans.

[expired]

Dear MoveOn member,
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Big Oil and Coal lobbyists, working in cahoots with some conservative Blue Dog Democrats, weakened the bill terribly—it now falls far short of President Obama's campaign vision to transition America's economy to clean energy and create millions of new jobs.

In fact, the bill repeals a key part of the Clean Air Act and doesn't do nearly enough to shift America to renewable energy—so instead of a boom in solar and wind, the bill locks us into dirty coal power for another generation.1

Working with progressive champions in the House, we were able to achieve modest gains at the eleventh hour (see details below). But saving the Clean Air Act and fixing other problems with the bill as the fight moves to the Senate will require a massive grassroots outcry.

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"No. I don't think we should do that." (And tell us why.)
We'll go forward if 2/3 of us who vote think it makes sense.

[blueskybigstar]

Where do I vote?

[blueskybigstar]

Invalidate pardons that were meant to cover up criminal activity or the treason of the breaking of the promise that the public servants make when they take office to protect the country and its constitution. I think selling d rugs and laundering the money like Stanford breaks the promise that civil servants make and is therefore treason. Extend statutes of limitations.

I'm talking about amendments to the constitution that will bring people to justice when they commit crime and invalidate decisions made from the fraudulent manipulation of our Democracy. I'm talking about impeachment and removal of SC justices who somehow believed that the votes should not be counted in Florida.

Ohio. Diebold. Florida. How long has this been going on?

[blueskybigstar]

There was no mention in this article about Gary Webb's sacrifice and the strange taking of his life. He was declared a Sue E. Side with two b holes to the back of his head.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Webb
http://www.peterdalescott.net/webb.html

http://www.masterjules.net/webbdead.htm

[TovSquirrel]

I just want to give a shout out to Ollie North, Geo. H.W. Bush, St. Ronald Reagan, and all the little people who made all this possible--you know who you are!

[blueskybigstar]

The same people behind the Wall St. collapse, behind lying to take us to war in Iraq, and the inconsistencies of the event in New York, are the same people behind IranContra. They were pardoned by Reagan and Bush Sr. If we had a decent justice system that worked and transparency within government, we simply would not be in the situation we are in today.

[SILVANUS]

Well said.

[blueskybigstar]

Check my facts about Gary Webb and the San Jose Mercury News, then post my comment.