[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 136 (Friday, September 27, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H11579]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         ALLEGATIONS OF CIA PROVIDING DRUGS TO AMERICAN CITIES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California [Ms. Waters] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, as you know, I have been involved in trying 
to move the investigations that finally have been agreed to in order to 
get to the root of the facts and allegations that have been unveiled in 
the San Jose Mercury News under the heading ``Dark Alliance,'' written 
by investigative reporter Gary Webb.
  It has been an interesting journey over the past two weeks. Over the 
past 2 weeks, not only have we begun to ask questions about these 
revelations; we are bombarded with requests to send more information to 
individuals all around this Nation.
  I held a community meeting down in South-Central Los Angeles and 
reached out to about 75 community leaders. About 250 showed up. During 
the Congressional Black Caucus weekend here in Washington, I had a 
workshop. Over 3,000 people showed up at the workshop. This morning, I 
was up in Baltimore for the Human Rights Commission that was meeting 
there. Seven hundred people were there. This afternoon the Howard 
students rallied down near the Reflecting Pool. They had a good 
turnout.

  The major press has now gotten involved. Just this evening Tom Brokaw 
on NBC did quite an extensive piece. Included in that piece was John 
Kerry and information about his investigation.
  I have continued to reach out. People are calling me with all kinds 
of information. I began to look in the archieves, just to see what is 
there, and discovered some very interesting things.
  I decided to look in the diary that is in the archives of Oliver 
North. I discovered that there was a notebook entry, for example, on a 
conversation with Robert Owen, who was his liaison with the Contras, 
dated August 9, 1985. The discussion covers a plane being used by Mario 
Calero, brother of the head of the FDN Adolpho Calero, based in New 
Orleans, to ferry supplies to the Contras in Honduras.
  This is what the notation said: ``Honduran DC-6 which is being used 
for runs out of New Orleans is probably being used for drug runs into 
the United States.''
  These are his diary notations that are in the archives. There are 
many more. It seems as it we are going to spend many, many hours on 
this.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Ms. WATERS. I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. If the gentlewoman would yield for a question, was 
the gentlewoman clear that Oliver North was noting that to move against 
it?
  Ms. WATERS. When I checked with the DEA, who he was supposed to give 
the information to, nobody has a record.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. It was a secret operation. He wouldn't be telling 
any one. Do any of the allegations being made, and obviously there are 
some very bad characters involved with drug dealing on various sides of 
various issues, but did any of these drug shipments go through Mena 
Airport at a time when President Clinton was Governor of Arkansas?
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, we are going to find out 
exactly where they went. What is interesting about one of the 
introductions to the John Kerry committee report was, everybody knew 
that there were drug runs. Several agencies of the Federal Government 
had distinct knowledge that drugs were being flown into the United 
States, and the proceeds were being used to fund the Contras.
  My point is this: Whether the CIA or the DEA or the Justice 
Department or anybody knew and did nothing, turned their heads, allowed 
it to go on, or directly participated in it, they are guilty of 
undermining the citizens of this country. They are guilty of creating 
the devastation of many of the communities in this country.
  We are going to proceed with these investigations. I am going to 
spend considerable time looking in the archives, going through Oliver 
North's diaries, looking at information that surfaced in newspapers 
during the period of time this was going on. We are going to get to the 
bottom of this.
  I am pleased about the involvement now of many of our churches, 
schools that are coming on line, universities that are getting 
interested, community groups that are calling from all over. People are 
calling from the so-called right and the left.
  We have citizens who say, ``Ms. Waters, I do not agree with you on a 
lot of things, but I agree with you on this. We want you to stick with 
it, to stay with it. We are outraged at the idea that our government 
could have known, could have been involved with this, could have been a 
part of a plot.''
  Mr. Speaker, this is just the beginning. I will be with you often as 
we unveil this information about CIA, DEA, involvement in drug 
trafficking in America.

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