Friend of the show Hugo Turner joined me this week to discuss Elliot Abrams and his legacy in Central America and role in the Iran-Contra affair. We began by discussing the roots of Iran-Contra and why it is still largely ignored by the media. Hugo discussed the origins of the affair going all the way back to the October Surprise in 1980. We talked about the other events that opened the door into Iran-Contra including the attempted assassination of Contra leader Eden Pastora in Costa Rica. Hugo and I then explored Abrams role in Iran-Contra itself. We also discussed Abrams role in covering up war crimes in El Salvador like the El Motoze massacre. Later Hugo and I talked about the genocide in Guatemala which Abrams helped facilitate. We also discussed the complex web of people and groups involved in drug trafficking, terrorism, death squads, and the suppression of the poor. We closed out the conversation by looking at the parallels between the 1980’s and the current political environment. We used the current situations in Venezuela and Haiti as examples.
Show Notes:
Anti-Imperialist-U.blogspot.com
Iran/Contra Pt 1: The Secret Team
Our Hidden History YouTube Channel
COVERUP: Behind the Iran Contra Affair
Beyond Contragate: The Secret Team – w/ Daniel Sheehan & Sara Nelson (1987)
CIA Intervention in Guatemala; Eliot Abrams; Allen Nairn; Charlie Rose 1995
Journalist Raymond Bonner on the CIA, El Salvador, and Central America (1984)
Raymond Bonner: El Mozote and Reporting during the Reagan Years (1993)
Porkins Policy Review 