TRAGIC LATIN EXPEDITION BEGAN WITH A LETTER...

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000100320021-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 9, 2010
• Sequence Number: 21
• Publication Date: September 6, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/09: CIA-RDP90-00806R000100320021-2
ARTICLE APPEARED
AN PAGZ _
WASHINGTON POST
6 September 1984
Tragic Latin Expedition Began
with a Letter...
By George Lardner Jr.
Washington Poat Staff Writer
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Sept. 5-It
apparently began with a letter Tom
Posey sent to Honduran Gen. Gus-
tavo Alvarez Martinez last Novem-
ber.
"We got the idea from the news-
papers," Posey said. "He was the
strongman."
A U.S. Marine veteran who had
founded a group called "Civilian-
Military Assistance" to help counter
communism in Central America,
Posey says he addressed the letter
quite simply to "Gen. Martinez,
Honduran Government, Honduras,
Central America," and mentioned
the group's hopes of doing some-
thing tangible to stem the tide.
"I was tickled pink when I got [a]
letter back," Posey recalled. "It re-
ally inspired us. He invited us down.
He said he was delighted to hear
from people who were interested-in
doing something."
Their exchange led to a series of
expeditions that ended tragically
last weekend when two American
members of CMA were shot down
and killed in a rebel helicopter over
Nicaraguan territory.
Thf-~.Siindinist@ governmenf
-Nicaragua _promptjy__cbarged that
the Americans were "CIA merce-
naries." U.S. officials ust__ as
prompt]), denied any connection
wit CTfA. and osev'sgrou~also
says it was independent, operating
without consorting with any U.S.
government agency.
There is, however, evidence that
U.S. agencies and officials did have
knowledge of the CMA operation,
and facilitated it along the"way.
Posey had earlier been granted a
license by the Treasury Depart-
ment as a firearms dealer. He stat-
ed on the application, "I plan to buy
weapons and ammo to send to El
Salvador with that government's
permission."
There are also indications that
U.S. diplomatic and military person-
nel in Central America gave various
kinds of help to Posey and his fol-
lowers on their expeditions there.
"It's a kit easier than most people
think," said Walton (Cisco) Blanton,
another CMA founder and former
member of an Alabama National
Guard Special Forces unit, refer-
ring to the small group's moves to
help first the government of El Sal-
vador, then the rebels in Nicaragua
over the last year.
"All you've got to do really is
reach out ......
"And go for it," Posey said, fin-
ishing the thought.
The first trip to Honduras, for
example, took place last January.
Posey said he and three other CM A
members went after notifying the
Honduran Embassy in Washington
of sidearms and rifles they intended
to take with them, complete with
serial numbers.
"We took weapons with us, yes
sir, for our own protection," Posey
told reporters here today.
He said they also took about
$4,000 worth of supplies, mostly
medical equipment, and flew to Te-
gucigalpa on a private plane they
had chartered.
"We'd just gotten a brand new
bunch of uniforms" for the Ni-
caraguan rebels, Posey added. "We
figured we could save $500"-in
airline tickets and freight costs-"if
we were to fly ourselves down
there."
Landing in Honduras was no
problem.
"When' we got to Customs."
Pose' recalled, "we showed them
the letter from en. [Alvarez] Mar-
tinez. The guy looked at the letter,
closed it up real fast and passed us
right through."
The men took a cab to a local ho-
tel, across the street from security
police headquarters, and, Posey
says, proceeded to the U.S. Embas-
sy first thing the next morning.
"We showed the letter to an
American, he had a business suit
on," Posey said. "I said, 'Hey,
Bud'-I called him 'Bud' because he
was younger than me 'I said, 'We
came here to check in.'
He said the embassy official made
a telephone can and told the group
to go back to their hotel.
"We told them what we was
wanting: to meet with an official of
the Honduran government. I don't
know who he called. They said go
back to the hotel and they or some-
body will contact you."
About three hours later, Posey
said, a Honduran official came by.
Once again, "we showed him the
letter." Alvarez, who was later
ousted, was reportedly out of the
country at the time, but Posey said
the CMA group spoke with an aide
to the general and was eventually
put in contact with rebel forces of
the Nicaraguan Democratic Force
(FDN).
"We went to a base camp that
was told to, us was in Honduras,"
Posey stated. He said they
presented their supplies, but de-
clined to say whether they also pro-
vided the rebels with basic military
training, another service that CMA
was set up to provide, on that first
The January trip was CMA's first
in support of the Nicaraguan rebels,
but not the first south of the border.
Posey. Blanton and several others
who had "known each other for
years" decided in July 1983 to try to
do something "as private, citizens"
and focused first on helping the
government in El Salvador.
A produce dealer from Decatur,
Ala., Posey said he scraped togeth-
er some savings and made the trip
Ce
STAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/09: CIA-RDP90-00806R000100320021-2