No Defense for Terror (Part 5)

The testimony and allegations by Osmeiro Carneiro are very fascinating (beyond the fallacies Enrique Encinosa presents) because he talks about his involvement in the famous interview between Ricardo "El Mono" Morales Navarrete and Francisco Chao Hermida in 1982, and also names Orlando Garcia Vasquez as a conspirator in the 1976 bombing. At the time, Orlando Garcia was a Venezuelan intelligence director and security adviser for the president, Carlos Andrés Pérez. Those who have read the declassified documents on Luis Posada Carriles will recognize the name Orlando Garcia Vasquez because his name appears on some of the documents, notably on one as the official assigned to "protect and assist" Orlando Bosch while he was in Venezuela in 1976.

The names, Orlando Garcia Vasquez and Osmeiro Carneiro, will reappear in the following posts.

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THE 1992 FBI "REPORT"

Before I get to Encinosa's statements on Ricardo Morales Navarrete, I wanted to quickly examine the FBI report that "declares" Luis Posada Carriles as "not involved" in the 1976 bombing.

Enrique Encinosa mentions a February 3, 1992 FBI report declaring "that Posada was not involved in the [1976] Barbados assault." Encinosa accurately mentions the date of the investigation and one of its authors: Special Agent Michael S. Foster. But, this FBI report is not really a report, but instead a deposition investigating Posada's involvement in the resupply operations of Contras in 1985 and '86 . It also had two investigators, Foster and Special Agent George R. Kiszynski. This FBI deposition has been declassified, and is posted on the National Security Archive website. You can read it here.

If you read all 31-pages, you will notice that the overwhelming majority of the topics discussed concern Posada's involvement with the Contras in El Salvador, not his involvement in the bombing of 1976, or other events. Also, this is not an FBI report that investigates or examines facts, or makes suggestions or recommendations. It is a simple FBI interview that does not corroborate or add information, but merely repeats what Posada says.

Its very convenient for Enrique Encinosa to present this FBI document as a "report" because it lends credibility to his defense. But, in this case, the FBI is not declaring anything. The substance of the transcript begins with the statement "Posada then advised as follows:" From that point, until the final page, Posada's statements are mainly referred to in the third person (e.g., "As far as Posada knows" or "As best as Posada can estimate"). Only in the final four pages does the discussion begin to deviate from the involvement with the Contras, and the bombing of 1976 mentioned. On page 30, the investigators write:

"Posada was not responsible for the downing of the Cuban airliner, as he was accused. Posada was involved in the armed struggle against Castro, but he was not responsible for blowing up the Cuban airliner in 1976."

This statement follows comments to the FBI investigators revealing that "Posada would like to come to the United States eventually. He is tired and wants to move on with his life."

These are not declarations by the FBI as Encinosa suggests.

[Part 6]