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FOR THE BETTER PART of a decade, a Bay Area drug ring sold tons of cocaine to the Crips and Bloods street gangs of Los Angeles and funneled millions in drug profits to a Latin American guerrilla army run by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, a Mercury News investigation has found.

From: Jane Marcus (jmarcus@leland.stanford.edu), Palo Alto
Date: Thursday, August 22, 1996
Comment: When I went on vacation two weeks ago I knew I would
miss the Mercury News' excellent coverage
of the "drug war." Little did I know I'd
miss Gary Webb's Pullitzer-quality series.

But thanks to technology I've been able to
read the whole story AND MORE! The web
version that you've put together is REMARKABLE!
The links to the source documents, pictures,
and audio make this a full-blown hyper-media
masterpiece. I hope you will make it possible
for others around the country to access the
URL of this important collection of information.

Also, could you keep us local readers appraised
of other papers across the country that run
the story? I'd be curious to know whether
other editors and publishers have the courage
and responsibility that the Mercury's staff
has shown.

THANK YOU!!!!

From: Karen (ka@cooper.cpmc.org), Corte Madera
Date: Thursday, August 22, 1996
Comment: The CIA has done more damage to this country than all the communist governments it has supposedly opposed. It is a criminal institution hiding behind the black cloak of secrecy known as "national security" and receiving uncounted billions of tax dollars to boot. How much longer will we allow it to stay in operation? When will enough people open their eyes to the fact that the CIA is destroying democracy (not saving it) so we can at long last close it down?!

From: Matthew Amster-Burton (mamster@u.washington.edu), Seattle, WA
Date: Friday, August 23, 1996
Comment: The idea that the CIA, NSA, and FBI are
out of control clouds the real issue:
none of this would have happened if the
Reagan administration hadn't prosecuted
an illegal war in Central America.
Blaming the CIA for doing what it could
to fund this war makes no sense. Our
government is complicit in a crime as
foul as what Saddam Hussein perpetrated
on the Kurds. The question should not
be "How can we reform the CIA?" but
"How can we completely rebuild our
evil government?"

From: Jeff Pulliam (jpulliam@earthlink.net), San Jose
Date: Friday, August 23, 1996
Comment: Good writing, but in order to make the sale
you need to give us more of your background
data. The substantiation that would turn this
into more than a Clancy Novel, could determine
whether this series of articles is an interesting
anamoly, or a significant start to fixing
the ethical standards of our country.

Bob Dole, Jack Kemp, and all the rest of
the Washington Insiders should beware. IF this
gets any momentum, the guilty will be held accountable.

RE Clinton and Mena - Do you really think
the CIA would bring in a draft dodging
liberal into a secret operation like that?

From: Meekail Shaheed (mshaheed@montereybay.com), Presidio of Monterey
Date: Friday, August 23, 1996
Comment: Hats off to Mr Webb and the supporting staff! As a member of our Armed Forces..I find it embarassing that elements of our Federal Government are involved in such activities...embarassed but not surprised. I feel that the American people have a right to see that guilty parties, no matter how high on the 'Federal Totum Pole" are exposed and prosecuted. We all see how quick our Federal Prosecuters go after the small fish..what about when it's one of their own. As a side note, being an African American Muslim, I see for our communities one solution. Live as God intnded and fight injustice wherever we see it....from our own backyards to the backyard of OUR White House!

From: Hiram Clawson (hiramc@sco.COM), Santa Cruz, CA
Date: Friday, August 23, 1996
Comment: Those of us that used to display this
"Cocain Import Agency" bumper sticker
many years ago have been familiar with
this story for quite some time.

These CIA-Drug connection stories go
quite a bit back in time. Try reading:
"The Politics of Heroin in South East
Asia" by Alfred W. McCoy, 1972 for some
older history of this age old
CIA problem.

I'm happy to see this story reaching
a new audience. The outrage of the
freshly exposed readers is refreshing
to see. Congratulations to Gary Webb
and the Mercury News on this series.

--Hiram

From: John Farabee (farab001@metvax.metro.msus.edu.), Minneapolis
Date: Saturday, August 24, 1996
Comment: The U.S. government shouldn't make any
covert moves until real and effective
checks and balances are in place. These
congressional oversight committees are a
sham. We need to realize that the
Democrats and Republicans see eye to eye
on this type of thing, and work in
orchestration. Therefore, better
representation in Congress. That will
happen when we all get hopping mad. By the
way, how long will Koppel and co. dance
away from this one?

From: John Farabee (farab001@metvax.metro.msus.edu.), Minneapolis
Date: Saturday, August 24, 1996
Comment: The U.S. government shouldn't make any
covert moves until real and effective
checks and balances are in place. These
congressional oversight committees are a
sham. We need to realize that the
Democrats and Republicans see eye to eye
on this type of thing, and work in
orchestration. Therefore, better
representation in Congress. That will
happen when we all get hopping mad. By the
way, how long will Koppel and co. dance
away from this one?

From: Gil Gault (brogil@aol.com), Mill Valley,CA
Date: Saturday, August 24, 1996
Comment: What really amazes me is that no one else seems to be even slightly interested in this story.
This is to me genocide on the scale of the Nazis and
all we read about in the other papers is that Ted Koppels hair
is still in place. God Bless you for at least doing what you
can to report the truth even though many actually don't want you to do that. Keep up the
good work and maybe some day the American People
will see it. PEACE AND LOVE!

From: Bob Gonsalves (pinknoiz@pinknoiz.com), Crockett, CA
Date: Saturday, August 24, 1996
Comment: Thanks for mentioning two of my web pages in your Links section. I have
a few other pointers for your readers. For those who are
interested in more research on the CIA, I also host
a 'trial-size' version of former CIA officer Ralph McGehee's
CIABASE, at http://www.pinknoiz.com/covert/ciabasesearch.html.

Another book that is relevant is Jack Terrell's "Disposable Patriot".
Terrell was harrassed by North and the FBI as he tried to blow the
whistle on the contra operation. There are about 2 dozen references
to drugs in the index of his biography. Also, Alfred McCoy's classic
"The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade" was
republished in 1991 by Lawrence Hill Books and is readily available.

The series has had some effect in the journalism world, though little
political change is to be expected. Here's a story: Dick Armey
was recently holding a press conference and was going on about Clinton
and drug policy. A reporter asked about his reaction to the Merc's series.
All Armey could do, I've been told, was sputter as his face turned red.

Insofar as Mena goes: Having read the Kerry report, I don't recall much
about the Arkansas base, beyond the discussion of Barry Seal and
his betrayal by North and the phony "Frederico Vaughn" caper. I find it
fascinating that people are trying to use it to beat up Clinton, especially
since it was leftist columnist Alexander Cockburn who raised the issue
_before_ the 1992 election. I look forward to the CIA IG's report, though
I expect it to be a whitewash.

Companion series on Guatemala's G-2 & the Salvadoran generals (what _really_
went on at Ilopango air base) would be quite intersting.

Bob Gonsalves, Research Director, Pink Noise Studios

From: Angel Dominguez (teodom@ix.netcom.com), Canyon Country, CA
Date: Sunday, August 25, 1996
Comment: While I'm not surprised, I question how many of our government representatives would be if they received overwhelming amounts of e-mail (linking this SJ Mercury web site, of course) regarding their views and action they plan to take on behalf of citizens regarding such a dangerous agency as the CIA, as it now exists. I personally plan to immediately e-mail "Buck," and any other government officials I can locate on the internet, and plead with and encourage others to do likewise. Any and every radio or television news station with an e-mail address should be written attaching this website requesting extensive coverage. We should not stand for silence on this issue.

From: Dave Strom (davstrom@aimnet.com), Santa Clara
Date: Sunday, August 25, 1996
Comment: A sentence from Noam Chomsky: "U.S.
foreign policy is, in fact, based on the
principle that human rights are
irrelevant."

It appears that the U. S. domestic policy
for U.S. citizens with black skin is
based on the same principle.

From: Steve Winston (xee@psnw.com), Visalia, CA
Date: Monday, August 26, 1996
Comment: Your series reminds of something out of the 60's and early 70's.
I lived in a small town in northern New Mexico. Militancy was growing
there. Hippies and pot were common. Majority of the people were hispanic.
A flood of heroin swamped that town like it flowed into ghettos and barrios all over the US
in the early 70's. The word was that it came from the Nixon administration.
People believed the feds were loosing the shit on us to control
the angry militants.

From: Bob Ragland (Rags@prostar.com), Seattle WA
Date: Tuesday, August 27, 1996
Comment: "America, we need you now we can't fight alone against
the monster. Don't you know dah dah dah dah don't you
care about your sons and daughters????"

Apparently not.

From: Rev. Wes Rehberg, Ph.D. (wrehberg@igc.apc.org), Burdett, NY
Date: Tuesday, August 27, 1996
Comment: It's long been held that a drugs and arms conspiracy with Contra connections has been part of another conspiracy, to disenfranchise other oppressed peoples in the U.S. Congratulations to Mr. Webb for his excellent investigative work, and for once again confirming deeply held observations that the U.S. government has a very dark side that continues to violently and savagely abase and suppress and oppress people who seek alternative ways of living out lives of justice in the midst of the most brutal injustices. We certainly need more of this kind of courageous and diligent work from the press.

From: Rev. Wes Rehberg, Ph.D. (wrehberg@igc.apc.org), Burdett, NY
Date: Tuesday, August 27, 1996
Comment: It's long been held that a drugs and arms conspiracy with Contra connections has been part of another conspiracy, to disenfranchise other oppressed peoples in the U.S. Congratulations to Mr. Webb for his excellent investigative work, and for once again confirming deeply held observations that the U.S. government has a very dark side that continues to violently and savagely abase and suppress and oppress people who seek alternative ways of living out lives of justice in the midst of the most brutal injustices. We certainly need more of this kind of courageous and diligent work from the press.

From: Robert B. Turk (inconspicuous@megalith.com), Austin, TX
Date: Tuesday, August 27, 1996
Comment: Thank you so much for the well-organized
web resource and articles about this terrible
racist/genocidal policy. I've long believed
the "War on Drugs" of the Reagan/Bush
administrations was just another front
for their criminal activites in Iran, in
Central America, and of course in the US.

It is a War on Citizens, and it always has
been. The billions of dollars spent to imprison
non-violent "offenders" should have gone
towards disarming criminals, educating everyone
about the perils of substance abuse AND of
trusting the government. The CIA, the NSA,
the FBI, etc. have been granted blank checks
by Congress to wage every single war they've
wanted. And what happens? George Bush pardoned
every crooked one of 'em!

What'll happen now? Will people finally
fight back against the horribly corrupt war
machine? Will they demand medical treatment for
addicts and legalization of the so-called
"bad drugs" in order to flatten out the profit
motivation behind all this criminality? Will
they blithely continue to believe "The Powers
That Be" that use violence, intimidation,
extortion, and blackmail to maintain the
status quo that is clearly NOT RIGHT!!??

Please continue to inform and challenge us all
to be more than we currently are!

From: Robert C. Schleyer (rkelly05@interserv.com), Houston
Date: Tuesday, August 27, 1996
Comment: Have we so soon forgotten that the CIA
financed its secret wars in Cambodia
and Laos by operating the largest
herion distribution system in the World.
The dope was distributed all over the
World by the CIA's private airline,
Air America. Continental Airlines, (yes,
the BIG one) is reputed to maintain
strong ties with the CIA. This is common
talk amongst professional pilots.
Continental flew for the CIA during the
Viet Nam war and today, Continental
is making semi-secret flights "down
South," carrying "unknown" cargo. Keep
scratching....

From: jesse kolstad (kramer1@isomedia.com), seattle
Date: Tuesday, August 27, 1996
Comment: look at the money that is to be had seling something that america wants anyway.
whether its moral or not is not the goverments job to enforce.
people use "i was on drugs "too often as an exuse,,,and america excepts it.
after this becomes common knowledg among americans i think ppeople will have to rethink their outlook on drugs and the people who do them
to the government,my mom who smoked pot would have been a filthy drug addict who deserves to lose her kids.im sorry but that seems far mor immoral than the act of doing drugs!
the fact that the gov. sold drugs does not suprise me i just wish they'd quit putting people in prison for buying it!