'CONTRA' SAFE HOUSES IN SALVADOR LINKED TO U.S. FIRMS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000301950003-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 20, 2012
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: October 24, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/20 :CIA-RDP90-009658000301950003-4
a AA'TICIE APPEAREQ
BALTIMORE SUN
24 October 1986
`Contra' safe houses in Salvador linked to U.S. firms
By Mark Fazlollah
Special to The Sun
SAN SALVADOR. El Salvador -
~mericans aiding_ the Nicaraguan
"contras" ran several San Salvador
safe houses. which were in regular
contact with a C1A-founded compa-
n ~ d the firm of a former Penta-
t?on o ici va oran ocuments
show.
~, review of Salvadoran govern-
men~ files establishes that thou-
sands of dollars in telephone calls
were made from three safe houses to
the United States. mainly to the Mi-
ami or Washington areas. The con-
tras appeared to have abandoned all
three safe houses during the past
month.
Itcould not be determined wheth-
er the safe houses were to contact
with U.S. government officials. But
the records showed that there were
telephone calls between the contras'
houses and homes or offices of for-
mer ranking U.S. military men. It
had been illegal for the past two
years for U.S. officials to aid the con-
tras with weapons shipments,
though the restriction was removed
by Congress last week.
One of the contras' homes in San
Salvador's posh Escalon neighbor-
hood was identified by Eugene Has-
enfus, who was captured Oct. 5
when the cargo plane he was on was
shot down in Nicaragua.
The Salvadoran records, provided
by state workers who oppose the
contras' presence in El Salvador,
showed that Mr. Hasenfus' home in
Marinette. Wis., was in telephone
contact with the Escalon house sev-
eral times last summer. A lawyer for
the owner of the Escalon home said
he believed the property was rented
to aCuban-American. but he de-
clined to identify the tenant.
Occupants of the white colonial-
style building telephoned the Mi-
ami-based Southern Air Transport
Co. almost every day. During atwo-
month period last summer, the Es-
calon house made more than 60
calls to Southern Air, files show.
Southern Air was founded by the
CIA. The enc sold it in the 1970s,
an it now runs internation char-
ter operations wit 4 airy apes.
Contra officer Mario Calera, who
has been overseeing the contras'
supply shipments from the United
States to Central America, said
Southern Air Transport has flown
"many flights for us."
Mr. Calera, whose brother Adolfo
is the political chief of the largest
contra force, stressed in a telephone
interview that he was responsible
only for shipments of non-lethal ma-
terials, such as food and clothing. He
said he did not know whether
Southern Atr had been contracted
for shipments of weapons. Southern
Air's representative could not be
reached for comment.
There were also regular tele-
phone calls between the Escalon
house and Stanford Technologies
Corp. of Vienna. Va., the Salvadoran
government files show.
Stanford Technolo ies was
founded v Edwin Wilson, a rene-
gade CIA ar?ent who is servin? a sen-
tence in a federal nitentia for
se inaz weapons to t ya.
One of [he Stanford executives is
retired Air Force MaJ. Gen. Richard
Secord, who was ci~ief of the Penta-
gon's Middle East arms sales and
has been identified in news reports
as having persuaded the Saudi Ara-
bians to give the contras the plane
Mr. Hasenfus was shot down in.
General Secord has denied that
he was involved in the airplane deal
or that he knew of any safe houses
in San Salvador.
Another contra house was also in
an exclusive neighborhood. perched
on the base of an inactive volcano
that majestically towers over San
Salvador.
The landlord said he rented the
property to Cuban-American Ramon
Medina, who Mr. Hasenfus identified
as one of the commanders of the
contras' supply operations that flew
out of San Salvador's llopango mili-
tary airport. The landlord, who
asked to remain anonymous, said
Medina moved into the house about
six months ago and "he always paid
cash."
Nicaraguan security agents have
said Medina's real name is Luis Po-
sada Carriles, who last year escaped
from ai in Venezuela. He was ac-
cused of planting a terrorist bomb
that killed 73 people in a Cuban air-
liner in 1976.
The CIA has stated that Medi a
previous wor or the enc but
was no on>ter on the payroll.
A third contra house in San Sal-
vador is a modest bungalow in a res-
idential neighborhood. The owner
said she rented the property to a Lat-
in named "Manuel Gonzalez," who
carried a U.S. passport.
Neighbors said three Americans
and a Latin lived in the bungalow.
and they erected a huge radio anten-
na last summer. They said the men
left the bungalow in September, tak-
ing the antenna with them.
"When 1 saw the antenna. t
thought they would have great tele-
vision reception. But the next morn-
ing Icould hear the tacks, tacks.
tacks of a wireless," said a neighbor.
The neighbor said he believed one
of the men's names was "Mr.Go-
mez."
Mr. Hasenfus has said Max Go-
mez and Medina commanded the
rnntra operations in El Salvador.
Government records show tele-
phone calls were made from the
bungalow to Stanford Technologies
and to Southern Air.
The C1A acknowledrzed that Mr.
wor or t e agency in the past
but no on>xer was emp oye~y fhe
American overnment.
T e U. .Embassy in San Salva-
dor last week conceded that Mr. Go-
mez had lunch with Ambassador
Edwin Corr, but the embassy did not
release information about how the
meeting was arranged or the details
of the talks.
The Salvadoran armed forces has
maintained that it did not have con-
tact with Mr. Gomez, but news
crews filmed the Salvadoran Air
Force commander, Gen. Juan Rafael
Bustillo, decorating Mr. Gomez at a
ceremony in El Salvador several
months ago.
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/20 :CIA-RDP90-009658000301950003-4