FORMER GREEN BERETS FOUND TO SELL THEIR SKILLS TO UNFRIENDLY REGIMES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000404430001-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 21, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: December 9, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/21 : CIA-RDP9O-00552ROO0404430001-7
STAT
12 :???E. RED
critii
Former G e Berets Found to dell
prep
heir z1 to nrnendiy Reg es j largi
By PHILUPTAUBXX4
WASHINGTON. Dee- 8 - Many for-
mer Green Berets, men specially
trained by theArmy to be masters of the
lethal arts, sell their skills to unfriendly
governments arid` repressive regimes,
according to Fedezal?law enforcement
officials and former,,members of 'the
force.
These operation, concentrated in Af
rica, the Middle East and South Amer-
ica, are said by these sources to have in.
volved dozens of the thousands of for-
mer Army Special Forces veterans, bet-
ter )mown as Green Berets.
These sources said that in many cases
men were recruited by fellow veterans
who contended that their missions had
been sanctioned by the Central Intelli-
NE",J YORK TIM S
9 DECE BER 1981
These sources provided details about
the operations involving Special Forces
veterans in Nicaragua and in Chile.
They also cited, without providing de-
tails, other overseas operations that em-
ployed former Green Berets. in Egypt,
Zaire, Honduras, Mexico and Argent!.
-,The sources said that some of these
operations, like Mr. Wilson's terrorist
training project in Libya, were contrary
to American foreign policy interests be-
cause they involved providing special-
ized military expertise to unfriendly
governments or to repressive regimes.
United States laws, however, do not
prohibit such activities unless ."the
Americans involved become mercenary
-
formally enlist in a
gene Agency. In most cases, such con, soldiers, that is,
tentions were apparently false, but for- taryservice of a foreign nation, Jus
mer Green Berets, accustomed to han-~I tice~~entofficials said.
-dlingsensitiveandoften unconventional, i Joseph W. Reap Jr., a State Depart-
covert tasks for the C.I.A. while on acJ ment press officer, declined to comment
five duty, assumed that the jobs had on the mercenary activities of former
been aoptoved by the Garernraeiit Green Berets and referred a caller to the
Justice Department.
11-byw0persgo,s vrdgne A press officer there, John Russell,
The activities of former Green Berets f said: "We have investigated activities
have recently been a subject of in-l of former Green Berets before and
found- Federal scrutiny because of dis- some flaws in the mercenary
closures that more than a dozen Special' laws. We found we couldn't go ahead
any make
viola-
Forcer, veterans wo. in Li~ Ira;n.jj~n ofvmercenary ea.If there
laws, ws, is we'll make
~tion of
ing terrorists in an operation organized Revery effort to look into it and enforce
focused on the issue by the ca-ye of #u. ..' were recruited by a top aide to Mr.
We don't talk in terms of getting out Somoza to handle counterterrorist
gene A. TafOYR, a S11 Forces vet- of the Army," said Colonel Isaacson, operations. including
eran who worked for Mr. Wilson in. who is based at Special Forces head- and sabotage of oP?tetioon groups. infiltration
ups The
Libya. Tafoya was convicted last quarters at Fort Bra v. N.C. '.'We as- i
bYa- men also told their friends that they had!
week of assault in the shooting of a sume the men who make it through our selected for assassination a senior otfi-
Libyan student in Fort Collins, Colo.. in training program are going to make a cial in Cuban intelligence who was
Additional public attention has been , : `> = 'We Assume' a Career ! According to these sources, the dour
Bence agents in martial techniques. unorthodox demolition work... they not be identified.
said
Be
gear
Brag
twee
som
dog.
grai
I Tt
For
law
Ben
Bet
ma
1, ing
"u you want to !mow what kind r cov-
ert operations are going on around the
world, the best place to find out is in
Fayetteville," said Luke F. Thompson,
a former Green Beret who, while on ac-
tive duty, worked for Mr. Wilson in
Libya. "Fayetteville is headquarters
for intrigue. It makes Washington look
like a finishing school."
A Federal law enforcement official
familiar with the activities of Special
Forces veterans said that Fayetteville
and Honolulu were "switchboards" for
clandestine operations.
In 1978, for example, according to the
Federal, Army and Green Beret
sources, a group of former Green Berets
and former Navy unconventional-war-
fare specialists living in Fayetteville
were recruited to work in Nicaragua for
Anastasio Somoza Debayle, who was
then President, handling counterterror-
.
.
, -charges of illegally shipping explosives ,for the Special Forces, makes no effort ist jobs, including assassinations of.
? to Libya for use in training terrorists to caution active-duty Green Berets Sornozaopponents.
them about becoming involved in question- The four men were killed late in 1978
and is believed to be training
In another instance, thesourcessald,1,Jable activities when they retire. The in a plane crash in Nicaragua, accord.
spokesman, Lieut. Col. Harold Isaac- ingtoformer eolleagues.Details oftheir
former Green Berets were recruited to;. ti
Eson, said that the only caution they re- mnssion, .however, were recorded in
assassinate appaseaLS of the . Nicara- ceive about applying their skills ? when ! notes kept by friends, who made these
guar Gorezr-went- ,Still :oRhers, -the ttteyleave the military is a warning not documents available and who agreed to
l by Edwin P. wiison...a formaer C.3A Int."
Wilson has been indicted on - The Army, according to a spokesman
agent
Mr
?theC.I-A- I while embarrassed by the activities of
some former members, could do noth-
Interviews with more than two dozen
contended that be had been working for ne aaaea max me apeciai rorces, businessman supporting opponents of
1 businessman supporting opponents of
Federal officials and former Green
Berets suggest that the Libyan opera.
tion run by Mr. Wilson was not unique in
its use of men who had- cam served in
pertise in weapons, explosives and corn. The friends of the four do not know
!cations. whether the assassinations were actu-
ally attempted, and if so, whether they
weresuccessfW.
wway `'" Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/21 : CIA-RDP9O-00552ROO0404430001-7