July 1991

7/1/91

Warsaw Pact dead

Algeria assets 2 leaders of opposition Islamic Salvation Front after threat of jihad, if state of siege not lifted

The ex-SA officer for destabilizing SWAPO also says SA gave AK-47s to Inkatha & helped it set up cells in hostile areas

Yugoslavia army fired the Slovenian general in charge of operations in Slovenia & Croatia in favor of a Serb Army accuses Slovenia of refusing to allow food & water to military units. Army has already broken the cease-fire & has threatened more. Of course army now supposed to be (roughly) under control of new Croat head of presidency
-Though Eur & US want Yug. unity, no one () with the crackdown & end of aid threatened. Ger beginning to talk of breakup. Austria also supports its former provinces

By pure coincidence, the best candidate to replace Marshall is by god black, Clarence Thomas. Catholic but I believe divorced. No paper trail on abortion or much else — did I say he was Catholic? Asst sec of Ed. for Civil Rights 1981-2, chair EEOC 1982-9. A boot-strapper, doesn’t believe in groups. In EEOC, stopped class-action suits in favor of indivs. Says affirmative action is “social engineering” — yup. Civil Rights leaders just “bitch, bitch, bitch, moan and whine.” In EEOC, allowed 1,700 or 13,000 age-discrim suits to lapse w/out action. Even think Brown v Board of Ed. wrong, too sentimental in thinking black schools automatically inferior to white. And he’s 43

Yug. gov has ordered Croatia’s airport closed

Bush not linking housing loan guarantees to Israel to freeze in settlements


7/2/91

Commander Yugoslav army broke truce, saying politicians just tying army hands, would go all the way. And it is. The Serbian general in charge of this comes from cracking down on Kosovo.
-US now supports ind if reached in peaceful manner

A new anti-CP not-quite-party formed USSR by Shevardnadze, mayors of Moscow & Leningrad, Russia’s VP & PM, Shatalin, not Yeltsin

In Zagreb, troops fired on a crowd. Convoys (20-mi. long) moving on both republics

Clarence Thomas 1987 praised an essay saying fetus has “right to life.” & that Roe v Wade was a “coup” against Const


7/3/91

Br to allow sale of RU-486 abortion pill


7/4/91

Shevardnadze has resigned CP after it tried to investigate him

Tax-payers have paid for Sec Transportation’s flying lessons (212 hrs)

Eritrean & Tigreans, now in charge, planning referenda to secede

October Surprise: Iran-Contra largely came out because of attempt 1986 to prosecute Israeli Wm Northrop for selling arms to Iran. The case was dropped 1989 after connections to RR Admin clear. Northrop claims to have been a colonel in Israeli military intelligence. He says that Carter approved arms-for-hostage arms sales by Israel summer 1980. And that RR Admin approved 5 Israeli arms deliveries 1981-2. If both sides supported Israeli sales 1980, Israelis were the true spoilers, not RR. Gary Sick suggests rogue CIA agents may have done this to discredit Carter’s negotiations. At the least, Carter was slow to observe law & stop such sales. The Northrop affidavit part of suit by 2 ex-US customs contractors who failed 1980 to get action against an Israeli front man. When finally succeeded 1983, Israel threatened to kill them & the prosecutor. Acquitted because Justice pulled punches.
-Stories by Secret Service on Bush’s location oct. 18-9 up to 4.
-According to Voice’s 6/25/91 chronology of Oct. Surprise, Iran-born arms dealer Oct 2 approached Carter, Reagan & Anderson campaign w/proposal of arms for hostages. Anderson warned gov, RR not.
-Gary Sick finds the great mystery to be that Iran failed even to respond to Carter’s last offer 10/11/80.
-In debates 10/28/80, RR: “I have been accused lately of having a secret plan with regard to the hostages. My ideas require quiet diplomacy, where you don’t say what it is you’re thinking of doing.”

Fr gave honors (a knighthood) to one of its people jailed by New Zealand for Greenpeace bombing Rainbow Warrior

Iraqi democracy: new parties to be allowed, if recognize principles of revo of 1968 & non-relig. Only Baaths to be active in military

Yug. gov gives Slovenia ultimatum on giving up border posts, allowing out surrounded fed soldiers, give up RR lines & airspace, return fed property, free captured troops, return militia to barracks.
-It seems last yr when non-CP won Slovene elections, Yug. Army took back most military equipment stored there


7/5/91

One of accusations against Robert Gates that he knew of but failed to stop illegal arms shipments to SA 1984-8

Ch. gives approval of new Hong Kong airport, but gains more say in decisions prior to 1997. & Br has promised will leave at least $3.2b cash reserves

Yug. idea of compromise: Slovenia can man its border posts but must turn over all customs revenues.
-Eur has finally suspended aid, embargoes arms

USSR to allow foreigners to own 100% of firms & repatriate any profits

Ger upper house to remain in Bonn


7/6/91

US admits Flying Tigers were a covert op, not volunteers


7/9/91

CIA’s former head of Cent. American bit pleads guilty to withholding info on diversion of funds in Iran-Contra

Algeria has arrested 6,000 so far

Red Cross to participate in future Kuwait deportations. UN High Commissioner for Refugees kept out still

Senators have been having fun w/the crime bill, adding 50 crimes to fed death penalty list, allowing death penalty in fed court if guns, mandatory 30 yrs fo ruse fire arm in crime (88). Admin got bit on Fed review of death sentences in states w/disproportionate racial application

Iraq admits programs to produce enriched uranium in bomb program in violator of Non-Proliferation Treaty


7/10/91

Bush lifting sanctions on SA

House rejects MFN status for Ch. 223-204

Fiers, the CIA agent (yesterday) says he informed Clair George, depy director for operations, & George told him to lie to Congress


7/11/91

Clarence Thomas used...gasp...marijuana

Fr taking new actions against illegal immigrants, inc giving transit rather than tourist visas for some countries

Israel seizing prop in E Jerusalem if owned by Palestinians living in W Bank — it is considered abandoned


7/13/91

Bush admin trying to stop demolition of Shoreham nuke plant by forcing an environmental impact report on the closing [Update: fails]

Poland’s lower house stopped Walesa changing election rules in favor of party lists rather than indivs. The bad bit is the rules would also have eliminated 5-yr residency requirement for candidates — some lived abroad, inc the #3 presidential candidate a few mos ago.

Bush threatening Iraq on nuclear capability. Says he has legal right to restart military action & has drawn up list of 20 targets, actually non-nuclear, just punishment. Meanwhile, pulling out of n. Iraq, but leaving rapid deployment force in... Turkey. And there’s a deadline on nukes: 7/25


7/14/91

State Dept kept Ambassador April Glaspie from reporting to Congress on her talks w/Hussein before the invasion until Mar91. Then she lied. Congress finally got transcript of her cable on the meeting. She titled it “Hussein’s Message of Friendship to the US”. She claimed Hussein said he would settle dispute w/Kuwait peacefully, & thus lied, but there are any # of not terribly veiled threats. She concluded, “His emphasis that he wants peaceful settlement is surely sincere. Iraqis are sick of war.” While she later claimed she warned Hussein, she didn’t.

Bush claimed SA had released all pol prisoners when lifted sanctions, but there are still many in bantustans


7/15/91

While even Census Bureau admits missing 5m, Bush Admin decides not to adjust figures

Kuwait says non-Kuwaitis will work for gov only if no Kuwaitis available. 100,000 foreigners used to

Syria accepts US plan for Mid E Peace Conf

Iraq circumvented nuke restrictions by using a uranium enrichment method abandoned by everyone else decades ago — low tech, so restrictions on high-tech exports didn’t affect. The electromagnetic method is also declassified

A Nightline report on October Surprise talked to one of the Hashemi brothers (arms dealers), who claim to have made $150m in arms deliveries to Iran. US Customs tapes of their offices were basis for a 1984 indictment (1 is now dead, 1 in hiding, though interviewed by ABC). Their lawyers have been threatened by CIA to stop making those transcripts public. FBI claims they are lost. In 1984 meeting w/CIA & State, Hashemi’s lawyer threatened to “tell all” if he was tried. The 1984 trial, however, may have been more in the nature of a threat to shut them up, and Cyril H. was tipped off to be out of town that day.
-ABC has also proved that Wm Casey was in Eur during the key days July80
-Speaker Foley wants to know that there will be results before authorizing a probe.
-Frank Snepp says the Israeli role in Iran-Contra & October Surprise systematically downplayed & Cmte counsel Liman was kept away, esp on Contra side. The Kerry Cmte on narcotics & terrorism was also kept away from investigating ties between Israel & Noriega

1st president to have veto overridden: Tyler


7/16/91

Clarence Thomas: WaPo says nomination part of deal w/Sen. Danforth for later to support Bush’s civil rights stance.
-When Thomas Asst Atty Gen Missouri 1970s, had Confederate flat in office

SA has released 57,000 prisoners this yr

Newt Gingrich has supported amendment to 1992 budget to cut GAO budget 25% in response to its part in investigating October Surprise


7/17/91

House bans perm replacement of strikers 247-182

Both Houses have now passed bills overruling the ban on abortion counseling

The Japanese telling Fr PM Cresson to stop calling them ants


7/18/91

Senate raised its salary by $25,000 to c.$125,000, eliminating speaking fees

Helms Amend passes Senate 81-18: any health worker who performs invasive procedures w/AIDS w/out notifying them gets 10 yrs & $10,000. Another bill virtually requires AIDS testing

START treaty finally finished. Nukes of US cut from 12,000 warheads to 9,000. USSR’s 11,000 to 7,000

Yugoslavia to withdraw troops from Slovenia over 3 mos. Croatia voted against (!)

Fr expels a Moroccan exile for refusing to withdraw forthcoming book accusing King Hassan of being major drug trafficker. He is in grave danger in Gabon


7/19/91

An Israeli judge investigating the October Jerusalem Massacre says police provoked the violence & fired indiscriminately, but there will be no charges

SA admits funding Inkatha rallies after documents leaked. Buthelezi says he had no idea

Mandela says after apartheid ends, ANC will break from CP & not follow socialist course

All the moves to step up federal crime/death penalties, etc will esp affect Indians on reservations...

The flag Clarence Thomas had was that of Georgia, not Confederacy

Seems Secret Service doesn’t properly pay for its agents protecting candidates, just paying 1st-class air fare instead of charter rate — Dukakis owes $523,000 for this. Fed Election Commission 1st tried to cover this in campaign limits, then tried to charge reporters, now dropping it. Also tried to allow campaigns to charge reporters for flying campaign press aides

Iraq admits testing a supergun, which Allies will destroy

Bush Admin no longer claiming Robert Gates had nothing to do with Contras at all, admitting he coordinated legal assistance, but knew nothing of the parallel effort. The 1st, 3rd & 4th highest in CIA knew about that.


7/20/91

SA’s Law & Order minister says money for Inkatha was part of campaign to combat sanctions. Inc paying for a Mar90 rally followed by violence. More such spending coming out, inc support of $2m for an Inkatha-sponsored union. This yr’s secret service allocation has doubled over 5 yrs to $130m

Egypt, at behest of US, offers to suspend Arab boycott of Israel @ end new settlements. Israel rejects


7/21/91

In Persian Gulf War, military changed rules on CO status. Reservists could only file after deployed to Saudi, where had no access to counsel, witnesses & personal records

Roberto D’Aubuisson has terminal cancer

Israel now odd man out on US-proposed peace conf — Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi, Jordan have agreed. And Jordan & Saudi agree on Egypt’s proposal (yesterday)


7/22/91

In name of “choice,” Bush Admin says states must set identical standards for day-care centers getting Fed aid & non-subsidized one. Florida has already lowered its standards

Adding to “Inkathagate” in SA is recording of Pik Botha telling Australia that it’s funding one side creates violence


7/23/91

Fed Appeals Courts says US can’t kidnap people abroad to prosecute them

Ger to try 5 former officials of E Ger spy service inc last director for... high treason!?

Ex-head of Romanian secret police gets 9 yrs

Village Voice says Robert Gates, whatever he knew of I-C, was instrumental in cover-up. Didn’t disclose that there were tapes of conversations between CIA Operations Directorate & Cent. Am. operatives, withholding in face of Sen. subpoena
-Censoring of CIA documents left to officers under investigation, inc the currently plea bargaining Alan Fiers.
-Depy Director of CIA told inspector gen that he met Gates Aug86 to discuss diversion. Gates doesn’t remember

Seems Casey cont. to use the Republican Party, in form of “Republicans Abroad” as cover for intelligence in mid-1980s

Yeltsin bans CP activity in official organs in Russia

Pik Botha says that since Inkatha was not a pol organiz until 1990, SA actually aided a cultural organiz

Croatia refuses to sign a 3-mo peace accord


7/24/91

Ger Luftwaffe to keep 29 Migs inherited from E Ger

Israel has evidently got US to honor Ford 1975 promise to support Israel keeping Golan Heights. And US has promised to veto UN Sec Council joining negotiations

Others of the new fed death penalties: wrecking a train, killing a fed egg inspector

Study of heart cases shows men & women had same warning signs before major heart attack, but women ½ likely to get cardiac catherizations (diagnostic)

Conservs get HHS to drop study of teenage sex

US in chemical arms talks wants countries to refuse access, saying inspectors would get into non-chemical secret facilities

The allied force to protect Iraqi Kurds can only be used w/Turkey’s permission. Turkey may also kick them out soon

Some of SA money that went to a union used to picket advocates of sanctions like Tutu


7/25/91

SA admits funding parties in Namibia secretly, $35m

House 274-144 to overturn ban on fetal tissue in fed-financed research


7/26/91

Israel has given free land in Occupied since Nov.

Mass. Sup Court says society’s interest in preventing drug use outweighs suffering of a man w/a chronic illness

House & Sen. Conf agree on another attempt to control covert action, banning retroactive approval requiring president to provide written approval. Weaker in many ways than last yr’s, not specifying how long prez. had to tell Congress

Serbia admits to supporting Serbs in Croatia now violently rebelling

SA Weekly Mail publishing documents that police didn’t even know where all that money went, inc the $500,000 to an Inkatha union that has yet to do anything union-like. Law & Order Minister Vlok says he’s actually quite happy that taxpayers’ money not wasted. And police helped Inkatha reserve a stadium, which it didn’t use, to prevent an ANC rally Feb90


7/27/91

Yugoslav air force has bombed Croatia. Army claims Croats attacked


7/28/91

Sharon approves 380 settler housing units Golan


7/29/91

Most of USSR’s 20 autonomous republics have dec their laws superior to USSR’s & claimed minerals, etc. Tatarstan has dec itself a full republic (Aug90)

Time to mention BCCI, a Pakistani-Arab bank of no fixed abode that went belly-up & was largest money-laundering fraud ever. Clients inc Medellin Cartel, Noriega, Ollie North, Marcos, the CIA in Iran-Contra. Br & US govs should have known enough about it to shut it down a couple of yrs ago. Probably CIA stopped investigation. W/in BCCI is a “black network” of 1500 involved in spying, kidnapping & god knows what all, involved in US & Israeli’s arms deals. Manhattan DA says Justice has been refusing to give him necessary records. BCCI illegally owned US S&L’s, some of which failed. BCCI records on Noriega, seized in invasion of Panama, mysteriously vanished


7/30/91

Justice Dept will cite exec privilege to not comply w/subpoena for its legal opinion 1989 that FBI can kidnap people abroad. Says compliance would compromise “private” legal communication between Justice lawyers & their “clients”


7/31/91

In Croatia a bunch of Serbs rounded up Croats & used them as a shield from behind which they fired a heavy machine jun at Croat police, cutting throats of some of them. Croats have left the village

During Bush-Gorbachev summit, a Lithuania border post attacked, 6 killed

AFL-CIO & NAACP (finally, finally) oppose Clarence Thomas
-Thomas 1983 said affirmative action is like expecting a mugger to nurse victim back to health. “Ultimately, the burden of your being mugged falls on you.” And asked “Before affirmative action, how did I make it?” What ego; generalizing from one case. Incidentally, affirmative action was how he got into Yale Law School.
-While head EEOC, backlog doubled & length of time to investigate grew from 5.5 mos to 9 mos.

Philippines to allow back Imelda Marcos (but not Ferdinand, who is still dead). She will be charged w/not filing income tax since 1986, for a start

Bush working hard for a Mid E Peace Conf, promising god knows what (well, for Golan to be on table [Syria] & exclude E Jerusalem or PLO Palestinians) to get them there, just like the Gulf War “coalition”

Haiti: Lafontant, who ran Tontons Macoute, sentenced to life for coup attempt, at hard labor

US knew about BCCI owning US banks illegally from 1986, when... CIA... wrote a report