Nexus - 0501 - New Times Magazine-pages

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tinguished record as a military officer, Cutolo doubtless had seen All told, 30 "high-performance aircraft" flew the covert route to many peculiar things and undertaken numerous classified mis- Albrook. The aircraft were met by Panama's (then) Colonel sions. Despite this, he would rue the day, in December 1975, that | Manuel Noriega—who would later become head of state, prior to he was approached by the CIA's Edwin Wilson and Frank Terpil. experiencing a US invasion tasked to arrest and imprison him for The two CIA officers introduced Cutolo to two highly sensitive laundering drug money. Accompanying Noriega were a number missions unlike anything he had undertaken previously. of officers of the Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF), plus CIA According to his close friends and comrades, Cutolo's later inves- | agent Edwin Wilson and Israeli agent Mike Harari. Cutolo added tigation into the legality of these missions would lead to his death —_ that Harari had the authority from the "US Army Southern under suspicious circumstances. Other senior military officers Command in Panama to be in the AO [Area of Operations]". Nor who investigated Cutolo's death also soon died under questionable did Cutolo beat around the bush in explicitly stating: "The cargo circumstances. All of them are believed to have been murdered —_ flown from Colombia into Panama was cocaine." by Mike Harari, an alleged Israeli Cutolo continued his affidavit by assassin who would come to promi- outlining the third Watch Tower mis- nence a decade later for his role in the sion which he commanded. It now-infamous "Contragate" affair. All of them are believed to have pecurres during March rere ane OPERATION "WATCH TOWER" been murdered by Mike Harari, an cocaine-carrying aireraft through to furan zeae | alleged Israeli assassin who would Pn, assy, nante "In December 1975, I spoke with come to prominence a decade (SATs), located at Turbo, Colombia, Sted mission he commanded dering | Later for his role in the MOW-—B iccisanuits and were extracted by that month, inside Colombia. The infamous "Contragate" affair. helicopters that entered Colombian mission was known as Watch airspace without authority. Cutolo Tower." Continuing, he stated: added that the third mission was "met "Following a lengthy discussion with in the previously related fashion by Col. Baker, I was introduced to Mr those named—Noriega, Edwin Edwin Wilson and Mr Frank Terpil. Both Wilson and Terpil were Wilson, Mike Harari, et al." in the employ of the Central Intelligence Agency. Both Wilson William Tyree's affidavit (dated September 6, 1990) powerfully and Terpil inquired if I was interested in working for short periods corroborates Colonel Cutolo's statements. Tyree, however, was of time in Colombia, and I acknowledged that I was." able to provide additional direct testimony on the first Watch Cutolo thereafter commanded the second and third Watch — Tower mission, in which he participated. At that time he was Tower missions. The second mission took place in February 1975 assigned to the Ist/17th Air Cavalry Division located at Fort and lasted a total of 22 days. The purpose of the mission was to —_ Bragg, North Carolina. In Tyree's own words, the mission was to "establish a series of three electronic beacon towers beginning "insert three Special Action Teams inside Colombia. Once the outside of Bogota, Colombia, and running northeast to the border SATs were in place they would activate electronic beacons which of Panama". With the beacons in place and activated, aircraft aircraft could follow through a specific corridor out of Colombia could fix on their signal and fly undetected from Bogota to and into Panama where the aircraft, which were loaded with Panama, landing at Albrook air station. cocaine, would land at Albrook Air Station." Tyree added that the "mission lasted 24 days, and approximately 37 aircraft of various descriptions flew out of Colombia and into Panama, all following the SATs' electronic beacons." Tyree went on to state: "I personally wit- nessed members of the Panamanian Defense Force (PDF) help unload the bales of cocaine from the aircraft onto the tarmac of Albrook Air Station. Among the PDF offi- cers were Colonel Manuel Noriega, Major Roberto Diaz-Herrera, Major Liz del CID, and Major Ramirez." These men were always in the company of an American civilian identified to me by other personnel involved in the operation as Edwin Wilson, of the CIA. Another civilian in the compa- ny of Wilson, I have since learned, was Israeli Mossad Agent Michael Harari."* Of additional interest are Tyree's com- ments regarding Edwin Wilson providing (presumably classified) military-style mus- tard-coloured files to Noriega and his fellow PDF officers. Tyree stated that the files Old friends? Gen. Manuel Noriega (right) with US Army personnel in Panama City, 1987. originally belonged to the CIA, Naval come to prominence a decade later for his role in the now- 18 = NEXUS | All of them are believed to have infamous "Contragate” affair. DECEMBER 1997 - JANUARY 1998