Nexus - 0506 - New Times Magazine-pages

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"Then, after Taus was removed from active duty with the FBI, the state of New York took over. With Taus, it will be more diffi- cult because it's a state offence. If it was federal, it's easier to show retaliation. When you have to go to the state level, it's more difficult to show that it's retaliation for reporting corruption by high-level federal officials." "So naturally the CIA wasn't happy with him. Eventually they filed false charges against him," Stich continued. "He went to prison. He was complaining to his CIA handler and the handler said: ‘Just keep quiet and we'll get you out before long.’ Well, they didn't get him out. About the time he was to be released five years later, they filed new charges against him that would get him 20 years. And that's what the Justice Department was requesting. About this time he contacts me. What I did was file a ‘friend of the court' brief in the US District Court in Phoenix, Arizona, and attach to it an affidavit that Crittenden gave me describing in detail the drug trafficking he was doing, and also a draft of the chapter on Crittenden that would be in the next book [the next edition of Defrauding America]. "At the hearing, the judge cleared out the courtroom and gave Crittenden a choice: 'You recant this affidavit or you're going to get 20 years.’ So Crittenden recants and gets out, and then I get a new affidavit from him reaffirming what he told me in the first place. He's one of the fellows who got out." a ro LAPD WHISTLEBLOWER CONFIRMS CIA/MAFIA About this time he contacts me. What I did was file a ‘friend of DRUG TRAFFICKING the court' brief in the US District Court in Phoenix, Arizona, and In his testimony before the Senate Select Committee of attach to it an affidavit that Crittenden gave me describing in Intelligence, former Los Angeles Police Department officer detail the drug trafficking he was doing, and also a draft of the Michael C. Ruppert said: "The 'Amadeus' missions are the single chapter on Crittenden that would be in the next book [the next most important piece of investigative work, other than my own edition of Defrauding America]. experience, which I have to add to this investigation. My investi- "At the hearing, the judge cleared out the courtroom and gave gations into 'Amadeus' have detailed the life of Albert V. Carone, Crittenden a choice: 'You recant this affidavit or you're going to aretired New York Police detective who, at his death from 'chem- get 20 years.’ So Crittenden recants and gets out, and then I get a ical toxicity of unknown etiology' [CIA cancer?], held the rank of —_ new affidavit from him reaffirming what he told me in the first full Colonel in the US Army Reserves." place. He's one of the fellows who got out." Ruppert continued: "I have held this man's personal phone book in my hands. In it I found home addresses and phone num- = DOs & DON'Ts FOR WHISTLEBLOWERS bers of DCI [Director, Central Intelligence] William Casey, Paul Since Rodney Stich has the experience, what kind of sugges- Helliwell, a long-established CIA covert operative connected to tions would he give to a potential whistleblower? drugs, General Richard Stillwell and many other CIA figures. I "No one had better do what I did," Stich stated unequivocally. also found the home adresses and "The system is too corrupt. And the checks and balances don't work. There's enough corrupt people in the Justice Department and the federal courts, and they have access to gov- ernment officials on the state level. So almost anybody can be pretty much destroyed. And with the media so implicated in the cover-up, it's very difficult for any individual. And then the public doesn't really care. "For instance,” Stich continued, "in my naive thinking 20 years ago, when I came out with the first edi- tion of Unfriendly Skies, I thought phone numbers of Mafia figures including Pauly Castellano, head of " uy the Gambino crime family, and many And it's so spread-out now that other known Mafia figures..." there's virtually no one there to "In the years before his death, . . . . Carone made open statements to fami- do anything with this corruption. ly members not only about the hands- on drug-dealing roles of such figures as Oliver North, Richard Secord, It's up to the public, and you Elliot Abrams, George Bush, John might as well forget it because Poindexter, Felix Rodriguez and Chi . ' on Chi Quintero, but about murder and the public haven t got it. torture. "Carone frequently referred to ‘Amadeus’ as the CIA's umbrella gov- erning his laundering of drug money through a host of banks that the public wanted to know and that sufficient percentage of worldwide. Some bank records and account numbers connected the public had enough courage to help. That unfortunately does to the Bahamas and the Jersey Islands still remain. He also not work because the public is more interested in trivia, like described the operations of such Iran-Contra era drug-kingpins sports, and those few who do know don't do anything. And things Rafael Caro Quintero and Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo. When he have just got worse. The corruption has got worse in government. died in 1990, he left behind records, a passport and a great many And it's so spread-out now that there's virtually no one there to do leads which totally substantiate these allegations..." anything with this corruption. It's up to the public, and you might "We have since obtained tape-recorded statements from James as well forget it because the public haven't got it." Robert Strauss [a Carone associate] that 'Amadeus' was none So do we deserve this because there have been no outcries of other than George Herbert Walker Bush. The tape is safely outrage? stored, awaiting an opportunity to be presented to the American "I definitely feel that most of this corruption could not exist if it people..." (For details about Ruppert's newsletter, From the weren't for the illiteracy of the public and their indifference to it Wilderness, see bibliography at end of this article.) all," said Stich. "And as other people have said to me, maybe they deserve what's being done to them. I'm not sure I would dis- CIA WHISTLEBLOWER STEPHEN CRITTENDEN agree with that. To his credit, Rodney Stich's publication of Defrauding "One thing I've always tried to do is stay very factual. I don't America has helped release former federal-agent whistleblowers get into any conspiracy theories or any far-out matters. What I'm from prison, especially Stephen Crittenden, head of Crittenden trying to do is get the person on the street from the state of igno- Air Transport, a highly secret CIA front corporation. rance—which, incidentally, I was in when I was an airline pilot, "Crittenden was the fellow who was head of a CIA airline for _ like most pilots—and convey to them some of the hard-core cor- 16 years," said Stich. "He was hauling drugs for the CIA and he's ruption that's going on in government that's affecting very tragi- given me detailed affidavits about it. He got tired of it after a cally many innocent Americans who don't even know they are while and shut down the airline. He had C-130s all over the suffering, because the media again do a good job of keeping the world and especially in the Far East. lid on it." It's up to the public, and you might as well forget it because the public haven't got it." CIA WHISTLEBLOWER STEPHEN CRITTENDEN To his credit, Rodney Stich's publication of Defrauding America has helped release former federal-agent whistleblowers from prison, especially Stephen Crittenden, head of Crittenden Air Transport, a highly secret CIA front corporation. "Crittenden was the fellow who was head of a CIA airline for 16 years," said Stich. "He was hauling drugs for the CIA and he's given me detailed affidavits about it. He got tired of it after a while and shut down the airline. He had C-130s all over the world and especially in the Far East. 30 + NEXUS OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 1998