by Reinaldo Taladrid Herrero
May 17, 2007
Reprinted from Granma Internacional

"PACO, and now two more explosions, one we did at the Hotel Sol Palmeras in Varadero, one of those new Spanish ones, and the other in a discotheque right in the middle of Havana"

"these attacks are to do with me and I guarantee you now that I've got a lot of money behind me"

".Look, Nelly, I want to put you on the phone so that you can meet a great friend, a brother in the struggle, Arnaldo Monzón, our angel in the northern zone"

The above are sentences taken from the transcript of recordings of 14 telephone calls made by and to Luis Posada Carriles in the period between February 21 and September 9, 1997.

Following certain procedures and several attempts, we have obtained a summary of them. The majority of the calls were made between El Salvador and Venezuela, but first we should recall what was taking place during that period.

In 1997, a terrorist structure created in Central America by the leadership of the Cuban-American National Foundation (CANF) was organizing to carry out violent attacks on our country, recruiting mercenaries from the region. This is not our revelation; Posada publicly acknowledged it in a press interview in 1998.

As a result of the creation of this group, between 1997 and 1998, there were bomb attacks on tourist locations in Cuba using mercenaries recruited directly by Posada and paid with money sent by the CANF and its paramilitary wing, a significant part of which was sent directly from the office of Dr. Alberto Hernández, then a top CANF official, where "by sheer chance" terrorist Gaspar Eugenio Jiménez Escobedo was working, or at least had a post. Jiménez was later arrested and sanctioned together with Posada in Panama in 2000.

In total, they prepared 14 explosive devices, of which eight exploded, four were deactivated and two were seized at the moment they were smuggled into the airport. These bombs caused the death of one person, left several wounded and caused substantial material damage. The offices of Havantur in the Bahamas and Cubanacán in Mexico were also damaged by bomb attacks.

Also in 1997, along with CANF executive Arnaldo Monzón Plascencia (deceased), Posada was involved in the preparations for an assassination attempt on Fidel during the 7th Ibero-American Summit on the Island of Margarita. That attempt culminated in the detention of the La Esperanza yacht, the voluntary confession of one of its crewmembers (several of them under surveillance for drug-trafficking) that with those Barrett 50 caliber rifles "there were no problems, they were to kill Castro"; a confession made as a means of justification the moment they were caught on the vessel itself. Of course, one of the rifles turned out to be the property of José Francisco "Pepe" Hernández, president of the CANF and one of the chiefs of its paramilitary group, according to his confession in a open letter to José Antonio "Toñin" Llama, former general organizer of this secret group.

And now we come to the matter of the calls. Of course, given its length, it is not possible to publish the complete transcript of the calls, merely excerpts selected for their importance.

We shall look at these excerpts in chronological order in order to understand them better.

1. Call made by Posada Carriles from Central America to Venezuela on February 21, 1997.

Luis Posada Carriles called and spoke to "Nelly" and "Pedro" (Nelly Rojas and her husband Pedro Morales) in Venezuela telling them that: "Nelly, I have to travel to see you around March 10 to discuss something serious that's going to take several months to prepare...that could change the fate of our country."

What was Posada referring to?

Just a few minutes later in the same conversation and thanks to everything that we know now today, it all becomes clear.

"Look, Nelly, I want to put you on the phone so that you can meet a great friend, a brother in the struggle, Arnaldo Monzón, our angel in the northern zone"

Seconds after having introduced them, Posada asks for his accomplice Pedro Morales, Nelly Rojas'husband:

"Listen Pedro, I want to know if you are still traveling to Margarita and Cumarán" (The southwest region of the island of Margarita).

At that time, preparations were in full swing for an attack on the plane bringing Fidel to the Summit on the Island of Margarita (from the La Esperanza yacht with Barrett 50 caliber rifles that can pierce an aircraft's engines). The operation appeared to be confirmed: the money was there from the CANF paramilitary group, the yacht in the name of Toñin Llama, the rifles from Pepe Hernández and the assassination plot by Posada's group in Central America.

Just as he was about to say goodbye, Posada tells Nelly Rojas:

"right, tell Paco all about this"

Who is this Paco?

In his autobiography Los caminos del guerrero (The Paths of the Warrior), Posada described him as: "My brother and friend Paco Pimentel".

And in an article published on July 28, 2005 on the APORREA website in Venezuela, researcher Jean Cleau Duvergel describes him thus:

"Francisco Pimentel, a businessman of Cuban origin and Venezuelan nationality, with strong ties to the DISIP in the years that Posada Carriles worked for the institution, is today moving freely between Caracas, Miami and other destinations; meeting with Posada Carriles and his pawns in Florida; working in Caracas as the financier of Joaquín Chaffardett, lawyer and authorized spokesperson for Posada; representing him Venezuela.

"The "legal support" group created in Venezuela should Posada Carriles' extradition take place, is directly monitored from an office situated on the fifth floor of the Tamanaco shopping mall, belonging to coup faction fascist lawyer Ricardo Koeslig. Meeting there were coup faction military officials, politicians, Salvador Romaní (son), and other members of the so-called "Democratic Bloc" that would give political sustenance to Posada's defense should he be submitted to justice in Venezuela."

2. Call made on March 31, 1997 by Posada Carriles to "Paco" (Francisco Pimentel) from El Salvador to Venezuela.

After giving a summary of his prior conversation with Nelly Rojas and Pedro Morales, Posada then tells Paco:

"look we're going to see each other to sort out the details on the island, I'll be there in a month, more or less. Plus, I'm going to be traveling with a guy who you know who has really good contacts there..."

3. Call made on April 21, 1997 by Posada Carriles to Francisco "Paco" Pimentel from El Salvador to Venezuela.

"Zaida" answered the phone and once she handed it to Paco, Posada began, as always, talking about money and business, explaining to his "brother Paco":

"I'll tell you, so that you see how things are, I've got a little business worth $29 million in some factories belonging to a Belgian company through Spain. I made these contacts myself and that's why I'm going to take a good commission, what do you think Paco afterwards, I'm going to Spain, Belgium and Germany accompanying the president of the Salvadoran firm that I'm going to do the job for"

Of course, these events related to the terrorist Miami mafia in Spain occurred during the time of Aznar. Nothing, all of this is coincidence...pure chance.

The terrorist attack on the island of Margarita was still the main priority; in that context Paco brought up the subject and told him:

"Look Luis, I received a message that Tony Esquival is sending you. He says that there's a budget for the Margarita business, I told him I didn't know anything and that I'd talk to you."

Posada: "No, no Paco, listen to me. This guy is not trustworthy, I'm convinced that on one hand he's looking for money and on the other, he's an FBI informer and then the problems start and I can't be bothering friends every day. You understand me, right? So, get rid of him, shake him off and tell him that you don't know anything...what we're doing is unique and, I'll say it again, there's big money behind it, and that's the truth. We wouldn't have managed it so far if it wasn't the case. The first one has already gone off in the Meliá Cohiba Hotel and they don't dare say so. We're winning so don't let them try to foist someone on you like that, either to grass us up or jump on the bandwagon. Get rid of him, but do it nicely, alright?

Paco: OK, there's no problem about that. Look, from now on, call me on 762 7529 which is a shop facing mine where we can talk more freely and you can also ring me about anything on Cristina's cell phone which is 22 4141"

Posada: "And you, look Paco, copy this down, anything that you've got, send it to me and send it to 221 9849, code 503, that's my fax"

4. Call made on May 12, 1997 from Venezuela to El Salvador.

Paco explains to Posada that he called him because:

"Our friend Esquival contacted me again, the one that I told you about, and he told me that Eduardo Pérez and Luis Orlando Rodríguez are involved in the plans"

Posada: "Look Paco, this is getting more complicated. It seems that, like always, it's leaked out in Miami that there's good money there and all of a sudden they get worked up about it. This Luis Orlando was a colonel in the U.S. Army, so remember what I told you. Don't get involved with any of them; don't say anything until I tell you to do otherwise. We have to be very, very careful with these people, is that clear?... but let me talk about something nicer. On the 13th of this month, I'm going to Europe for a month; first, I'm going to Amsterdam in Holland, then I'm going to Madrid and from there, I'm going to another country a bit further north for a visit. On the way back, I'll be in Aruba for two or three days, how about that?"

5. Call made on June 9, 1997 by Francisco "Paco" Pimentel to Posada Carriles from Venezuela to El Salvador.

"Hello, could I speak to Mr. Ramón Medina please"

No, no one's got it wrong, Ramón Medina Rivas was the pseudonym Posada used in El Salvador in his post as "Director of Operations" at the secret Ilopango air base during the Iran-Contras scandal; the base from which many tons of cocaine was flown out and then sold in Los Angeles in order to buy weapons for the Contras.

The conversation continued with Posada telling his buddy about his trip to Europe but then, all of a sudden, we hear something that is truly incredible:

"listen brother, this story is like a film. After the trip to Europe, I had to go to Africa and I was in Freetown in Sierra Leone. And then one of those coups that they're always having in those countries took place and there was this pitched battle in the city. The only chance I had of escaping was getting into the American embassy and I managed to get out of the country under its protection"

And now what, who and how are they going to explain this, that a man who is a fugitive from Venezuelan justice for the crime of sabotaging in mid-flight a passenger airliner and causing the deaths of 73 people as a result; subsequently working in the Iran-Contra operation, the most secret operation of the former U.S. government, can calmly enter a U.S. embassy in Africa and receive attention, protection and get him out of a country that was in the midst of a civil war.

Did the U.S. ambassador call Washington to consult with them about this man who had asked for protection in the embassy?

What reply and instructions did he receive from the capital of the empire?

It would be very interesting if one day, someone would respond to that question and compare it with what the Bush doctrine says about terrorism in relation to those who give shelter and protection to terrorists.

6. Call made on June 30, 1997 by Francisco "Paco" Pimentel from Venezuela to Posada Carriles in El Salvador.

"Hello, could I speak to Mr. Ramón Medina please"

Posada: "I'm working very hard on this, Paco, you have no idea. Everything is going better than anyone thought, but it was very complicated and really difficult to organize the thing at the Cubanacán offices in Mexico City and Cancún" (The sources that provided us with these recordings explained to us that the Cancún bomb failed to explode although the plans for this attack were known.)

"and the plan for the Havana hotels is just beginning"

"whatever, I'm thinking of taking a little trip to Santo Domingo at the end of July and maybe I'll stop over in Aruba as well. Why don't you come along for the trip and we'll see each other in Santo Domingo."

Paco replies and adds a rather interesting question:

"OK, seems like a good idea, I've got no problem with that date. We'll see each other there. Listen, I wanted to ask you something. What's your relationship with Gasparito and the Doctor like?"

"With Gaspar (Gaspar Eugenio Jiménez Escobedo) I maintain a business relationship, and also with the doctor (Orlando Bosch Avila) but you know that I don't talk much with Miami; they talk more about the money side of things there"

7. Call made on July 30, 1997 by Posada Carriles to Venezuela where he spoke to an unidentified person.

"look, this arrest is affecting me because he's one of my people and they're also linking him to a kidnap and that's not good...I'm already looking for someone to represent him legally...give my best wishes to Arpad (Arpad Bango, former second in command at the DISIP) and tell him that I'll go and see him soon"

Afterwards, they say that he is a "fighter", "dissident", etc., but isn't it strange that he always seems to be linked to terrorism, kidnapping, drug-trafficking, and typical mafia activities.

8. Call made on August 11, 1997 by Francisco "Paco" Pimentel to Posada Carriles from Venezuela to El Salvador.

"I think Luis, that as well as the hotels and tourist places, it would be really good to do something to the interests of those businessmen linked to the construction of stores and commercial centers in Cuba, for example that little faggot Oscar de la Renta...look, Captain Maldonado (individual who was the direct subordinate of the former general secretary of the DISIP, José "Pepe" Vázquez Blanco) is in charge of protection"

And so it's the same old "all the paths in the world" story as with the CORU, anyone who cooperates with or acknowledges Cuba is subject to attacks, bombs or could be assassinated and, of course, what type of protection does Captain Maldonado give? Could it be, for example, placing a bomb in a store owned by Oscar de la Renta in Caracas?

A "historical curiosity" occurred the same day that this call was made. In Miami, the CANF issued its famous communiqué in which it affirmed that these terrorist attacks were the work of unhappy military personnel inside Cuban military installations and that "...we unconditionally support these actions...we do not consider these actions to be terrorist attacks....any action against the dictatorship is legitimate...".

9. Call made on August 25, 1997 by Posada Carriles from El Salvador to Francisco "Paco" Pimentel.

"Paco, and now two more explosions, one we did at the Hotel Sol Palmeras in Varadero, one of those new Spanish ones, and the other in a discotheque right in the middle of Havana"

"yes, but don't forget what I told you the other day. We must coordinate some action against the shopping center related to the Panamanians in Cuba"

Paco: "of course Luis, does the doctor in Miami know about the connection?"

Posada: "Look Paco, that Dr. has got nothing to do with this, but I want to make it clear to you because there is another doctor, Gasparito's boss, who does know all about it and has been key in this... these actions are to do with me and I assure you I've got a lot of money behind me"

It was on this date that the bombs and explosives had gone off at the Meliá Cohiba and Capri hotels, the Hotel Nacional and the Sol Palmeras in Varadero.

Later on September 4, 1997, bombs went off in the Tritón, Chateau Miramar and Copacobana Hotels. At the Tritón Hotel, a group of Spanish children who were waiting to leave for an excursion were almost killed and, as is already known, Italian Fabio di Celmo died at the Copacabana hotel.

10. Call made on September 5, 1997 by Posada Carriles from Central America to Francisco "Paco" Pimentel in Venezuela.

"Paco, are you up to date on all this?... you have no idea. Three in a row in three hotels in Miramar all synchronized and with no chance of them detecting the envoy. And this is just starting, I promise you that several more envoys are on their way to Cuba to carry out new actions"

Paco: "listen, Luis, of course Hernán told me that he wants information on all of this...what fax number can I send you for the things you asked me for?"

Posada: "Yeah, he wants to see me because this is really fierce look, send me the stuff to 221 9849".

After having read this transcript, it only remains to ask the following questions of the U.S. State and Justice Departments and, why not? the White House.

Who organized and directed the terrorist attacks in Cuba in 1997?

Who financed them?

Who knew about them and contributed to them?

Do these people match the definition of "terrorist" as outlined in the Bush Doctrine or not?

Ah, just one other thing needs to be said: the content of these conversations has been known by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) since June 1998.

And now I ask, as always, that you draw your own conclusions.

Las llamadas fatales