constitutional government had decided not to make war; to support enemies of the nation (terrorists
and drug-runnechronology, there are a number of meetings of publrs) who are the friends or agents of the secret government. In the period of theic officials-- secret meetings. Who really made (^)
the policies, which were then well or poorly executed by the covert action structure? By looking at
the scant information that has come to light on these meetings, we may reach some conclusions
about who advocated certain policy choices; but we have not then learned much about the actual
origin of the policies that were being carried out. This is the rule of an oligarchy whose membersare unknown to the public, an oligarchy which is bound by no known laws.
January 20, 1981:
Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as U.S. President.
March 25, 1981:
Vice President George Bush was named the leader of the United States crisis management '' staff, as a part of the National Security Council system. ''
March 30, 1981:
The new President was shot in an attempted assassination. He survived his wounds, so Vice
President Bush did not succeed to the presidency.
May 14, 1982:Bush's position as chief of all covert action and de facto head of U.S. intelligence--in a sense, the (^)
acting President--was formalized in a secret memorandum. The memo explained that National Security Decision Directive 3, Crisis Management, establishes the Special Situation Group (SSG), chaired by the Vice President. The SSG is charged ... with formulating plans in anticipation of crises. '' It is most astonishing that, in all of the reports, articles and bookscovert actions, the existence of Bush's SSG has received no significant attention. Yet its importance about the Iran-Contra (^) in the management of those covert actions is obvious and unmistakable, as soon as an investigative light is thrown upon it. The memo in question also announced the birth of another organization, the Standing Crisis Pre-Planning Group (CPPG), which was to work as an intelligence-gathering agency for BusPresident Bush, National Security Counch and his SSG. This new subordinate group, cil (NSC) staff members, the CIA, the military and the Stateonsisting of representatives of Vice (^) Department, was to meet periodically in the White House Situation Room.... '' They were to
identify areas of potential crisis and [p]resent ... plans and policy options to the SSG '' under Chairman Bush. And they were to provide to Bush and his assistants, as crises develop,
alternative plans, '' action/options '' and coordinated implementation plans '' to resolve the crises. '' Finally, the subordinate group was to give to Chairman Bush and his assistants
recommended security, cover, and media plans that will enhance the likelihood of successful
execution. '' It was announced that the CPPG would meet for the first time on May 20, 1982, and
that agencies were to provide the name of their CPPG representative to Oliver North, NSC staff.... '' The memo was signed for tP. Clark. It was declassified during the congressional Iran-Contra hearings.@s2 he President '' by Reagan's national security adviser, William
Gregg, Rodriguez and North Join the Bush Team
August 1982:
Vice President Bush hired Donald P. Gregg as his principal adviser on national security affairs.
Gregg now officially retired from the Central Intelligence Agency.
Donald Gregg brought along into the Vice President's office his old relationship with mid-level CIA
assassinations manager Felix I. Rodriguez. Gregg had been Rodriguez's boss in Vietnam. Donald
Gregg worked under Bush in Washington from 1976--when Bush was CIA Director--through the
later 1970s, when the Bush clique was at war with President Carter and his CIA Director, StansfieldTurner. Gregg was detailed to work at the National Security Council between 1979 and 1982. From
1976 right up through that NSC assignment, CIA officer Gregg saw CIA agent Rodriguez regularly.
Both men were intensely loyal to Bush.@s3 Their continuing collaboration was crucial to Vice
President Bush's organization of covert action. Rodriguez was now to operate out of the Vice
President's office.