in Charleston, South Carolina, George Bush described Max Gomez/Rodriguez as a patriot. '' The Vice President denied that he himself was directing the illegal operations to supply the Contras: To say I'm running the operation ... it's absolutely untrue. '' Bush
said of Rodriguez: `` I know what he was doing in El Salvador, and I strongly support it,
as does the president of El Salvador, Mr. Napoleon Duarte, and as does the chief of the
armed forces in El Salvador, because this man, an expert in counterinsurgency, was down
there helping them put down a communist- led revolution [i.e. in El Salvador, not
Nicaragua]. ''@s7@s7
Two days later, Gen. Adolfo Blando@aan, armed forces chief of staff in El Salvador,
denied Bush's contention that Felix Rodriguez worked for his country's military forces: ``
This intrigues me. It would have to be authorized [by our] joint chiefs of staff [and] the
government. '' He said such authorization had not been given.@s7@s8
October 12, 1986:Eugene Hasenfus, the U.S. airman downed in Nicaragua, gave and signed an affidavit in
which it was stated: About Max Gomez [Felix Rodriguez], Hasenfus says that he was the head Cuban coordinator for the company and that he works for the CIA and that he is a very close friend of the Vice-President of the United States, George Bush.... Max Gomez, after receiving his orders was the one who had to ... [say] where the air drops would be taking place. About Ramon Medina [escaped airplane bomber Luis Posada Carriles], Hasenfus says that he was also a CIA agent and that he did the `small work' because Max Gomez was the `senior man.' He says that Ramon took care of the rent of the houses, the maids, the food, transportation and drivers, and also, coordination of the fuel for the aircraft, etc. '' [emphasis in the original].@s7@s9 His cover being blown, and knowing he was still wanted in Venezuela for blowing up an airliner and killing 73 persons, Posada Carriles now vanished '' and went underground.@s8@s0
October 19, 1986:Eugene Hasenfus, interviewed in Nicaragua by Mike Wallace on the CBS television
program 60 Minutes, '' said that Vice President Bush was well aware of the covert arms supply operation. He felt the Reagan-Bush administration was backing this 100
percent. '' Wallace asked Hasenfus why he thought that Gomez/Rodriguez and the other
managers of the covert arms resupply had the blessing of Vice President Bush. '' Hasenfus replied, They had his knowledge that he was working [on it] and what was
happening, and whoever controlled this whole organization--which I do not know--Mr.
Gomez, Mr. Bush, I believe a lot of these other people. They know how this is being run.
I do not. ''@s8@s1
Iran-Contra Characters Fall In and Out
November 3, 1986: