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<h2><font size=3><b>Thursday, November 11, 2010<br>
</b></font></h2><h3><b>Washington increases Clandestine Ops against
Venezuela
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<a href="http://www.chavezcode.com/2010/11/washington-increases-clandestine-ops.html" eudora="autourl">
http://www.chavezcode.com/2010/11/washington-increases-clandestine-ops.html<br>
<br>
</a>By Eva Golinger<br><br>
Millions of dollars are being channeled to opposition groups in Venezuela
via USAID, while the Pentagon has established a new PSYOP program
directed at Venezuela, including a “5-day a week television program in
Spanish broadcast in Venezuela” during 2011 <br><br>
<a href="http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/cross-cutting_programs/transition_initiatives/country/venezuela/annrpt0910.html">
The 2010 annual report of the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI)</a>,
a division of the US Agency for International Development (USAID),
regarding its operations in Venezuela, evidences that at least $9.29
million USD was invested this year in efforts to “support US foreign
policy objectives…and promote democracy” in the South American nation.
This amount represents an increase of almost $2 million over last year’s
$7.45 million distributed through this office to fund anti-Chávez
political activities in the country. <br><br>
The OTI is a department of USAID dedicated to “supporting US foreign
policy objectives by helping local partners advance democracy in priority
countries in crisis. OTI works on the ground to provide, fast, flexible
short-term assistance targeted at key political transition and
stabilization needs”.<br><br>
Although OTI is traditionally used as a “short-term” strategy to filter
millions of dollars in liquid funds to political groups and activities
that promote US agenda in strategically important nations, the case of
Venezuela has been different. OTI opened its office in 2002, right after
the failed coup d’etat against President Hugo Chavez - backed by
Washington - and has remained ever since. The OTI in Venezuela is the
longest standing office of this type in USAID’s history. <br><br>
OTI’S CLANDESTINE OPS<br><br>
<a href="http://centrodealerta.org/documentos_desclasificados/russell_porter_pre-planning.pdf">
In a confidencial memo dated January 22, 2002</a>, Russell Porter, head
of OTI, revealed how and why USAID set up shop in Venezuela. “OTI was
asked to consider a program in Venezuela by the State Department’s Office
of Andean Affairs on January 4…OTI was asked if it could offer programs
and assistance in order to strengthen the democratic elements that are
under increasing fire from the Chavez government”. <br><br>
Porter visited Venezuela on January 18, 2002 and then
<a href="http://centrodealerta.org/documentos_desclasificados/russell_porter_pre-planning.pdf">
commented</a>, “For democracy to have any chance of being preserved,
immediate support is needed for independent media and the civil society
sector…One of the large weaknesses in Venezuela is the lack of a vibrant
civil society…The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has a $900,000
program in Venezuela that works with NDI, IRI and the Solidarity Center
to strengthen political parties and the Unions…This program is useful,
but not nearly sufficient. It is not flexible enough, nor does it work
with enough new or non-traditional groups. It also lacks a media
component”. <br><br>
Since then OTI has been present in Venezuela, channeling millions of
dollars each year to feed the political conflict in the country.
According to the 2010 annual report, OTI is now operating “out of the US
Embassy and is part of a larger US diplomatic effort to promote democracy
in Venezuela”. <br><br>
The principal investment of the $9.29 million in US taxpayer dollars in
2010 went to the opposition’s campaign for the legislative elections,
held last September 26 in Venezuela. “USAID works with several
implementing partners drawn from the spectrum of civil society…offering
technical assistance to political parties…and supporting efforts to
strengthen civil society”. <br>
In Venezuela, it’s widely known that the term “civil society” refers to
the anti-Chavez opposition.<br><br>
A SECRET FLOW OF FUNDS<br><br>
Despite revealing its overall budget, the actual flow of funds from
USAID/OTI to groups in Venezuela remains secret. When OTI opened its
offices in 2002, it contracted a private US company, Development
Alternatives Inc (DAI), one of the State Department’s largest contractors
worldwide. DAI ran an office out of El Rosal – the Wall Street of Caracas
– distributing millions of dollars annually in “small grants of no more
than $100,000” to hundreds of mainly unknown Venezuelan “organizations”.
<br>
From 2002 to 2010, more than 600 of these “small grants” were channeled
out of DAI’s office to anti-Chavez groups, journalists and private,
opposition media campaigns. <br><br>
In December 2009, DAI began to have severe problems with its operations
in Afghanistan, when five of its employees were killed by alleged Taliban
militants during an attack on their office December 15 in Gardez. Just
days earlier, another DAI “employee”, Alan Gross, had been detained in
Cuba and accused of subversion for illegally distributing advanced
satellite equipment to dissidents. <br><br>
When an article written by this author titled
“C<a href="http://www.chavezcode.com/2009/12/cia-agents-assassinated-in-afghanistan.html">
IA Agents assassinated in Afghanistan worked for "contractor"
active in Venezuela, Cuba”</a>, published December 30, 2009 on the web,
evidenced the link between DAI’s operations in Afghanistan, Cuba and
Venezuela, and their suspicious nature, the CEO of DAI, Jim Boomgard, was
alarmed. Days later, he attempted to coerce me into a private meeting in
Washington to “discuss” my article. When I refused, he threatened me by
claiming that my writing was “placing all DAI employees worldwide in
danger”. In other words, if anything happened to DAI employees, I would
be personalIy responsible. <br>
But Boomgard, who claimed little knowledge of his company’s operations in
Venezuela, understood that what DAI was doing in Venezuela was nowhere
near as important (to his company) as what DAI was doing in Afghanistan
and other countries in conflict. Weeks later, DAI abruptly closed its
office in Caracas. <br><br>
Nonetheless, OTI continues its operations in Venezuela, and although it
has other US “partners” managing a portion of its annual
multimillion-dollar budget, such as IRI, NDI, Freedom House and the Pan
American Development Foundation (PADF), there is zero transparency
regarding funding to Venezuelan groups. <br><br>
<a href="http://centrodealerta.org/documentos_desclasificados/fride_report_on_funding_in_.pdf">
A report published in May 2010 by the Spanish think tank FRIDE</a>
assessing “democracy assistance” to Venezuela revealed that a significant
part of the more than $50 million annually in political funding from
international agencies to anti-Chavez groups in Venezuela was entering
illicitly. According to the report, in order to avoid Venezuela’s strict
“currency control laws”, US and European agencies bring the monies in
dollars or euros into the country and then change them on the black
market to increase value. This method also avoids leaving a financial
record or trace of the funds coming in to illegally finance political
activities.<br><br>
If DAI is no longer operating in Venezuela and distributing “small
grants” to Venezuelan groups, then how are USAID’s multimillion-dollar
funds reaching their recipients? According to USAID, they now operate
from the US Embassy. Is the US Embassy illegally dishing out funds
directly to Venezuelans? <br><br>
OTI’s 2010 report also reveals the agency’s ongoing intentions to
continue supporting and funding Venezuelan counterparts. In the section
marked “Upcoming Events”, OTI makes clear where energies will be
directed, “December 2012 – Presidential elections”.<br><br>
PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS<br><br>
USAID isn’t the only US agency intervening in Venezuela’s affairs. In the
Pentagon’s 2011 budget, a new request for a “psychological operations
program” for the Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), which coordinates all US
military missions in Latin America, is included. Specifically, the
request refers to the establishment of a “PSYOP voice program for
USSOUTHCOM”. <br><br>
PYSOP are, “planned operations to convey selected information and
indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives,
objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments,
organizations, groups and individuals. The execution of PSYOP includes
conducting research on various foreign audiences; developing, producing
and disseminating products to influence these audiences; and conducting
evaluations to determine the effectiveness of the PSYOP activities. These
activities may include the management of various websites and monitoring
print and electronic media”. Or, as the 2011 request indicates, running a
radio or audio program into a foreign nation to promote US agenda.
<br><br>
USSOUTHCOM’s new PSYOP program in Latin America will complement a new
State Department initiative run out of the Board of Broadcasting
Governors (BBG), which manages US propaganda worldwide.
<a href="http://www.bbg.gov/pressroom/press-releases/BBG-PressRelease-451.html">
BBG’s whopping 2011 budget of $768.8 million includes “a 30-minute,
five-day-a-week VOA [Voice of America] Spanish television program for
Venezuela”.</a> <br><br>
This increase in PSYOP and pro-US propaganda directed at Venezuela
evidences an escalation in US aggression towards the region. <br><br>
And the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) is still
running a special intelligence “mission” on Venezuela and Cuba, set up in
2006. Only four of these country-specific “mission management teams”
exist: Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan/Pakistan, and Venezuela/Cuba. These
“missions” receive an important part of DNI’s $80 billion annual budget
and operate in complete secrecy. <br><br>
<br><br>
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