"Former Intelligence Officer Accuses White House and Pentagon of Providing Direct Support for Failed Venezuelan Coup Attempt". Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Wayne Madsen, who now serves as the Washington correspondent for Intelligence Online based in Paris.
Former Intelligence Officer Accuses White House and Pentagon of Providing Direct Support for Failed Venezuelan Coup Attempt.
Interview by Between The Lines' Scott Harris
After a coalition of conservative businessmen, labor groups and sectors of the armed forces failed to overthrow the democratically elected government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, speculation has grown that the Bush administration may have played an important role in the failed April 11th coup attempt. Since Chavez was restored to power published reports have revealed that hundreds of thousands of dollars were funneled to the coup plotters by the congressionally funded National Endowment for Democracy in the months before their grab for power.
Allegations have also been made that the Pentagon provided intelligence to key members of the Venezuelan military involved in the overthrow attempt. Former National Security Agency officer Wayne Madsen charges that under the cover of training exercises in the Caribbean during the coup, the U.S. Navy monitored and jammed communications in Caracas with particular focus on the Cuban, Libyan, Iranian and Iraqi diplomatic missions. He also says that the military's Psychological Warfare Operations or "PSYOPs" unit produced television and radio announcements broadcast as part of the coup operation.
Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Wayne Madsen, who now serves as the Washington correspondent for Intelligence Online based in Paris. Here, he summarizes the logistical support which he maintains was provided by the Bush administration to the coup plotters(A RealAudio Version of this interview may be found at
www.btlonline.org).
Read Wayne Madsen's articles about the Venezuela coup online at
www.counterpunch.com
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