Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2004 14:59:03 +0100
From: Henk Ruyssenaars fpf@chello.nl
To: US Congressman Tom Lantos talk2tom@hr.house.gov
Subject: Venezuela and the CIA's Trojan Horse

OPEN LETTER TO US Representative TOM LANTOS
US House of Representatives
343 Cannon Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
talk2tom@hr.house.gov

Sir!

The Netherlands,  November 23, 2004 -- Taking into account your record in Congress; always advocating and supporting like now again subversive actions by the CIA, your Mossad and similar groups in also Venezuela, may I suggest that you - and your fellow travelers - have a look at the Internet pages concerning the covert role of the 'National Endowment for Democracy', and it's functioning as a 'Trojan Horse' for the CIA?

You will find the following within 0.08 seconds: Web Results of about 21,700 for "National Endowment for Democracy"+CIA.

How you -- the sole Holocaust survivor in this neo-con 'House International Relations Committee' -- could introduce this bipartisan bill (H. Res. 867) -- expressing support for the work of the CIA and 'NED' and protesting "the unjust prosecution of a Venezuelan group for using 'NED' funds" is beyond comprehension for normal human beings.

You, Mr. Lantos say: "the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and its local grant recipients have labored under the harshest of conditions to promote democratic institutions and processes worldwide." and that may be correct.

Insofar, that you understand that in the 199 countries surrounding the United States, but with the exception of Israel, the zionist tail wagging the American dog; nobody wants your inhuman murderous spooks.

You, and figures like that make our world a worse, more dangerous place to live in: you and your neo-con ilk breed terrorism. And, while living and working as a foreign correspondent abroad for the past four decades, I've seen you do it and have protested your despicable behavior ever since.

I dare you and your colleagues to give me the name of ONE country in the whole world where -- under american influence -- the situation for the local population -- concerning medicare, education, transport, economy etc. has improved.

One wonders what planet you vegetate on.

"How can they [the National Endowment for Democracy] say they are supporting democracy when they are funding groups that backed the coup?" asked Eva Golinger, lawyer and head of the pro-Chavez Venezuela Solidarity Committee in New York.

The so called 'National Endowment for Democracy' is a 'Trojan Horse', globally known for it's covert action, it's financing by also the CIA and other subversive groups in the US wanting to overthrow governments which countries may be profitable to the neo-cons 'running' the US at present.

In an interesting expose by William Blum in his 'Guide to the World's Only Superpower' (Common Courage Press, 2000) the 'Trojan role' of the 'NED' is clearly explained.

SUMATE', A VENEZUELAN CIA COVER ORGANIZATION

A perfectly dirty example is 'Sumate,' this Venezuelan CIA cover organization, and its leaders, which have been finally and rightfully charged with their part in the conspiracy to overthrow the Venezuelan government. To everybody involved it's clear, because the group has been instrumental in again trying to get rid of the democratically-elected government of President Chavez and wrecking anew the people of Venezuela.

In a 'Press Release' -- which is an insult to human intelligence -- you say "the National Endowment for Democracy ('NED') and its local grant recipients have labored under the harshest of conditions to promote democratic institutions and processes worldwide."

This is - as you know - a bag of lies.

May we suggest -- if you really want to do something for all lost image of the United States globally, and especially in Latin America (where I have worked too as a foreign correspondent, including the BBC) -- that you turn your attention to the bloody CIA activities in that part of the continent, and start with stopping your 'American Torture Institute", the 'School of the Americas' where yesterday at least 16,000 people in Columbus, Georgia, protested this 'US-run Torture School'.?

• Your 'graduates' later commit civil rights abuses including murder.

I've seen them in action, often financed, like Sumate, by your CIA.

Bart Jones, who is a reporter for Newsday and a former foreign correspondent for The Associated Press in Venezuela, wrote in an eloquent article in the 'National Catholic Reporter': Many analysts contend the National Endowment for Democracy was created in 1983 to replace some CIA activities -- covertly supporting political parties, unions, newspapers, book publishers, student groups and civic organizations -- after the agency's work was reined in by Congress following revelations it carried out everything from assassinations to economic sabotage.

The group's involvement in Venezuela "is in keeping with a pattern from NED's very origins when the Reagan administration used it to do overtly what it was trying to do covertly in Nicaragua -- undermine the Sandinista revolution," said Peter Kornbluh of the National Security Archive in Washington. "The difference of course is that Chavez was elected and the Sandinistas were a revolutionary government."

• Kornbluh, author of The Pinochet Files and an expert on declassified government documents, added: "The 'NED' was created to supplement the activities of the CIA."

You, Mr. Lantos -- and your neo-con colleagues -- are guilty of many crimes against humanity, according to all still existing international law, and it will be my pleasure to report on you, when you stand trial for the by you advocated and supported war crimes.

Looking forward to that day,

Henk Ruyssenaars
fpf@chello.nl
Foreign Press Foundation (FPF)
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

* Venezuela and the CIA's Trojan Horse

* News Agency VHeadline.com

* National Endowment for Democracy

* Venezuela FOIA Info

* International Republican Institute

FOREIGN PRESS FOUNDATION
Editor: Henk Ruyssenaars
The Netherlands
FPF@Chello.nl

Photography: Santiago Padilla