textfiles-politics/pythonCode/personTestingOutput/contra.xml

<xml><p>SOLDIER OF FORTUNE DIES MYSTERIOUSLY AFTER
TALKING TO <ent type='ORG'>CONGRESSIONAL</ent> INVESTIGATORS</p>

<p>by <ent type='PERSON'>Vince Bielski</ent> and <ent type='PERSON'>Dennis</ent> Bernstein</p>

<p> A county coroner in <ent type='GPE'>Los Angeles</ent> has yet to announce the
cause of death of <ent type='PERSON'><ent type='PERSON'>Steven</ent> <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent></ent>, a 27-year-old U.S. mercenary who
has provided <ent type='ORG'>Congress</ent> with much of what it knows about weapons
shipments to the <ent type='NORP'>contras</ent>. Had <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> lived, he was also expected to
testified in federal court against 29 contra supporters allegedly
involved in cocaine trafficking, an assassination attempt on
former contra leader <ent type='PERSON'>Eden Pastora</ent> and a scheme to kill U.S
Ambassador to <ent type='GPE'>Costa Rica Lewis</ent> Tambs.</p>

<p> While Detective <ent type='PERSON'>Mel Arnold</ent> of the <ent type='GPE'>Los Angeles</ent> Police
Department said the department is investigating the possibility
that <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> was murdered, at this point he said there doesn't
appear to be any evidence of "foul play." But in the days before
his death, <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> told several people that he feared he would be
assassinated. He was "very paranoid and frightened" because of
his role as a witness, <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent>'s sister <ent type='PERSON'>Ann</ent> of <ent type='GPE'>Naples</ent>, <ent type='GPE'>Fla</ent>., said.</p>

<p> Here is what the police are saying about <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent>'s death. He
died at 4 am on December 13 in a parking lot near his friend's
apartment in <ent type='GPE'>Van Nuys</ent>, <ent type='GPE'>Calif</ent>., where he was staying. In the
predawn hours on this Saturday morning, while his friend,
<ent type='PERSON'>Jacqueline Scott</ent>, was asleep, <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> left the apartment for an
unknown reason. After spending an undetermined amount of time
outside, <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> began making noise which awoke <ent type='PERSON'>Scott</ent>. <ent type='PERSON'>Arnold</ent> said
he could not describe the type of noise <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> was making. <ent type='PERSON'>Scott</ent>
found <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> in the parking lot, who was "distressed and having
coordination problems." Soon after he died from a "probable
cocaine overdose." Asked if the police found any physical
evidence of cocaine use in the area of the apartment or parking
lot, <ent type='PERSON'>Arnold</ent> said "no comment."</p>

<p> <ent type='PERSON'>Dan Sheehan</ent>, an attorney with <ent type='ORG'>the Christic Institute</ent> in
<ent type='GPE'>Washington</ent> which filed the law suit against the 29 contra
supporter, said <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> used cocaine, but called him "an educated
user." <ent type='PERSON'>Martha Honey</ent>, a reporter for the <ent type='ORG'>BBC</ent>, became friends with
<ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> while he was a mercenary in <ent type='GPE'>Costa Rica</ent>. She said <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> was
not the type of person who would kill himself because he was
under pressure. "<ent type='PERSON'>Stevie</ent> was a survivor. He had this ability to get
himself in trouble but he always seemed to bounce back. He had a
great sense of humor."</p>

<p> The source of his fears were not just the contra
supporters whose alleged crimes he revealed, but also the U.S.
government. <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> said that while he was in <ent type='GPE'>Costa Rica</ent>, U.S.
embassy officials threatened to jail him if he squealed on their
contra operation in <ent type='GPE'>Costa Rica</ent>.</p>

<p> In April 1985 <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> was arrested by <ent type='GPE'>Costa Rica</ent>n authorities
for violating the country's neutrality and sent to prison. <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent>
was one of several mercenaries based in northern <ent type='GPE'>Costa Rica</ent> on
land owned and managed by a U.S. citizen and reported <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent>
operative named <ent type='PERSON'>John Hull</ent>. Evidence from several sources suggests
that the <ent type='NORP'>contras</ent> operate what amounts to a military base on
property controlled by <ent type='GPE'>Hull</ent> as well as an airbase for the
movement of cocaine from <ent type='ORG'>Columbia</ent> into <ent type='GPE'>the United States</ent>.</p>

<p> While in jail, <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> spilled the beans about the contra
operation. To reporters, he claimed that <ent type='GPE'>Hull</ent> had told him that
<ent type='GPE'>Hull</ent> was the <ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> liaison to the <ent type='NORP'>contras</ent> and was receiving $10000 a
month from <ent type='ORG'>the National Security Council</ent> to help finance the
operation. <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> told <ent type='ORG'>Honey</ent> why he was revealing such secrets:
"<ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> said that the mercenaries had been led to believe that
their mercenary activity was sanctioned by top U.S. military and
<ent type='GPE'>Costa Rica</ent>n officials. He was extremely bitter at having been
arrested."</p>

<p> <ent type='ORG'>Honey</ent> compiled information from <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> and other sources into
a book focusing on the role of <ent type='GPE'>Hull</ent> and other contra supporters in
the May 1984 assassination attempt against Pastora in <ent type='GPE'>Nicaragua</ent>
in which a bomb explosion killed eight people and injured
Pastora. <ent type='GPE'>Hull</ent> sued <ent type='ORG'>Honey</ent>, and her colleague <ent type='PERSON'>Tony Avirgan</ent>, for
libel in May 1986. <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> received a subpoena to appear at the
trial, where he was to be a key witness for the reporters'
defense.</p>

<p> On May 16, <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> was released from jail. He later described
the events which took place in his life over the course of the
next week to <ent type='ORG'>Honey</ent> and an U.S. congressional aide involved in an
investigation of the arms supply network to the <ent type='NORP'>contras</ent>.</p>

<p> <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> said that <ent type='GPE'>Hull</ent> bailed him out of jail as a way of
persuading him to testify on <ent type='GPE'>Hull</ent>'s behalf. <ent type='GPE'>Hull</ent> requested that
<ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> testify that the reporters forced him to make the charges
against <ent type='GPE'>Hull</ent>, <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> said.</p>

<p> That same day, <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> said he went to the U.S. embassy to
determine why he was arrested for participating in a war that the
U.S. supports. He said he met with two officials, <ent type='PERSON'>Kirk Kotula</ent>,
the counsel general and <ent type='PERSON'>John Jones</ent>, the acting chief of the
consulute.</p>

<p> According to <ent type='ORG'>Honey</ent>'s notes of her conversation with <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent>
about his meeting with the officials, <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> said: "The officials
told me they knew all about <ent type='GPE'>Hull</ent>'s contra operation and they had
me call him. He picked up the phone instantly, as if he had been
waiting for my call.</p>

<p> "They said if I go to court and testify in your behalf I'll
go to jail whether I tell the truth or not. I had no choice in
the matter. The embassy told me to get the hell out of <ent type='ORG'>Dodge</ent> or
I'd go back to La Reforma prison. They told me that the bus to
<ent type='GPE'>Panama</ent> leaves at 7:30 pm and to be on it," he said.</p>

<p> <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> spent the next three days staying at <ent type='ORG'>Honey</ent>'s house. On
night of May 19, <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> left the house to visit a friend, and the
following day, the U.S. embassy told the court that <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> was in
their custody and that he would appear at the trial, <ent type='ORG'>Honey</ent> said.
However, <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> said on May 20, following U.S. embassy orders, he
took a bus to <ent type='GPE'>Panama</ent>, and with the help to the U.S. embassy
there, flew to <ent type='GPE'>Miami</ent> a few days later. Upon his return, <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> was
put in jail in <ent type='GPE'>Naples</ent>, <ent type='GPE'>Fla</ent>., for a prior offense.</p>

<p> <ent type='PERSON'>Kotula</ent> said he had talked with <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent>, but denied the he had
threatened him or forced him to leave <ent type='GPE'>Costa Rica</ent>. "That's not
true, at least by me. I did not threaten him with any such thing.
I couldn't do that, what would be the possible motive. I can't
put people in jail and I can't get people out of jail.</p>

<p> "I tried to convince Steve <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> when I first met him not to
go and join up with some bunch of guys. He was nothing but a
overgrown child who had read too many <ent type='PERSON'>John Wayne</ent> comic books."</p>

<p> <ent type='PERSON'>Jonathan Winer</ent>, an aide to Sen. <ent type='PERSON'>John Kerry</ent> D-Mass., said
the Senator's office is investigating the matter. "There are
obviously some very serious questions regarding the U.S.
embassy's role in <ent type='PERSON'><ent type='PERSON'>Steven</ent> <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent></ent> leaving <ent type='GPE'>Costa Rica</ent>," he said.</p>

<p> After <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent>'s return to the U.S., congressional investigators
said they had planned on bringing him before <ent type='ORG'>Congress</ent>. His
testimony, based on his participation on a March 6, 1985 arms
shipment from <ent type='GPE'>Fort Lauderdale</ent> to Ilogango Air Base in El
Salvador, would have linked <ent type='PERSON'>Felix Rodriguez</ent>--the ex-<ent type='ORG'>CIA</ent> agent who
reportedly met with <ent type='PERSON'>Donald Gregg</ent>, aide to Vice President George
Bush--to that weapons shipment, <ent type='PERSON'>Sheehan</ent> said.</p>

<p> "He is the guy that can prove that the March 6
shipment of weapons that flew out of the <ent type='GPE'>Fort Lauderdale</ent> Airport
went to <ent type='LOC'>Ilopango</ent> airport," said <ent type='PERSON'>Sheehan</ent>. "He witnessed and can
identify <ent type='PERSON'>Felix Rodriguez</ent> as the guy who off loaded the weapons to
smaller planes which were then flown to <ent type='GPE'>Hull</ent>'s ranch in Costa
Rica."</p>

<p> In early 1986, <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> and two other eye-witnesses told federal
authorities that several major players in the arms supply network
were involved in the shipment, including <ent type='PERSON'>Tom Posey</ent>, head of the
mercenary group <ent type='ORG'>Civilian Materiel Assistance</ent>, Robert <ent type='PERSON'>Owen</ent>,
reportedly a liaison to fired Lt. Col. Oliver <ent type='PERSON'>North</ent>, and <ent type='GPE'>Hull</ent>,
<ent type='PERSON'>Sheehan</ent> said.</p>

<p> With no criminal indictment by October, <ent type='PERSON'>Sheehan</ent> alleged
before a congressional committee that <ent type='ORG'>the Justice Department</ent> had
engaged in a "willfull conspiracy...to obstruct justice....A
number of telephone calls were then placed to Mr. <ent type='ORG'>Kellner</ent> (the
U.S. Attorney in <ent type='GPE'>Miami</ent>) personally by <ent type='PERSON'>Edwin Meese</ent>...instructing
Mr. <ent type='ORG'>Kellner</ent> 'to proceed very, very, very slowly' in any
investigation of this case." <ent type='ORG'>Kellner</ent> has said he
has talked with <ent type='PERSON'>Meese</ent> about the case, but denied <ent type='PERSON'>Sheehan</ent>'s
allegation.</p>

<p> A grand jury has recently formed in <ent type='GPE'>Miami</ent> to reportedly hear
evidence about the March 6 weapons shipment. But the one person
who could have provided the grand jury with an eye-witness
account that the weapons were transported from U.S. soil to El
Salvador--evidence which is essential in making a case that the
U.S. Neutrality Act and <ent type='ORG'>the Arms Export Control Act</ent> were
violated--is now dead.</p>

<p> "A great deal of the information <ent type='PERSON'>Carr</ent> provided did check
out. It will now be harder for anyone to bring a prosecution with
<ent type='PERSON'>Steven</ent>'s testimony now unavailable, and I think that is very
unfortunate," <ent type='ORG'>Winer</ent> said.
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e, and I think that is very
unfortunate,"</p></xml>