Otto Reich

Last updated

From 1983 to 1986, Reich established and managed the inter-agency Office of Public Diplomacy for Latin America and the Caribbean (OPD), which sought to promote the Contra guerrillas in Nicaragua. [1] [5] Reich managed a staff including officials from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and The Pentagon, some of whom were personnel trained in psychological warfare. Reich reported to Oliver North, who then worked at the National Security Council, [3] [2] although the office itself was under the State Department. [6]

The OPD sent false information to the US media, such as a claim that the Nicaraguan government was involved with drug trafficking. [2] It also wrote opinion pieces in mainstream US newspapers, attributed to fictitious Nicaraguan rebel leaders, attacking opponents of Reagan's foreign policy. [3] While heading this office, Reich also once demanded a meeting with staff of the National Public Radio (NPR), after NPR reported on a massacre of civilians carried out by the Contras, and warned the staff that their reports were being monitored. [2] Reich also confronted journalists at CBS News in April 1984 after the network aired a documentary about El Salvador that, according to Reich's superior George Shultz, favored the country's guerrillas over the US and Salvadoran governments. [2]

Reich's position drew him into the Iran-Contra affair. A House Foreign Affairs Committee report characterized the OPD as a "domestic political and propaganda operation", while the Comptroller General of the United States described the office as having engaged in "engaged in prohibited, covert propaganda activities." [2] [1] [7] A 1987 Congressional committee investigating the Iran-Contra affair stated that the OPD had encouraged "′white propaganda′: pro-Contra newspaper articles by paid consultants who did not disclose their connection to the Administration." [8] A senior U.S. official described its activities as "a huge psychological operation of the kind the military conducts in denied or enemy territory." [9] The Comptroller General also determined that the OPD violated rules placed on the State Department's use of funds. [7]

The OPD was shut down in 1987 after the investigation. [2] [3] Reich himself, described as the "chief spinner" of the Iran-Contra effort by journalist Ann Bardach, was not accused of illegal activity. [1] [3] Reich said that the Comptroller General report was flawed and called the investigation into Iran-Contra an "inquisition." [1] The operation involving op-eds, described in a declassified memorandum from one of Reich's subordinates to Patrick Buchanan, then the communications director for the Reagan White House, was also denied by a spokesperson for Reich. [2]

Ambassadorship and lobbying career

Reich served as the US Ambassador to Venezuela between 1986 and 1989. [10] In that position he lobbied the US government to press for the release of Orlando Bosch, a Cuban exile militant then being held in Venezuela under suspicion of organizing the bombing of Cubana de Aviación Flight 455. Reich argued both that Bosch was innocent, and that his safety was threatened. [11] [12] After Bosch's acquittal and release in 1986, Reich asked his superiors on multiple occasions for permission to grant Bosch a visa, but was denied. [13] Reich subsequently denied taking a special interest in Bosch's situation. [2] In 1989, Reich received the State Department's "Exemplary Service Award". [14] Reich maintained good relations with the government of Jaime Lusinchi, and received the Order of the Liberator, Venezuela's highest honor, from him. [15]

From 1989 to 2001, Reich worked as a corporate lobbyist. In 2001, he was President of RMA International, a lobbying and consulting company. In this role, he helped the rum company Bacardi, which wanted to revoke Cuba's trademark protection, so that it could use a familiar Cuban rum brand name, "Havana Club". [2] [1] [6] [16] Bacardi's efforts met success with the passage of the Helms–Burton Act in 1996, which tightened the US embargo against Cuba, and stripped trademark protection from the brand name. Reich helped author the act. [2] [6] [16] Reich was also involved with an effort by Lockheed-Martin to sell F-16 jet fighters to Chile, which would have been the first time in twenty years that advanced weapons had been sold by the US to Latin American countries. [2] In 1991 and 1992, at the request of President George H. W. Bush, Reich also served as Deputy US Representative to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. [5] Reich was co-host of CNN International's Choque de Opiniones, a Spanish-language version of CNN's Crossfire , on which he represented the right-wing position. [2] [5]

Assistant secretary of state

In 2001, President George W. Bush nominated Reich to be Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, the top State Department post for Latin America. The nomination was supported by his brother, Jeb Bush, then the Governor of Florida. [17] The Senate, however, did not allow confirmation hearings, and the appointment resulted in controversy. Opponents to Reich's nomination cited his advocacy as ambassador to Venezuela for Bosch, and his role in the Iran-Contra scandal. Bosch was described as a terrorist by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorney General. [2] [18] After the nomination process had lasted for nearly a year, Bush made a recess appointment, allowing Reich to remain in office for a year without being confirmed by the Senate. [2] Reich was sworn in on January 11, 2002. [5]

Reich held the post of Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the time of the Venezuelan coup d'état on April 11, 2002, that briefly overthrew President Hugo Chávez. During the coup, Reich spoke to coup leader Pedro Carmona Estanga, who replaced Chávez as president, and urged him not to shut down the National Assembly. [2] [19] Reich also spoke to ambassadors of other Latin American countries hours after the coup, telling that Chávez had resigned, and asked them to support the new government. [2] Carmona nonetheless dissolved both the Assembly and the Supreme Court, leading to a popular uprising that toppled the coup government and returned Chávez to the presidency. [2] [19] After Chávez was returned to power, the US supported a resolution issued by the Organization of American States condemning the coup: however, a perception remained among Latin American countries that the US had played a role in it, and led to concerns over Reich's appointment. [2]

Later career

Reich's year-long term as Assistant Secretary of State was ended in December 2002. Reich was replaced at the State Department by Roger Noriega, and became special envoy to Latin America, which was a position that did not require confirmation by the Senate. [17] [20] [21] Reich resigned from the Bush administration in June 2004, citing "personal and financial reasons." [17]

During the 2008 US presidential election, Reich served as an adviser on Latin America to John McCain. [22] During the 2012 US presidential election, Reich was a spokesman for the Mitt Romney campaign. [23] Reich also served as a foreign policy advisor to Jeb Bush during the latter's 2016 presidential campaign. [24] As of 2020, Reich runs a Washington, DC-based business consultancy, [22] [25] Otto Reich & Associates. [26] In 2001, Reich was also vice-chairman of Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production. [27]

Political positions and reputation

A 2002 profile of Reich in The New York Times described him as a "minor celebrity" in Latin America, stating that editorial cartoons in Nicaragua had depicted him "as a Superman-like figure capable of terrorizing corrupt officials and the nation's former Marxist leaders." [1] Cuban media outlets, in contrast, referred to him as a "terrorist" and a "mafioso". [2] His much-debated links to Bosch, his support of the Contras, and his lobbying activities, generated controversy, particularly during his nomination for Assistant Secretary for State. [2] At the time of his nomination, he received considerable support from right-wing Spanish-language radio shows in Miami, and from Cuban-American organizations in general. [2] [1] While he was an advisor to Jeb Bush's presidential campaign, he expressed support for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 led by the US. [24] He has been described as a right-winger, [28] and a person with strong opinions, [17] and called himself an anti-communist. [1] In 2006 he praised the former dictator of Chile, Augusto Pinochet, as having "saved Chilean democracy from communist takeover". [29]

Related Research Articles

"Rogue state" is a term applied by some international theorists to states that they consider threatening to the world's peace. These states meet certain criteria, such as being ruled by authoritarian or totalitarian governments that severely restrict human rights, sponsoring terrorism, or seeking to proliferate weapons of mass destruction. The term is used most by the United States ; in his speech at the United Nations (UN) in 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated this phrase. U.S. politicians have used the term to describe countries such as Iran, Syria, North Korea, Afghanistan, Cuba and Venezuela. The term has been applied by other countries as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elliott Abrams</span> American politician and lawyer

Elliott Abrams is an American politician and lawyer, who has served in foreign policy positions for presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump. Abrams is considered to be a neoconservative. He is currently a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He served as the U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela from 2019 to 2021 and as the U.S. Special Representative for Iran from 2020 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orlando Bosch</span> Cuban exile militant

Orlando Bosch Ávila was a Cuban exile militant, who headed the Coordination of United Revolutionary Organizations (CORU), described by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation as a terrorist organization. Born in Cuba, Bosch attended medical school at the University of Havana, where he befriended Fidel Castro. He worked as a doctor in Santa Clara Province in the 1950s, but moved to Miami in 1960 after he stopped supporting the Cuban Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 Venezuelan coup attempt</span> Attempt to remove President Hugo Chávez from office

A failed coup d'état on 11 April 2002 saw the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, ousted from office for 47 hours before being restored to power. Chávez was aided in his return to power by popular support and mobilization against the coup by loyal ranks in the military.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telesur</span> Public television network in Venezuela

Telesur is a Latin American terrestrial and satellite news television network headquartered in Caracas, Venezuela and sponsored by the governments of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.

The Office of Public Diplomacy for Latin America and the Caribbean was an intra-agency propaganda organization established in the United States during the administration of Ronald Reagan. It was founded and managed by the Cuban-American Otto Reich, an ardent opponent of Fidel Castro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Noriega</span> American diplomat

Roger Francisco Noriega is an American diplomat who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs in the George W. Bush administration He is a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luis Posada Carriles</span> Cuban terrorist and CIA agent

Luis Clemente Posada Carriles was a Cuban exile militant and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent. He was considered a terrorist by the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Government of Cuba, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cubana de Aviación Flight 455</span> 1976 airliner bombing of a Cubana passenger flight

Cubana de Aviación Flight 455 was a Cuban flight from Barbados to Jamaica that was brought down on 6 October 1976 by a terrorist bomb attack. All 73 people on board the Douglas DC-8 aircraft were killed after two time bombs went off and the plane crashed into the sea. The crash killed every member of the Cuban national fencing team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States–Venezuela relations</span> Bilateral relations

United States–Venezuela relations have traditionally been characterized by an important trade and investment relationship as well as cooperation in combating the production and transit of illegal drugs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Venezuela (1999–present)</span> Period in the history of Venezuela

Since 2 February 1999, Venezuela saw sweeping and radical shifts in social policy, moving away from the last government's officially embracing a free-market economy and liberalization reform principles and towards income redistribution and social welfare programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign policy of the Hugo Chávez administration</span> Venezuelas foreign policy during Chávez administration

The foreign policy of the Hugo Chávez administration concerns the policy initiatives made by Venezuela under its former President, Hugo Chávez, towards other states. Chávez's foreign policy may be roughly divided into that concerned with United States-Venezuela relations and that concerned with Venezuela's relations with other states, particularly those in Latin America and developing countries on other continents. In many respects the policies of the Chávez government were substantially different from the previous administrations that governed Venezuela.

The Coordination of United Revolutionary Organizations was a militant group responsible for a number of terrorist activities directed at the Cuban government following the Cuban Revolution. The United States government provided them with extensive financial and logistical support throughout their existence. It was founded by a group that included Orlando Bosch and Luis Posada Carriles, both of whom worked with the CIA at various times, and was composed chiefly of Cuban exiles opposed to the Castro government. It was formed in 1976 as an umbrella group for a number of anti-Castro militant groups. Its activities included a number of bombings and assassinations, including the killing of human-rights activist Orlando Letelier in Washington, D.C., and the bombing of Cubana Flight 455 which killed 73 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latin America–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

Historically speaking, bilateral relations between the various countries of Latin America and the United States of America have been multifaceted and complex, at times defined by strong regional cooperation and at others filled with economic and political tension and rivalry. Although relations between the U.S. government and most of Latin America were limited prior to the late 1800s, for most of the past century, the United States has unofficially regarded parts of Latin America as within its sphere of influence, and for much of the Cold War (1947–1991), actively vied with the Soviet Union for influence in the Western Hemisphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuba–Venezuela relations</span> Bilateral relations

Relations between Cuba and Venezuela were established in 1902. The relationship deteriorated in the 1960s and Venezuela broke relations in late 1961 following the Betancourt Doctrine policy of not having ties with governments that had come to power by non-electoral means. A destabilizing factor was the Cuban support for the antigovernment guerrilla force that operates in remote rural areas. Venezuela broke off relations with Cuba after the Machurucuto invasion in 1967, when Cuban trained guerrillas landed in Venezuela seeking to recruit guerrillas and overthrow the government of Raúl Leoni. Relations were reestablished in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eva Golinger</span> Venezuelan-American writer

Eva Golinger is an American lawyer, writer and journalist. She practices law in New York and specializes in immigration and international law. She is the author of several books about the late Hugo Chávez, of whom she was an outspoken supporter, and his relationship with the US. Chávez called her La novia de Venezuela, and she served as a foreign policy advisor to his government. The National Catholic Reporter wrote that Golinger headed the "pro-Chávez" Venezuela Solidarity Committee in 2004. Her website, venezuelafoia.info, aimed to shed light on what she called links between US government agencies and Venezuelan organizations by publishing documents obtained using the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 Cuba hotel bombings</span>

The 1997 Cuba hotel bombings were a series of terrorist bombing attacks on Cuban hotels organized by anti-Communist militants. The purpose of the bombing campaign was to destroy the recently resurgent Cuban tourism trade and in so doing, undermine the country's Communist government. The first and worst of the explosions took place at the Hotel Copacabana at about 11:30 AM, and killed Fabio di Celmo, a 32-year-old Genoan, from Italy, and resident of Montreal, according to the Italian Foreign Ministry in Rome. Di Celmo was visiting Cuba with his father and staying in the hotel. 11 other tourists were also injured in the bombings. The hotels targeted included the Hotel Capri, Hotel Nacional de Cuba, and the Meliá Cohiba Hotel. Cuban-exile and former CIA asset, Luis Posada Carriles, admitted organizing the bombings. In a taped interview with The New York Times, Posada said: "It is sad that someone is dead, but we can't stop." Posada was reportedly disappointed with the reluctance of American news organisations to report the bombing attacks, saying "If there is no publicity, the job is useless".

The United States has at various times in recent history provided support to terrorist and paramilitary organizations around the world. It has also provided assistance to numerous authoritarian regimes that have used state terrorism as a tool of repression.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States involvement in regime change in Latin America</span> Cold War events

The participation of the United States in regime change in Latin America involved US-backed coup d'états which were aimed at replacing left-wing leaders with right-wing leaders, military juntas, or authoritarian regimes. Intervention of an economic and military variety was prevalent during the Cold War. Although originally in line with the Truman Doctrine of containment, United States involvement in regime change increased following the drafting of NSC 68, which advocated more aggressive actions against potential Soviet allies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign interventions by Cuba</span> Aspect of Cuban foreign policy

Cuba intervened into numerous conflicts during the Cold War. The country sent medical and military aid into foreign countries to aid Socialist governments and rebel groups. These interventionist policies were controversial and resulted in isolation from many countries. Due to the ongoing Cold War, Cuba attempted make allies across Latin America and Africa. Cuba believed it had more freedom to intervene in Africa as the U.S. was more concerned about Latin America. Still, the US was strongly opposed to Cuban involvement in Africa and continued Cuban intervention was a major source of tension. Cuban intervention was often confidential and all Cuban doctors and soldiers were forced to keep their location confidential.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Dao, James (December 15, 2002). "An American Diplomat Waits in Political Limbo". New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Finnegan, William (October 7, 2002). "Castro's Shadow". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bardach 2002, pp. 199–201.
  4. ↑ "Otto J. Reich" (PDF). Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Biography – Otto Juan Reich". US Department of State. January 16, 2002. Archived from the original on January 12, 2009.
  6. 1 2 3 Bonner, Raymond; Marquis, Christopher (March 9, 2001). "In Filling Latin Post, Bush May Reignite Feuds". New York Times. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Blanton, Thomas (March 2, 2001). "Public Diplomacy and Covert Propaganda". National Security Archive. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  8. ↑ Hamilton & Inouye 1987, p. 5.
  9. ↑ Sklar, Holly (1988). Washingtons War on Nicaragua. South End Press. pp.  245. ISBN   0-89608-295-4.
  10. ↑ Bardach 2002, pp. 200.
  11. ↑ Bardach 2002, pp. 198–202.
  12. ↑ Bardach, Ann Louise (November 2006). "Twilight of the Assassins". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  13. ↑ Bardach 2002, pp. 200–203.
  14. ↑ News Highlights. United States Department of State. January 1989. p. 18.
  15. ↑ Gallardo, Gregory; Ochoa, Miltono (September 27, 2013). "Reich and Noriega, two enemies of the Bolivarian Revolution". Ciudad CCS. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  16. 1 2 Bardach 2002, pp. 328–332.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Weiner, Tim (June 17, 2004). "Bush Envoy Puts Latin Post, and a Stormy Past, Behind Him". New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  18. ↑ Bardach 2002, pp. 201–204, 328–332.
  19. 1 2 Marquis, Christopher (April 17, 2002). "U.S. Cautioned Leader of Plot Against Chávez". New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Bush Said to Give Post to Embattled Envoy". New York Times. January 9, 2003. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  21. ↑ Brinkley, Joel (July 30, 2005). "After Role Is Cut, State Dept. Official Quits". New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  22. 1 2 Heredia, Lourdes (November 3, 2008). ""Venezuela's oil is not essential"". BBC (in Spanish). Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  23. ↑ Weiner, Rachel (October 16, 2012). "Obama prepares for post-debate fight". Washington Post. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  24. 1 2 Beauchamp, Zack (October 21, 2015). "Here's how a Jeb Bush adviser is defending the Iraq war". Vox. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Biography". Otto Reich & Associates. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  26. ↑ Reich, Otto; Vasquez Ger, Ezequiel (April 2, 2012). "How Ecuador's immigration policy helps al Qaeda". Foreign Policy.
  27. ↑ Dubro, Alec (April 17, 2001). "Otto Reich, WRAP Star". The Nation. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  28. ↑ Vulliamy, Ed (April 22, 2002). "Venezuela coup linked to Bush team". The Guardian. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  29. ↑ Knapp, Alex (December 13, 2006). Another Symposium of Denial. Outside the Beltway. Retrieved on February 21, 2010.

Sources

Otto Reich
Otto Reich.jpg
United States Ambassador to Venezuela
In office
June 6, 1986 –July 17, 1989
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Venezuela
1986–1989		Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
January 11, 2002 – November 22, 2002		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.