2nd Memo to Cheney after 9-11: “The ‘family’ wants their boxes”

Congress continues to ignore explosive memos pointing to secret cash payoffs

by Tom Flocco

Washington-November 9, 2005-TomFlocco.com-A November 2, 2001 hand-written memo to Vice President Richard Cheney from former U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Leo Wanta, indicates the White House knew that boxes containing large amounts of U.S. currency were moved from the Philippines seven weeks after the September 11 attacks.

According to U.S. intelligence agents with knowledge of the document, Wanta’s memo to Cheney employed a number of code-word references outlining that White House help was requested in moving “large sums of cash” into certain U.S. law firms referred to as “Foundations legal groups to be formed for ‘charitable’ work here in the Philippines.”

When we last talked with Ambassador Wanta, he was being held under house arrest by the Bush administration.

Wanta’s post 9-11 memo reminded Cheney that payment for an unnamed covert operation was overdue and that unidentified organization members close enough to Wanta and Cheney to be referred to as the “family” were becoming impatient about receiving their cash—but also worried that others might be confiscating part of their payoff:

“...The ‘family’ wants their boxes!!...Things are getting out of hand! MIL [Marvelous Investments, Ltd., Andover, MA according to intelligence sources] needs cash with which to purchase & remove these items [boxes of cash]...too much is in the wrong hands! [ Click here to read the full printed memo from Wanta to Vice President Cheney. Wanta’s printing has been authenticated by matching it with other Wanta documents received from separate sources, including some from the former ambassador himself.]

The memo also revealed that a “German in the ‘family’ has financed a large group who were recovering ten boxes which were taken to U.S., Germany & Moldovia [Moldova/Rumania].”

Intelligence sources told TomFlocco.com that the boxes contained counterfeit U.S. currency, laundered drug money, bearer bonds or a combination thereof, and that standard chain-of-custody procedures required Cheney to pass such sensitive documents to then National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and President Bush.

All of which raises serious questions as to why Bush, Cheney and Rice were either involved in or had knowledge of the clandestine movement of a substantial amount of U.S. Currency in the days following the September 11 attacks to pay off an unidentified “family” for certain clandestine operations.

Senate’s closed-door cover-up

The Wanta-Cheney “Foundations” memo and another document indicating that Cheney and Bush were aware that 30 days after 9-11 FBI and CIA officials met with one of Osama bin Laden’s aides appearing in White House-produced terrorism footage broadcast nationally and internationally both provide evidence that the White House knows more about covert operations surrounding the attacks than it is revealing.

An intelligence source told us that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has been in possession of these documents since early last spring.

This raises speculation as to whether Cheney will be asked if the memos are related in any way to pre-September 11 intelligence reports, the Valerie Plame leak case and whether Cheney’s Chief-of-staff I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby knew about their contents.

TomFlocco.com has been told that many U.S. citizens have emailed and faxed the Cheney memos related to the 9-11 attacks to multiple members of the House and Senate intelligence committees and other members of Congress.

Multiple reports overnight as this piece is written indicate that cable news trial balloons are being floated regarding President Bush issuing a full and unconditional presidential pardon to Libby.

A pardon would prevent Patrick Fitzgerald from securing justice for the American people; but it would also protect the Joint Congressional Intelligence Committee from possible charges of incompetence, negligence or a grand jury probe.

FBI, CIA agents helped move boxes of cash

U.S. government officials named in the Wanta-Cheney memos were identified by intelligence sources as FBI Division 5 and CIA contractors working in U.S. counter-intelligence, including “Robert Wachtel, Brad U. Lee and Allan Nichols.”

It is not known whether Wachtel, Lee and Nichols have testified before the Fitzgerald grand jury or how the memos referring to cash payoffs are linked to the covert federal agents-or whether the boxes of currency are linked to financing the 9-11 attacks.

The memo indicates that Wanta requested that Vice President Cheney provide assistance in maintaining secrecy in moving the boxes: “...If we are to be successful here, I have outlined how to do it. One other thing we must have is transportation "permits." [official cover and protection inside & outside the country, according to intelligence sources.] ...much is moving that no one can see."

Given the proximity of the memos to the September 11, 2001 timeline, pre Iraq War intelligence reports and the Plame case probe, questions can also be raised as to the role of Scooter Libby and his knowledge or actions taken at the behest of Vice President Cheney or President Bush regarding the shipment of U.S. currency and the provision of “transportation permits” to facilitate their unhindered and undiscovered movement.

http://www.tomflocco.com/fs/2ndMemoToCheney.htm