The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb. Aug 09, 2018 read dark alliance pdf the cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion by gary webb seven stories press major motion picture based on dark alliance and starring jeremy renner, kill the. Published 1999 condition very good edition first paperbk edition. Times weighed in with lengthy articles castigating webb and dark alliance. Crack in the system premiering on al jazeera america in early 2015.
But webb was a real person who wrote a real story, a threepart series called dark alliance, in august 1996 for the san jose mercury news, one of. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Sep 05, 2017 the updated paperback edition of dark alliance features revelations in justreleased reports from the department of justice, internal cia investigations, and a new cache of recently declassified secret fbi, dea, and ins filesmuch of which was not known to webb when writing the first edition of this book. Mar 21, 2015 the cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb. He discussed his book, headline news and responded to audience telephone calls, faxes, and. Norman solomon in the san francisco bay guardian july 22, 1998. Titled dark alliance, the headline ran beneath the provocative image of a man smoking crack superimposed on the official seal of the cia.
Kill the messenger is based on webb s 1998 book, dark alliance, in which he attempted to rebuild his ruined reputation, as well as my 2004 biography of webb, kill the messenger, which shares the. Drawing from then newly declassified documents, undercover dea audio and videotapes that had never been publicly released, federal court testimony, and interviews, webb demonstrates how our government knowingly. Dark alliance a threepart investigation into links between the cocaine trade, nicaraguas ciabacked contra rebels, and californias crack epidemic in the 1980s. Webb was gradually drummed out of journalism while still defending his position, his research, and his witnesses. The dark alliance gary webbs incendiary 1996 sj mercury news expose aug 22, 1996 cocaine pipeline financed rebels evidence points to cia knowing of highvolume drug network by gary webb san jose mercury news for the better part of a decade, a san francisco bay area drug ring sold tons of cocaine to the crips and. Within the pages of dark alliance, webb produces a massive amount of evidence that suggests that such a scenario did take place, and more disturbing evidence that the powers that be that allowed such an alliance are still determined to ruthlessly guard their secrets.
Meanwhile the reagan government waged a strident, hypocritical war against drugs. Like freelance investigative reporter danny casolaro was looking into the cabazonwackenhut projects as part of a larger conspiracy investigation at the time he was found dead in a west. When the san jose newspaper published webb s series of stories under the title dark alliance and posted it online, it became an immediate sensation. O wish he had taken a kind of sabbatical and perhaps moved to costa. Webb, still a lamb in a forest full of journalistsharks, was dumbfounded and dismayed when his thencolleagues unfairly gangedup against him. The cia, the contras and the crack cocaine explosion.
Dark alliance by gary stephen webb 622 words bartleby. A threepart investigation into links between the cocaine trade, nicaraguas ciabacked contra rebels, and californias crack epidemic in the 1980s. These articles were first written for the san jose mercury news before later being published into a book. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion by webb, gary seller ground zero books, ltd.
Eighteen years after it was published, dark alliance, the san jose mercury newss bombshell investigation into links between the cocaine. Major motion picture based on dark alliance and starring jeremy renner, kill the messenger, to be be released in fall 2014 in august 1996, pulitzer prizewinning journalist gary webb stunned the world with a series of articles in the san jose mercury news reporting the results of his yearlong investigation into the roots of the crack cocaine. Dark alliance gary webb the cia, the contras, and the crack. This is a masterpiece of reportage whose tale of cia wrongdoing. Oct 01, 2014 gary webb pushed his investigation even further in his book, dark alliance. In 1998, cia inspector general frederick hitz substantiated webb s charges in two reports. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion gary webb interview 1998. Dark alliance was a series written by californiabased reporter webb and published in the san jose mercury news in 1996. His book demonstrates that the original expose was on the right track. The cia, the contras, and the cocaine explosion kindle edition by gary webb, maxine waters. In his report, webb who had won a pulitzer in 1989 for a different story. Webb was best known for his 1996 dark alliance series of articles written for the san jose. Jan 24, 2015 webb resigned from the paper and later wrote one of the first articles about driving while black for esquire magazine.
Sep 25, 20 facing increasing public scrutiny from the fallout after webb s dark alliance series, the cia conducted its own internal investigations. Webb pursued this story with exhaustive investigation, at the expense of his career. Within the this audiobook version of dark alliance webb produces a massive amount of. Now, webbs bombshell expose is being explored anew in a documentary, freeway. Oct 17, 2014 but webb was a real person who wrote a real story, a threepart series called dark alliance, in august 1996 for the san jose mercury news, one of the flagship newspapers of the thenmighty. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Creative commons gary webb, the pulitzer prizewinning reporter who broke the story of. In 1998, cia inspector general frederick hitz substantiated webbs charges in two reports. Tribute to dark alliance and journalist gary webb, transcripts of a 1997 webb speech and interview from san francisco bay area independent media center. In 2004, at age 49, gary was found dead with 2 bullet wounds to his head. Kill the messenger, based on the book of the same name by nick schou and webbs dark alliance. Today, it is hard to say how webb will be remembered by history.
Frequently identified as a conspiracy theory in mainstream press coverage, webb s work evoked widespread african american support. It started when webb wrote a series of three articles for the san jose mercury news in 1996 dubbed dark alliance. Kill the messenger, based on the book of the same name by nick schou and webb s dark alliance. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion is a 1998 book by journalist gary webb. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come. Webb resigned from the paper and later wrote one of the first articles about driving while black for esquire magazine. Aug 18, 2006 titled dark alliance, the headline ran beneath the provocative image of a man smoking crack superimposed on the official seal of the cia. The cia, the contras and the crack cocaine explosion by gary webb isbn. Under intense pressure, webb s top editor abandoned him. But if there is any justice, he will be remembered favorably. Oct 24, 2014 gary webb sums up the story in his last major interview just days before his death.
I began working as gary webbs editor on dark alliance, the book, in july 1997, almost a year after his newspaper series of the same name broke so controversially in the san jose mercury news. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion gary webb, maxine waters on. Gary webb sums up the story in his last major interview just days before his death. Gary webb was american investigative journalist, pulitzer prize winner.
How the cia watched over the destruction of gary webb. Read dark alliance pdf the cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion by gary webb seven stories press major motion picture. Sep 25, 2014 in october, the story of gary webb will reach a national moviegoing audience, likely reviving old questions about his reporting and the outrage it ignited. Webb was pressured out of his job at san jose mercury news as further punishment for daring to tell the truth and not back down from it in his 1996 newspaper series dark alliance. The mainstream media largely dismissed webb s conclusions and portrayed the black community as gullible conspiracy advocates. The cia, the contras, and the cocaine explosion by gary webb in doc, rtf, txt download ebook. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion. The cia, the contras, and the cocaine explosion kindle edition by webb, gary, waters, maxine. I began working as gary webb s editor on dark alliance, the book, in july 1997, almost a year after his newspaper series of the same name broke so controversially in the san jose mercury news. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion by gary webb 1,238 ratings, 4. Gary webb san jose mercury news aug 1996 permalink. Articles published by san jose mercury news on longform. This collection of texts, images, and audio files is a copy of the online library that accompanied the publication of gary webb s dark alliance series and his followup reporting for the san jose mercury news from 199697 about the cias role in the crack cocaine epidemic in the 1980s.
The book is based on dark alliance, webb s threepart investigative series published in the san jose mercury news in august 1996. Dark alliance by gary webb overdrive rakuten overdrive. Dark alliance is his effort to tell his side of the story and set the record straight. In october, the story of gary webb will reach a national moviegoing audience, likely reviving old questions about his reporting and the outrage it ignited. Yet webb became unemployable for telling the truth. Frequently identified as a conspiracy theory in mainstream press coverage, webbs work evoked widespread african american support. In july 1995, san jose mercurynews reporter gary webb found the big. Bob berggetty images the cia denied gary webb s reporting, while his fellow journalists nitpicked webb s faults while failing to follow up on his claims. Pdf the publication of a series of articles in the san jose mercury, though they did contain a. In 1996, gary stephen webb was best known for his three part article series, dark alliance. As recently as one year earlier gary webb had been one of the nations top investigative reporters.
I read the entire dark alliance series by gary webb in the san jose mercury and was very sad when i learned of webb s suicide. In july 1995, san jose mercurynews reporter gary webb. In the dark alliance, drawing from the newly declassified documents, undercover dea drug enforcement administration audio and videotapes that had never been publicly released, federal court testimony, and interviews, webb demonstrates how us government knowingly allowed massive amounts of drugs and money to change hands at the expense of communities. Within the this audiobook version of dark alliance, webb produces a. Gary webb on the cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion daily news digest our daily digest brings democracy now. Dark alliance the cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion. He also published the book dark alliance seven stories press, 1999. Even more chilling webb quickly realized was that the massive drugdealing operation had the implicit approvaland occasional outright supportof the cia the very organization entrusted to prevent illegal drugs from being brought into the united states. Backers of cialed nicaraguan rebels brought cocaine to poor l. This is why webb s dark alliance series is an essential source, a primary text that every journalism student should study.
In all 20,000 words of dark alliance, gary webb never claimed outright that the cia knew about the contras drug scheme, but he certainly implied as much. Now gary webb has pushed his investigation even further in his book, dark alliance. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion, was the journalist with the san jose mercury news who caused such a fuss two years ago when his series of articles pointed to central intelligence agency cia complicity in the crack cocaine epidemic. The book is based on dark alliance, webbs threepart investigative series. The dark alliance gary webb s incendiary 1996 sj mercury news expose aug 22, 1996 cocaine pipeline financed rebels evidence points to cia knowing of highvolume drug network by gary webb san jose mercury news for the better part of a decade, a san francisco bay area drug ring sold tons of cocaine to the crips and. Gary webb on the cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion, audio interviews 19971998 with gary webb from democracy now. Webb is best known for his dark alliance series, which appeared in the mercury news in 1996. In july 1995, san jose mercurynews reporter gary webb found the big one the.