C. Wiebes - Intelligence en de oorlog in Bosnië 1992-1995. De rol van de inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten - Engels

169urging it, because they suspected that the United States was behind the clandestine operation, even ifBritish diplomats in Washington were told repeatedly that this was not the case. The US ambassador inLondon made a special trip to the Foreign Office to forcefully deny this. 849The Black Flights were also raised for discussion at a summit between the US Secretary ofDefense and the Ministers of Defence of the United Kingdom, France and Germany. They discussedthe situation in Bosnia from 3 to 5 March 1995 in Key West (Florida). There was a comprehensivediscussion of the options of direct support to the Bosnian government and a continuation of theUNPROFOR presence. At the end of the meeting, the American Secretary of Defense, Perry, made astatement. He had apparently been asked by the other ministers about the secret arms supplies toBosnia. Perry stated for the record that ‘if any aircraft were landing at Tuzla, they were neither USaircraft nor arranged by the US’. 850 This in turn raised the question of whether Perry actually knewnothing, or that he was being rather economical with the truth.In any case, earlier assertions in the NATO/UNPROFOR report to the effect that ‘all thoseinvolved’ had been heard, were incorrect. The British journalist Nik Gowing tracked down severalNorwegian witnesses to the Black Flights, who stated that they had never spoken with Jones or histeam. They declared in front of the camera that they had seen and heard an aircraft with propellers.Furthermore, a Norwegian relief worker had met two Americans in plain clothes in a warehouse inTuzla, who were in the process of unpacking arms, apparently from the Black Flights. A Norwegianpatrol that had gone to investigate on the night in question, had also clearly seen and heard a Hercules.Neither had the members of this patrol been questioned. The same was true for the Norwegian sentry851who was one of the first to have heard and seen the Hercules.Later, one of the most important Norwegian witnesses, Moldestad, would be taken aside bythree American officers. They took him to a balcony on the fifth floor of a hotel in Zagreb, and madeclear to him that if he stuck to his account and said any more on the subject, things could get messy forhim. After reports on British television and articles in the press, journalists were also put under pressureby the American embassy in London. They heard all manner of threats. The embassy was said to havebeen acting on the instructions of the State Department. 852 Flights were reported into April, also by theNetherlands MIS. 853 The question remains, of course, whether American aircraft were actually involvedin the clandestine flights to Tuzla.Who flew to Tuzla?Former CIA director, Woolsey, was not aware of the Black Flights. Of course, these took place after hisdeparture from the CIA. If the CIA had been involved with the flights to Tuzla, then, according to him,a written presidential finding would have had to have been issued for such a covert operation or for theones that the CIA helps with. 854 The affair was also examined by the US Senate. The flights had beeninvestigated at an earlier stage by the Pentagon, as part of a NATO investigation and of an investigationfor US policymakers. After studying the Pentagon investigation report, the Senate found in November1996 that the investigation was scantily documented. It came to the conclusion that no activities hadtaken place that pointed to supplies of arms and there was no American involvement. The Senate wasable to peruse documents of the Department of Defense and the CIA, to conduct interviews, but849 Interview with Lord Owen, 27/06/01 and confidential information (33).850 Confidential information (34).851 See also: Press release of Channel 4 News, 17/11/95 and ITN documentary by Nik Gowing.852 Confidential interview (67)853 MoD, MIS/CO. Situation in the former Yugoslavia, briefing 21 April, 20/04/95.854 Interviews with R.J. Woolsey, 08/06/00 and 01/10/02.