CONFIRMING THAT IN EVERY BARREL THERE ARE SOME ROTTEN APPLES?
Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the
Netherlands.
Nassaulaan 2 - The Hague 2514 JS
Url.:
http://www.embven.nl/
Email: embvene@xs4all.nl
To the attention of the Ambassador on 'need to know' basis.
Just in - Concerns: CITGO - For your information:
Van: News Desk
Datum: Fri, 03 Mar 2006 10:01:52 +0000
Aan: Henk Ruyssenaars
Onderwerp: CITGO & Open letter to Venezuela's President Hugo
Chavez Frias
TOP STORY AT THIS HOUR!
Friday, March 03, 2006
Harry Minetree: Open letter to Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez
Frias
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006 13:18:32 EST
From: Harry Minetree MinetreeH@aol.com
To: Editor@VHeadline.com
Subject: Open letter to President Hugo Chavez Frias
Dear President Chavez:
I am an established US journalist. I was a war correspondent for
twenty-five years (Time-Life), mostly in Africa and, among
others, produced the controversial, anti-Reagan, pro-Latin
invasion documentary film, "A Reporter in Grenada" (PBS, BBC);
it won several international awards, including a Gold Medal from
the International Conference on Broadcasting in Paris.
First, I want to thank you for reading this letter. It proves
you are indeed a man of all people, including those who are
Venezuelans in spirit.
Secondly, I wish to thank Eva Golinger, who has remained
constant in her efforts to help me settle this matter.
In July 2004, Luis Marin summoned me to CITGO's Tulsa
headquarters to discuss the production of a documentary film on
the August referendum. If I were to accept the job, Mr. Marin
said my mission would be "...to find the truth and film it.
Nothing more. Nothing less.
He offered me US$30,000 to cover crew salaries, equipment
rentals and expenses for a two-week shoot. My personal fee for
two months producing and promoting the film would be $120,000
US. I would also receive "a significant bonus" for providing Mr.
Marin with an introduction to Bill Clinton.
The $30,000 would be paid in cash increments through the Houston
law firm of Robert G. Taylor, who would be reimbursed by CITGO.
Mr. Taylor, who was present at the meeting, had dictated the
written agreement on which Mr. Marin's proposal to me was based.
Ray Nava, an associate of Mr. Marin's, would deliver US cash to
me in Caracas. Nava was also present at the Tulsa meeting
Mr. Marin added that he would arrange for me to have an
exclusive, on-camera interview with you, Mr. President. He gave
me the phone number of a contact in Caracas -- a fine young man
named Umberto or Gilberto.
I agreed to Mr. Marin‚s terms, and we shook hands all around.
Afterwards, I flew to Houston with Robert Taylor in his Learjet.
Mr. Taylor gave me a letter introducing me as an investigator
for his law firm, and $9,500 cash -- the first of the three
promised payments for production financing.
In Caracas, I hired a crew and started shooting immediately --
interviews in barrios, at sidewalk cafes, salsa clubs, shopping
malls, nightclubs, etc. We traveled to the beaches where the
working class swim, and to the private bathing clubs frequented
by the Opposition. We toured the wealthy residential areas, then
went to your hometown, Mr. President, where we interviewed one
of your teachers, your high school baseball coach, and several
friends and admirers. Back in Caracas, we did a wonderful
interview with an old-line communist actor, Julio Mota; another
with a hardline critic of your administration, Patricia Poleo.
Luis Marin and Robert Taylor were informed daily of our
progress.
Meanwhile, I was in constant contact with Gilberto who,
unfortunately, was making little progress arranging an interview
with you. Eventually, Luis directed me to Andres Izarra -- who
returned none of my calls and answered none of my emails.
Ray Nava delivered the first cash payment to my apartment. There
were problems, he said. He appeared to be high on something,
possibly cocaine. Ray offered to lend me a pistol. Then offered
to give me his young girlfriend for sexual purposes. He said
everyone knew that "Chavez" had rigged the referendum vote; it
was all a fraud. He said Luis Marin would be fired soon. Then he
offered to introduce me to some Senators who knew the "real
story" and to a „well informed‰ anti-Chavez writer. I told Nava
to get the hell out of my apartment and not to come back. Later
that evening, he phoned and threatened me. I said I would meet
him in the street -- he lived nearby. I waited; he didn't
appear.
The following day, I phoned Luis Marin and recounted my
conversation with Ray Nava. Marin said he would take care of
everything.
That was the last I heard from anyone. I received no more money,
and there was no explanation why. Luis Marin refused to take my
calls or to respond to my emails. I owed the crew, I owed rent.
I was owed personal expenses and, if this was indeed the end of
the project, CITGO had breached our contract and owed me
$131,000, including the unpaid production money.
I later learned that Ray Nava had implied to Luis that I worked
for the CIA; he said my crew and I had filmed nothing. The facts
are that we had shot seven hours of terrific footage. And I had
pre-sold the film to CNN, contingent on the interview with you.
Ray Nava also told Luis and Rob Taylor that the crew and I were
spending production money on liquor and teenage whores,
implying, once again, that we were hobnobbing with Opposition
big shots!
Since then, Mr. President, I have met with Ambassador Alvarez,
spoken and exchanged emails with Fernando Garay, Mr. Kabboul and
Martin Sanchez. No one among them questioned that CITGO had
breached our contract (Mr. Garay said there was no record of
it). But no one called back after our discussions, and no one
has done anything toward settling this matter.
Indeed, Robert Taylor washed his hands of the entire situation
when Ray Nava told him, Mr. President, that he is your
illegitimate son!
If this is true, sir, I must commend you on your precocious
talent as a lover, since you could not have been more than six
years old when little Ray was conceived!
I look forward to your good advice and to settling this matter.
God Bless the Bolivarian Revolution and you.
Harry Minetree
MinetreeH@aol.com
telephone +1/ (702) 658.4760
cellphone +1/ (702) 460.6679
6024 Dorrell Lane,
Las Vegas, NV 89131
PS: I should mention that a CITGO executive named Alfredo
attended the Tulsa meeting. And, most, importantly a CITGO
secretary recorded and took notes of the entire meeting. I
contacted Marin's assistant Carol Martin, but she claimed not to
know who had recorded the meeting. I thought at the time she did
not wish to become involved.
http://espanol.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=50168
Related: CITGO censors VHeadline.com?
"The previously published contents of this page have been
removed" - Url.:
http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=49008
[andend] - Fwd. by:
FOREIGN PRESS FOUNDATION
http://forpressfound.blogspot.com/
Editor: Henk Ruyssenaars
http://tinyurl.com/amn3q
The Netherlands
fpf@chello.nl
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