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U.S. Kept Out Of Loop In Rescue Plot

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Los Angeles Times

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 14, 2008

BOGOTA, Colombia - Although the U.S. government was supposed to have final say on any plan to rescue three U.S. contractors held by guerrillas, it was kept in the dark by the Colombian military until a week before the July 2 operation to lessen the chances the Bush administration would veto the effort, said a top official close to the operation.

"They wanted to wait long enough to make it difficult to say no," said the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was forbidden to speak on the topic for attribution.

In early June, intelligence officials in the U.S. Embassy in Bogota intercepted communication between rebel leaders at the same time that it noticed the suspicious convergence of groups suspected of guarding the three Americans, including Sarasota's Keith Stansell, and other hostages. The officials were part of a 100-person team dedicated to securing the release of the U.S. contractors since they were taken captive in February 2003.

Suspecting that a rescue plan was in motion, U.S. officials asked Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos, who on June 25 then laid out the daring blueprint, the first official said. On June 30, at a meeting of the National Security Council that included Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the United States gave a green light. U.S. officials in Bogota believed chances of success were about 50-50.

Colombian and U.S. officials had long agreed that the latter would have a final say on any effort to rescue the contractors.

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