Letter to House Select Committee on Intelligence. Darryl Robert Schoon
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little in common with Wilson, an older man of substantial wealth with a direct line to the President, and, yet, they were having a casual lunch at the exclusive Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills. Thirion did not have long to wonder. Within weeks, Thirion said he was to discover Wilson’s true role in the unfolding series of events involving Transglobal Productions and the Saudi money.
Morgan’s admonition not to worry about U.S. recognition was soon justified. William Clark, head of the National Security Council, informed Thirion and Dr. Kamrany the Afghan government-in-exile would officially receive U.S. recognition. Clark told Thirion and Dr. Kamrany to fly to Rome where they would meet William Wilson. There, they would receive Wilson’s assurances on behalf of President Reagan and would be given further instructions on how to proceed.
It was here Thirion again began to wonder again about William Wilson. Wilson had no official connection to Transglobal yet he seemed to be everywhere, interfacing at the White House, interacting with the National Security Council, even informing Thirion he was keeping President Reagan abreast on what was happening. He told Thirion President Reagan wanted “to know more”, that the President had requested Wilson to accompany him back to his ranch in Santa Barbara over Thanksgiving to “fill him in on all the details”.
It was then Thirion asked Perry Morgan, “What exactly is Wilson’s angle in all of this?”
Perry Morgan replied, “Wilson? Hell, he’s getting $10 million for himself and $10 million for the President’s retirement.”
Morgan’s memorable reply explained not only Wilson’s role, it also explained why official U.S recognition of the Afghan government-in-exile was so easily forthcoming from powerful bodies such as the National Security Council and the Reagan White House. William Wilson, General Robert E. Cushman, and others were apparently actively engaged in a conspiracy to solicit and embezzle Saudi funds using Transglobal Productions as a cover to do so.
The proposal to the Saudi royal family by General Cushman was to be specifically described as a “private effort”. This was important because there are laws prohibiting public servants from skimming public moneys. General Robert E. Cushman and others incorporated Transglobal Productions, a private corporation, as a part of a conspiracy to attempt to evade the intent of such laws.
As public officials, if William Wilson or General Cushman wanted to ask the Saudis to support the Afghan resistance, either could have done so with a single phone call. Diplomatically, they were members of America’s ruling elite. Instead, they created a private company through which they approached a private banker to privately solicit the Saudi funds. Believing, then, the Saudi money would be private, the conspirators thought they could legally divert the money to themselves, a creative though erroneous assumption.
The belief that private activity legitimizes illegal actions was not uncommon at the Reagan White House. General Richard Secord, a participant in the Iran-Contra scandal, testified before the U.S. Senate that White House Counsel had assured him that his activities, if private, were within the purview of the law.
White House Counsel’s advice notwithstanding, private actions are in no way a dispensation for legal culpability especially when there exists a prior criminal intent and conspiracy to act in violation of the law. In fact, giving such advice in itself can be construed as an overt act that qualifies as part of such a conspiracy.
Thirion and Dr. Kamrany next flew to Rome where they met Wilson in his offices at the Vatican. Wilson assured them the proposed Afghan government-in-exile had the support of President Reagan and would receive official U.S. recognition. He also informed Kamrany and Thirion he would personally convey this message to King Zahir Shah.
King Zahir Shah, then announced in Paris, on June, 1983, his intention to form a government-in-exile. With Zahir Shah’s announcement, Thirion was now prepared to formally present his proposal to the Saudis. Already, they had expressed interest in contributing $500 million. Thirion’s 2% $10 million fee from this initially improbable venture now appeared about to be realized.
Thirion phoned Prince Abdullah, the son of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to tell him of the proposal. He then had his partner, E.T. Barwick, Chairman of E.T. Barwick, a Fortune 500 Company, hand deliver it to the Prince in Atlanta. Prince Adullah, after examining the request, gave his approval and informed Barwick he would notify his father, Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and brother of King Fahd, of Thirion’s proposal.
The response of the Saudis was decidedly positive and Barwick phoned Thirion to tell him the news. The Saudis then asked the financial proposal be presented to the Saudi Ambassador in Washington D.C. who would deliver it to King Fahd.
It was here events began to unravel. General Cushman called Thirion, informing him that Transglobal director Rabbi Morton Rosenthal had arranged for the purchase of captured Russian-made Syrian arms from the Israelis. The arms were to be resold to the Afghan resistance with Transglobal making a substantial profit in the middle. Cushman had expected Thirion, ever the banker, to approve but Thirion’s reaction was anything but approving.
“You’re going to do what?” Thirion replied, stunned at Cushman’s unexpected revelation. “If the Saudis find out we bought arms from the Israelis with their money, all hell will break loose!”
Thirion knew full well the Saudis’ negative feelings about Israel. Not wanting to betray the Saudis, Thirion demanded Cushman not purchase the weapons and Cushman assured Thirion he wouldn’t. But Cushman had lied. Cushman had decided to go ahead and instead cut Thirion out of the deal. This, Thirion would not discover until it was too late.
The Saudi proposal was to be presented on December 19, 1983 in Washington D.C. to Saudi Ambassador, Prince Bandar. Those scheduled to attend were William Wilson, General Cushman, and E.T. Barwick, Thirion’s partner.
The evening before the meeting, Wilson called Barwick and asked to meet him at the Watergate Hotel. There, Wilson told Barwick, due to a scheduling conflict, he, Wilson, would not be present at the meeting. He also told Barwick he had already met with Prince Bandar earlier that day.
The next day, General Cushman and Perry Morgan arrived at Barwick’s suite before the meeting. Cushman took the proposal and had Morgan retype pages four and five. The retyped proposal now emphasized (1) the project was “private” in nature, and (2), the group was headed by General Cushman.
After the proposal was formally presented to Prince Bandar, Barwick phoned Thirion who was in Europe to report that Wilson had met with Prince Bandar prior to the meeting and that Perry Morgan, at Cushman’s direction, had changed the proposal. Barwick also told Thirion that Perry Morgan said Kamrany agreed to give William Wilson a fee of $10 million.
Thirion now suspected Wilson and Cushman were trying to cut them out of their $10 million fee. His suspicions were correct. Shortly thereafter, Thirion received a letter from Cushman, dated December 26, 1983, notifying Thirion he was being replaced as Transglobal’s financial representative by Ronald Sablosky. The letter was hand delivered to Thirion in Europe by Ronald Sablosky himself.
Ronald Sablosky, Transglobal’s new banker, was someone Thirion knew well. Sablosky had been Thirion’s partner in his oil dealings with the Saudis and had intimate knowledge of Thirion’s close ties to the Saudi royal family. Thirion now discovered Sablosky was also Perry Morgan’s step brother.
Thirion now tried to warn the Saudis that two brothers, Perry Morgan and Ronald Sablosky, both Jewish, were attempting to divert the money but it was too late. Rumors were circulating the Saudis had already transferred the funds. But where was it? The Banque Francais de Commerce Exterieur, Thirion’s designated bank of deposit in Paris had not received the money nor had the Afghan Government-In-Exile, the intended beneficiaries, received anything.
Thirion asked Saudi Prince Abdullah if they Saudis had transferred the funds. The Prince, after enquiring, told Thirion to have Zahir Shah, the former king of Afghanistan, call his father, King Fahd. When Zahir Shah called, Thirion said King Fahd told Zahir Shah, “I am honored to have been able to have been of assistance to my Moslem brethren. The money has been sent through the Saudi Ambassador in Washington D.C. to an account controlled by the CIA in Switzerland.”
Thirion’s