Perfidious Clinton / Hollingrooke /Galbraith / CIA New Year 1994 - Lest we forget

The trail of Tears, Serbians expelled and fleeing (over 250,000 in total) from Krajina by Croats with the covert guidance and assistance of the US in 1994
As the New Year looms it is worth remembering the way Hans Schwan the German military attaché at the German Embassy in Zagreb spent New Years Day in 1994.... and how the role of the US was played in the murder and ethnic cleansing of the Serbs was done by the Croatians (the Nazi Ustashe) with their help. Pause to think of General Ante Gotovina who is in prison in the Hague who was directed and aided throughout by the US forces covertly and by the staff of MPRI including Gnl. Jay Garner the 1st US pro-consul in post war Iraq who had half an hour on BBC radio 4 today to explain what went wrong in Iraq.(Listen here "Taking a Stand" with Fergal Kean - available for 7 days only)

In November 1994, the United States and Croatia signed a military agreement. Immediately afterwards, U.S. intelligence agents set up an operations center on the Adriatic island of Brac, from which reconnaissance aircraft were launched. Two months earlier, the Pentagon contracted Military Professional Resources, Inc (MPRI) to train the Croatian military.

The island of Brac was selected, as it could be well protected. There all the equipment and personnel led by the CIA experts, with the long range unmanned aircraft which could cover the entire territory of BiH to the Serbian corridor on the Sava River. The entire Krajina region in Croatia was also in its range. At that time, no one had any idea what was going on and what was being hidden on the island of Brac. Nor did the US allies, the Germans have any idea. They sent their military attaché there on 1 January 1994. He hired a rent-a-car and drove the outer fence of the base and began taking pictures, thinking that the alertness in the base had faltered on New Year's Day. However, he was quickly spotted by SIS and arrested. Only when he was brought into Gotovina for questioning was it learned that this was the German military attaché in Zagreb, Hans Schwan.

After this incident, the entire base was transferred to Šepurina near Zadar, and a triple line of defense placed around it. Equipment was brought in from the US overnight, and from Šepurina, the unmanned aircraft could cover every corner of Krajina and BiH. The Americans had a silent agreement with HV to hand over all the photos of the terrain and the Serbian troops, while the images were transferred via satellite in real time to the Pentagon. Three US and three Croatian officers monitored the situation at all times.

"Americans in military uniform, operating from a cream-colored trailor near the runway, directed the GNAT-750 (after later development known as the Predator) drone (pic) to photograph the Serb troop positions and weapons emplacements. The images were transmitted back to base, analyzed and then passed on to the Pentagon. According to top Croat intelligence officials, copies were also sent to the headquarters of the Croatian general in command of 'Operation Storm.' "
Newsweek, What Did the CIA Know?, Aug 27, 2001

More here and here
MPRI is now part of L3 communications.