The Real Contra War

[Roguish Lawyer]

by Timothy C. Brown

This review is off the top of my head, so I may have to come back and edit some details when I have the book in front of me.

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. The author is a former Marine and State Department official who went back to school to get his PhD. The book appears to be, or at least is based on, his dissertation. Based on a very large number of interviews of actual participants on all sides of the conflict, review of FDN and other archives, a bunch of other research, and to a lesser degree his own observations, Brown debunks a number of widespread perceptions about the Contras.

Among his findings are that (a) the Contras were not composed principally of former Somocistas drummed up by the CIA, but rather were principally highland peasants, mostly indios, who rebelled against the Sandinistas' agrarian policies and abuses; (b) the Contra insurgency had extremely broad popular support among highlander peasants and really did not depend upon US support; (c) the insurgency follows a long history of regional conflict along ethnic and class lines; and (d) US support for the Contras actually began with the Carter administration, perhaps because its withdrawal of support for Somoza had immediate unintended consequences.

The book analyzes the insurgency in some depth, addressing the HFCUI factors extensively. He did not only interview guerillas, but also correos and other members of the insurgency.

He also does what appears to me to be an excellent job of summarizing pertinent Nicaraguan history. It seems to me that anyone working in the area should read the book. In fact, I suspect (or perhaps speculate is a better word) that any SF soldier would benefit from reading this book, even if outside of 7th Group, because it is a good insurgency case study. I would be interested in the thoughts of QPs on this issue.

Thanks to Jimbo for the recommendation. I will come back to proofread and edit this later. Also, I haven't read the appendices yet, so there may be something to add.