The Blanket

The Blanket - A Journal of Protest & Dissent
U. S. Denies it Gave Safe Harbor to Brian Nelson

Fr Sean Mc Manus, Irish National Congress • August 31, 2003

Capitol Hill. August 31,2003 --- The U.S. State Department has officially denied in writing that it permitted Brian Nelson to live in Florida.

Responding on behalf of Secretary of State, Colin Powell -- to a letter from Fr. Sean Mc Manus, President of the Capitol Hill-based Irish National Caucus --Ambassador Cofer Black said: "Because of his felony convictions, the State Department placed Nelson on the appropriate watch list, to deny him entry to the United States.

"He neither applied for, nor received, a waiver to enter the United States." Mr. Nelson was not legally in the United States, from the time of his release from prison, until his reported death. If he was under an assumed name, it was without the knowledge of the US government."

Fr. Mc Manus said: " I am pleased that the State Department finally answered my letter. Their answer appears to be unequivocal -- an apparent absolute denial that the US Government in any way facilitated Brian Nelson's alleged presence in the United States up
until his reported death... And notice the State Department's letter does, interestingly, use that very phrase, Nelson's ' reported death'.

Even if Nelson had been placed in the witness protection program in the US-- a possibility we had considered -- he would still have been here 'legally'(though, of course, secretly). So when the State Department's letter says 'Mr. Nelson was not legally in the United States from the time of his release from prison until his reported death', this appears to preclude that possibility... Unless,of course, the State Department is allowed to shade the truth in these matters... Could it be possible, for example, that while Nelson may not have been the United States ' from the time of his release', he could have been here some time after his release? But I do not wish to unfairly or ungraciously parse each dot and comma of the State Department's letter.

If, indeed, Nelson was ' illegally' in the United States until his reported death, then it means

  1. He came here on his own steam, which granting his high profile seems unlikely (the fact that Republicans have often done so is different because they had a vast 'sea to swim
    in', whereas Nelson would have had hardly any water to swim in); or
  2. He was placed in the United States by British intelligence without the knowledge of the US Government, something which would seem unlikely but which cannot be ruled out.

After all, it is well known that even friendly governments do all sorts of things they are not supposed to do to each other -- like spying on each other. And we do know -- don't we ? -- that the British Government did facilitate Brian Nelson in doing stuff far more grievously wrong than entering the United States illegally.

So the question remains: Did Nelson die in the United States -- if he did die --and how did he get here?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Index: Current Articles



4 September 2003

 

Other Articles From This Issue:

 

US Denies It Gave Safe Harbor to Brian Nelson
Fr Sean Mc Manus

 

Between Theory and Reality
Eamon Sweeney

 

In the Name of Security
Jim J Kane

 

Caught at it Again
Anthony McIntyre

 

The History of the Troubles According to the Provos
John Nixon

 

Moving Forward Past the Past
Davy Carlin

 

More Questions than Answers
Mick Hall

 

In Memory of Robert Emmet

Charles Murnick

 

Attempted Suicide by Iranian Asylum Seeker
Debbie Grue

 

Dublin: Maghberry Briefing Meeting
Mags Glennon

 

Belfast Anti-War Movement
Public Meeting

 

1 September 2003

 

Latest Police Attacks on Press Freedoms
Mike Browne

 

We Haven't Gone Away, You Know
The Blanket Back Online

 

The War Crime of Secret Graves
Anthony McIntyre

 

Horses for Courses
Eamon Sweeney

 

Rwanda: Crushing Dissent
Liam O Ruairc

 

Terrorists, Their Friends and the Bogota 3
Toni Solo

 

Aznar: Spain's Super Lackey
Agustín Velloso

 

Orwell Centenary Talk

John O'Farrell

 

The Letters page has been updated.

 

 

 

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