Hostile Acts: U.S. Policy in Costa Rica in the 1980s.

• Author: Rothschild, Matthew
• Position: Brief Article

There are two good books here. The most compelling is the story about the La Penca bombing, which fundamentally altered Honey's life. On May 30, 1984, a bomb went off at a press conference for the contra leader, Eden Pastora. Honey and here husband, Tony Avirgan, were free-lance journalists in Costa Rica covering the contra war, and Avirgan had gone to La Penca for the press conference. When the bomb went off, Avirgan was injured, as was Pastora.

For the next several years, Honey and Avirgan dedicated themselves to finding out who was responsible for the bombing, suspecting the CIA all along. In the process, they uncovered the vast machinations which were later to become known as the Iran-contra scandal. Along with the Christic Institute, they brought suit against many of the Iran-contra figures (Honey here tells of her frustration with lead attorney, Daniel Sheehan).

But ultimately, her relentless quest for the truth about La Penca came to a surprising conclusion when she discovered definitively that the bomber was a Sandinista agent. The twists and turns leading up to this discovery are fascinating, and Honey's honesty in following the trail wherever it leads is admirable. She does not simplify her story at the end, though, as many news reports have. There are just too many questions left, too many coverups and lies by the U.S. Government about La Penca, to rule out the possibility that the CIA may have been involved in some way.

The other book is less dramatic but valuable...