"I was Chavez's own presidentail pilot,and I know a lot of the inside deals from the presidential palace. With my knowledge, I must now warn Venezuela and the rest of the worls: The time for freedom is running out. It si now or never." - Juan Diaz Castillo, MilitaresDemocraticos.com
JRN: How long were you a pilot for President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela?
DIAZ: I did one year as Chavez's pilot and another year as operations chief for the Air Force.
JRN: Did President Hugo Chavez offer money to the Taliban? Is that correct?
DIAZ: Yes, that is correct.
JRN: How did this come about?
DIAZ: This came about as the result of a directive from the president who wanted to put Venezuelan troops into Afghanistan [on the side of the Taliban]. Also, in addition, he wanted to bring in humanitarian aid, medicines and clothes, and this was going to be done with the Venezuelan Air Force on top of the financial aid that was offered.
JRN: When was this aid offered?
DIAZ: After the middle of September 2001.
JRN: Chavez wanted to send troops to Afghanistan?
DIAZ: The initial order from Chavez was to send troops in Venezuelan planes [to help the Taliban], but economically this was unfeasible. Also, it was operationally unfeasible because the United States had an air blockade in effect against Afghanistan.
JRN: President Chavez went to see Saddam Hussein in Iraq about two years ago. Is that right?
DIAZ: Correct.
JRN: Do you know anything about that trip?
DIAZ: Yes. President Chavez made some comments to his entourage at the time. He praised Saddam Hussein's leadership and also as an example of someone who fights the United States.
JRN: So President Chavez hates the United States?
DIAZ: President Chavez publicly stated that the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States were the fault of the United States. He said it was a good thing the United States was attacked, that these attacks were long overdue. And also, in private, President Chavez was very impressed with the terrorist operation of Sept. 11.
JRN: Is President Chavez a communist?
DIAZ: Openly.
JRN: So when the foreign press describes him as other than a communist they are mistaken?
DIAZ: What Hugo Chavez says is one thing, what he does is another.
JRN: So the reason the soldiers in the Plaza Altamira are protesting is because they have seen the real face of Hugo Chavez?
DIAZ: Yes. In the Plaza Altamira there are many military officials who initially trusted Hugo Chavez, but when they discovered the real Chavez they left him.
JRN: And these soldiers must be in grave danger to stand against such a man.
DIAZ: Yes, we are in danger but we are determined. Our objective is to remove Chavez from office and alert the rest of the American continent about the danger that he represents.
JRN: If Hugo Chavez is a communist then why would he support Muslim fundamentalists?
DIAZ: Hugo Chavez has many different ideas in his head. Always, these ideas are very dangerous. Sometimes these ideas change, sometimes they don't.
JRN: We in the United States don't know this man, Hugo Chavez. What kind of person is he?
DIAZ: Here is the important thing to know: Hugo Chavez is working to form a bloc of countries to fight the United States. For Hugo Chavez the United States is the enemy. And he is convinced that by forming a bloc of countries he can attack the United States in various ways. One way would be an economic attack. And on top of this he is not only looking for an alliance with a bloc of countries but also an alliance with terrorist groups because this will give him a direct way to attack the United States. He sees in the terrorists a force with a defined intention to attack the United States. He has criticized many many times the economic ideals of the United States. He has said that the United States are neo-liberal and he has demonized the United States.
JRN: Are the officers in the Plaza Altamira receiving support from neighboring countries or other countries?
DIAZ: We have to remember that Lula da Silva has just won the presidency of Brazil [the largest country in the region] and Lula da Silva was helped by Chavez in a financial way, and in other ways. Lula da Silva owes a lot to Chavez. And it is very suspicious that Lula da Silva is beginning to form Brazil's government in the very way that Chavez formed his government, bringing military people into the government. Lula da Silva has been influenced a lot by Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro.
JRN: Is it true that the Cubans are supporting Hugo Chavez in Venezuela?
DIAZ: I went many times to Cuba on trips. I coordinated transport operations to and from there.
JRN: And these transport operations involved the movement of Cubans into Venezuela?
DIAZ: Cubans to Venezuela and Venezuelans to Cuba.
JRN: And is there any Chinese involvement in this?
DIAZ: This is a different program, but we have evidence that the Chinese have a lot of influence on the Chavez government. Chavez has had very good relations with Chinese communist leaders.
JRN: You mentioned Chavez's intention to wage economic warfare against the United States. What ways would he attack other than economic?
DIAZ: Other types of attack would become possible once he forms an ideological bloc [of countries] opposite to the ideology of the United States.
JRN: Would this bloc include China, Iraq, Iran and Cuba?
DIAZ: Yes. All this is part of a grand scheme, a grand system of connections on the international level. And also Brazil is part of this.
JRN: How much success has Hugo Chavez had in working with these other countries?
DIAZ: Good question. The first country in this grand scheme was Venezuela, after Cuba. Fidel Castro gave Chavez a lot of aid. This was financial aid, including advisors. The second objective was Brazil and Ecuador, and this objective has been attained. Now they are working on Argentina.
JRN: Ecuador is part of this?
DIAZ: Yes, in Ecuador the new president was elected with help from Hugo Chavez and we are waiting for him to follow Chavez's model.
JRN: In the United States we have heard reports about Hugo Chavez helping the communist rebels in Colombia. Are these reports true?
DIAZ: We have proof that Chavez has aided the Colombian guerrillas in a big way. Hugo Chavez's aspiration is that the guerrillas will soon take power in Colombia and join the anti-U.S. Latin American bloc.
JRN: Is there a serious prospect that the communists will take over Colombia?
DIAZ: Yes, there is a prospect that this will happen. That is why I am here in the United States trying to alert the United States that they have a big enemy in Chavez.
JRN: This sounds like a widespread communist revolution through stealth and subversion. Would this be the right characterization?
DIAZ: Yes, but it is only a revolution of a minority. It is not a revolution of the people. When the people first elected Chavez they thought he was someone else. Now they realized who he is and they don't want him anymore.
JRN: So he used trickery to get into power?
DIAZ: Yes he did, and he is still tricking the world.
JRN: How many persons in Chavez's government are communists? How many are violently opposed to the United States?
DIAZ: We are talking about a small number of people, mostly from the armed forces now holding key positions.
