In 1978 Henry Trout III, a Rhode Island congressman, was arrested in a New Jersey car park with an under age table dancer from Milwaukee. The following document was one of many found in a plain manila envelope in the glove compartment. Trout claimed he had been given them by a source he called "the plain clothes man". The ensuing scandal wrecked Trout's career whilst the young lady became a Washington Society Hostess and chat show celebrity. The subsequent Congressional Enquiry found no evidence of the existence of a Central American state called Costaguano, it's politicians, nor of a USMC Major called Bragg; it was as if they had never existed. Trout's claims that he had been set up continued until his unexplained disappearance in the Appalachians in 1985. The question is still posed in F.B.I. circles - Is the Trout out there? FROM: CHIEF OF PANAMA STATION TO: D. INT. LANGLEY PRIORITY: FLASH CODE: DUH SOURCE: PACKER REPORTS ESCALATED ACTIVITY BY REDSKINS IN SOUTHERN GRIDIRON STOP . . . SUGGEST DEPLOYMENT OF RECEIVER TO COORD TRAINING AND SECURITY AT LOCATION RAIDER STOP . . . SUBJECT OILER IS CONCERNED AT LEVEL OF SUPPORT IN FACE OF INCREASED ASSISTANCE FROM BEARS AND DOLPHINS TO REDSKINS . . .COMMA . . . REF SPEECH BY SUBJECT SCRIMMAGE STOP REPORT THAT LOCATION TOUCHDOWN IS UNDER THREAT IS REINFORCED BY FALL OF ENDZONE IN LAST FORTY EIGHT HOURS . . . STOP. . . . . . MESSAGE ENDS. . . . . . Attachment: following codewords of relevance - Packer unidentified govt official; Redskins = Faribundi Revolucion Communista (Costaguanan Socialists); Gridiron = Costaguano; Receiver = USMC Task Force Bayonet 0/c Major Ed "Bulldog" Bragg; Raider = Las Union; Oiler = General Hector Olizondo, President of Costaguano; Bears = USSR; Dolphins Cuba; Scrimage = Commandante Ramon, FARC; Touchdown; Libertad, Capital, Costaguano; Endzone = Villahermosa; Lockerroom = Rosano; Bleachers = Bluefields; Linebacker = USA. The following assessment is highly sensitive and should not be transmitted in unscrambled form: Government Forces: 1. Policia Companies at Rosano, La Union, Libertad, Bluefields, poor morale, Ml carbines, pistols, shotguns, no heavy weapons. Report to Chief of Police 2. COBRA, Policia Rapid Reaction paramilitaries, Libertad, good morale, CARl 55, shotguns. M-79 grenade launchers. Report to Chief of Police 3. Guardia Nacional Btns at Libertad and Encarnacion, M14 rifles, a few mortars and HMG, no transport, poor morale. Report to Minister of Interior 4. Infantry Battalions, Btn EEBI (Infantry Training School), Libertad, Btn Abandero, Encarnacion, M I 6s, M6Os, mortars, truck transport, EEBI average morale, others poor. Report to General Staff 5. Presidial Company, infantry in Mll3s, Ml6s, support weapons, good morale, Libertad. Report to Presidente 6. Gauchos dos Costaguano three companies of armoured cars, average morale, Libertad. Report to Presidente 7. Caballeros dos Costaguano, three companies of Super Shermans of dubious vintage and thus poor morale. Libertad, reporting to Presidente 8. Navy Commando Co "Conquistador", good morale, equiped as US Rangers, La Union. Report to Military Intelligence Staff 9. Special Security Co, "S SC", good morale, equiped as US Rangers, Bluefields. Report to Minister of Interior 10. "Assalto" Paratroop Co, good morale, as US Rangers, Libertad - report to Air Command 11. 1 flight of transport Dakota's, can carry 1 btn infantry - report to Air Command 12. 1 flight helicopter transports, can lift 1 company - report to Air Command 13. 1 squadron Mirage jet fighters - report to Air Command 14. 1 flight ground attack prop planes, assorted Cessnas, Pukharas etc- report to Air Command 15. 1 battery l05mm howitzers, trucks. Libertad, report to General Staff Who's Who in the Government ! Julio Eglesias, Chief of Police; Juan Ardiles, Minister of Interior. Both are ambitious schemers with an eye for the main chance; they also know they will never be able to trust FARC, but may try a coup. ! General Staff; this represents an assortment of semi competent generals in dark glasses. They will not hesitate to stab El Presidente in the back in order to survive. ! Air Command; another, smaller, rather more competent clique of officers. They do not have the resources of the other groups but they do control the air (and thus fast exits if the guacamole hits the fan) ! Presidente for Life, Guardian of the People, General Hector Olizondo. Need we say more ? He likes cats, is very protective of his daughter and has lots of limousines Note to map: Mr Ryan from Assessment reports that the attached map has an anomaly; the province marked K, "Los Gauchos", does not actually exist on the ground, although taxes and finances exist for it. The presumption is that this is a slush fund. The Heroic Revolutionaries or crazed terrorists, depending on your view The Faribundi Communista (FARC); is led by Ram on "Ray" Caetano and is a Pro Soviet, Cuba backed socialist party committed to bringing the revolution to the masses. If pushed they would negotiate with the Government factions to get rid of Olizondo who is guilty of exploiting the people and will not escape punishment. The surviving government figures would however have a short political career. FARC has the following units, all at company strength; well armed includes AK47s, RPGs, some light mortars and Mgs; poor weaponry means a mix of carbines, rifles, some AKs and perhaps an RPG: 1. SB (Simon Bolivar) well armed, Cuban trained, good morale. 2. M19, a detachment of Columbian Communists, well armed Cuban trained, good morale 3. CG (Che Guevera), poor weaponry, good morale 4. LP (La Passionara), poor weaponry, poor morale 5. Parti Communista Costaguano (PCG), poor weaponry, poor morale. Once another party, now absorbed into FARC. 6. Commando Destine Special (CODE, special assignment co), poor weaponry, very good morale; intended as the "special ops" company, but forced into the field. Can be split into 4 cadres can be for assassination etc. Good weaponry for these men is now vital. 7. Artillery Gruppo (AG). FARC has 2 75mm infantry guns of very dodgy vintage, half a dozen heavy mortars and a couple of 12.7mm AA guns. This can either be used en masse, in which case it moves as regular infantry, or broken up into individual weapons and distributed amongst the companies. If the latter, each FARC unit will have a heavy weapon. Alternatively, keep the heavy stuff south of the border, and bring it north as needed (eg to hold Villahermosa). "Los Hijos dos Anarquista - Dos Mayos" (LHDM); is a very small clique of hard line Chinese backed Marxists to whom any recognition of the class enemy and brutal bourgeois fascists is a betrayal of the people, revisionist backsliding and will be dealt with accordingly. They have one unit which is of company strength, called "Los Hijos" and has good morale and is armed with Albanian made copies of Chinese versions of outdated Soviet small arms. The Miskito Alliance is a loose grouping of several coastal communities. Descended from Carib indians, mainland indians and escaped slaves from the West Indies, they developed their own sense of identity. Centuries of persecution have led them to take up arms to defend themselves. They will negotiate with Air Command, General Staff and FARC. They do not trust LHDM and hate Olizondo. Their field strength varies (d6 1,2=1/2 coy, 3,4=1 coy, 5,6=2 coys). Morale is poor to good and weaponry is poor (rifles, shotguns, pistols). Que Pasa, Hombre? Each turn is one month or so. Movement. Wheeled or tracked units use road or rail only, which is unlimited in good weather and in bad weather stops in an area on a 4,5,6 in bad. Regular infantry may move 1 area off road, 2 on road but none in bad weather. Guerillas move 2 areas, 1 in bad weather. Foot units stop after crossing rivers (not via bridge) or entering mountains; rivers can only be crossed or mountains entered or left in bad weather on a 4,5,6. Allocate the FARC and LHDM units to specific areas, at random if you like (but FARC start holding Villerhermosa with 2 companies at least..) Roll to see what the Miskit are doing (1,2,3 nothing, 4,5 sniping at govt troops at Bluefields, 6 attacking Bluefields, if they take and hold Bluefields, they will ambush govt columns on the Swamp Highway or in the swampy/jungle). Recruitment. FARC recruit a company on a 4,5,6, deploy them where you want on another 4,5,6 otherwise at random. Weapons are poor as is morale, these hombres need training, mano. LHDM simply does not recruit - who would join a mad outfit like that? OK, on a 6 they get a new platoon. The Miskit do not recruit, they appear at random anyway. For each battalion that has taken losses, the govt replaces a platoon each turn on 4,5,6, on a 6 a new company is formed Roll for random events: 1,2 Bad weather. No air movement. 3 The Government is beset by an internal feud; one faction of the govt forces does nothing this turn (1,2 Interior, 3,4 Army, 5,6 Airforce). They will defend at one lower morale rating than usual if attacked, and if based with forces of another govt faction, there is a 4,5,6 chance of a firefight. Either fight it out or the highest dice wins (modified for better weapons and morale; the loser drops one morale level permanently or is wiped out if they lose by more than, say, 4). 4 US training takes effect; USMC and Green Beret advisors have shouted a lot and now it pays off. Improve the morale of a random unit, not in action by one level (poor to average to good). Only US troops or Cubans can be very good. If all units are engaged, then one unit has + 1 morale for this turn only. 5,6 A shaky, single engine plane flies in from Cuba: 1,2 A fine selection of AKs, RPGs etc, upgrade one FARC unit to well armed; a new unit can be armed or the weapons issued to LHDM or the Miskit. 3,4 As above, but with Cuban advisors, upgrade morale of one unit of FARC. 5 In fraternal solidarity, a company of Cuban Combat Engineers are smuggled in. They are very good morale and well armed. On a 4,5,6 they have a small supply of hand held SAMs, which is bad news for the Air Force 6 On a 1,2, a rusty freighter unloads large crates of agricultural machinery south of the border. These materialise on the border as a platoon of T-55 tanks, with cuban crews. On a 3,4 the Cubans start flying MIGs around Costaguano On a 5,6 a company of Spetsnatz are infiltrated in, treat as Cubans, with outstanding morale. Also, on a 5,6 the LHDM perform an act of terrorism against the government. In response the US can deploy "specialists" to "support" the government forces. A squad of SEALs or Green Berets may be attached to a govt unit. If FARC receive actual aid, it is detected (remember the CIA unit?) on a 4,5,6, +1 if it is more than just small arms or advisors. This also will enable the US to deploy as per above. Further, if the MIGs start flying or Spetsnaz appear and are detected, then the US may deploy equivalent airpower or troops to counter (you can fight it out, but it may be wiser to presume that they just fly agressively and cancel each other out), the Navy can provide fire support in coastal areas or USMC gunships actually fly combat missions. This all creates a real danger of escalation but does exagerates historic US involvement in Latin America. That said, if you have seen "Top Gun" or "Heartbreak Ridge" once too often, this may not be problem for you. 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