A sweeping 1982 agreement let the U.S. build bases at will

Evidence

In 1982, an addendum to a 1954 U.S.-Honduras military agreement gave the United States authority to base troops in Honduras, to build up airfields in country, and to build any “new facilities and installation of equipment as may be necessary for their use”—pretty much carte blanche. The military used the freedom to build bases for Contra, Honduran, and U.S. forces far beyond Soto Cano. These included, by my count, at least thirty-two Contra bases alone, in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and even Florida. There were also at least sixteen bases for Honduran forces and at least nine U.S. bases in addition to Soto Cano and several secret CIA installations. — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 288

Categorization

• SHARE: The author’s own count of bases (32 Contra, 16 Honduran, 9 U.S.) is a specific tally worth sending to anyone researching base expansion through bilateral agreements.