Who Killed Ben Linder?

As congressional hearings began in Washington to determine the "facts" in the Iran-contra scandal, the family of Ben Linder attended his funeral in Nicaragua.

On April 28 the contras killed Benjamin Linder. His death, like the deaths of the two Nicaraguans killed with him, would have gone unnoticed in this country, except that Ben Linder was a U.S. citizen. Linder has now become the first U.S. citizen killed by the contras. He joins thousands of other innocent people killed by the U.S.-backed mercenaries since our government created and began funding that war. He was killed because of his engineering skills and his willingness to share them with the poor of Nicaragua.

Ben Linder, like other U.S. citizens living in Nicaragua, knew the risks involved and accepted those risks. He helped the people of rural Nicaragua obtain electricity, knowing that he could suffer injury or death at the hands of U.S.-employed mercenaries.

Ben Linder was a servant of humanity. He was a sign of hope for those who knew him. Through his actions and his life, he was the kind of ambassador our country should send to Nicaragua.

Linder understood that you can do more good with dams and ditches than bombs and guns. And, unlike the U.S. government, he could proudly tell the whole truth about what he was doing in Nicaragua, and why.

In the tiny village of El Cua, where Linder lived, people remembered him for the joy that he brought to the children. He was the only clown the children of that village had ever seen. And the kids liked to run after him as he rode down the street on his unicycle, dressed in his clown costume.

What a contrast Ben must have provided to the U.S.-sponsored violence that surrounds these children every day. The contras may have targeted him not only because of his ability to bring technological progress but also because of his ability to bring joy. For the crimes of helping the poor and befriending the villagers of El Cua, Ben Linder was warned, targeted, and killed.

IN WASHINGTON, MEMBERS of Congress spent day after day asking questions about the legal technicalities surrounding the illegal diversion of funds to the contras. But, at least in the first two weeks of the hearings, no senator, representative, or attorney asked the really important questions. No one asked what the money sent to the contras bought. And no one asked if there was a connection between the illegal diversion of funds and the death of Ben Linder.

The news coverage surrounding Ben Linder's death illustrated the double standard employed by the U.S. news media. Linder's death was never described as terrorism or murder. Yet if this same act had happened to a U.S. citizen in France, Ireland, Lebanon, or many other countries around the world, the headlines would have screamed "American Engineer Killed by Terrorists." Television would have featured President Reagan talking to the victim's family on the phone, and politicians would have been talking about getting tough with terrorists.

Instead of reporting on why conservative politicians were strangely silent about this act of terror, the news media added to the offense by using words like "alleged," "rumored," and "undocumented report" when discussing the incident.

Reporters seemed willing to accept White House and State Department denials of responsibility as well. No one thought to remind the administration of its own statements about how the contras could not survive without U.S. aid. No one asked administration spokespersons why Nicaragua was unsafe for Ben Linder, or if they thought Linder would have been killed if contra aid had been cut off last year. No one pushed at all.

And no one ventured to ask who really killed Ben Linder. We all know the contras pulled the trigger, but they did not act alone. In fact, there would be no contras and no contra attacks if not for the support of many others. Unfortunately, most of these supporters are U.S. citizens, and many of them hold political power.

Linder's father traced the death of his 27-year-old son directly to President Reagan. President Reagan has fronted the contra cause in the United States. It is he who has gone directly to the people and the Congress again and again to win contra aid. And it is he who has lied again and again about the administration's purposes in Nicaragua.

Along with Reagan, of course, are his trusted advisers who tell him what to say and when to say it. Next come the other administration spokespersons--the cabinet and department heads who constantly receive media attention and always try to blame the Nicaraguan government for the terrorism committed by the U.S.-backed contras.

Congress also bears responsibility. The right-wing ideologues know exactly what the contras are doing and feel fine about it. They are usually the same ones who defend apartheid in South Africa and Pinochet in Chile.

Other members voted for contra aid even though they knew better. They cast their votes primarily for political reasons. In some ways these people are worse than the ideologues. But, in the end, those in both pro-contra camps share in the guilt. Both groups were needed to keep the guns and bullets flowing to Nicaragua. And both did their part.

Finally, of course, there is Lt. Col. Oliver North's private army--the White House foot soldiers who made sure that the contras got the guns. They were willing to supply the weapons, even after Congress had declared military aid to the contras illegal.

ALL OF THESE PEOPLE participated in the murder of Ben Linder and his two Nicaraguan companions. And they have all had a hand in the killing and maiming of hundreds and thousands of innocent Nicaraguans. Yet none of them has been held responsible for their crimes.

As the Iran-contra hearings drag on, some basic questions about responsibility need to be asked. Members of the White House private army have testified that they took the actions they did to keep the contras going after Congress cut off the funds. Isn't it reasonable to assume then that without their illegal intervention, the contras would have fallen apart and Ben Linder would not have been murdered?

The principals in the scandal have already taken credit on the witness stand for the essential task, in their view, of keeping the contras afloat. Shouldn't they also be asked on the witness stand to claim responsibility for the tragic results of their actions?

When we think of Ben Linder, we should remember the children to whom he brought joy. We should also think of the thousands of innocent Nicaraguans murdered by the contras, those people yet to be killed, and the killers--the ones who pulled the triggers, and the ones in business suits who made it all possible.

Joe Lynch was a Sojourners editorial assistant when this article appeared.