A friendly eye could never see such faults

So wrote John Negroponte as he turned a "friendly eye" to CIA-funded Contra terrorist units stationed in Honduras while he was employed as the U.S. ambassador there.

Negroponte's support of the Contras was not universally supported by his peers, as was revealed in a rebuke made by the U.S. ambassador to neighboring Nicaragua, Anthony Quainton. After Negroponte invited Contra leader Adolfo Caldera to dinner, Quainton criticized Negroponte for his "gastronomic diplomacy" with a man "in the business of overthrowing a neighboring government."

This new information was reported by the Washington Post using Negroponte's personal documents obtained from a recent FOIA request.

Thanks to Michelle at the Cuaderno Latinoamericano for keeping tabs on Negroponte's sins.

More can be learned about Negroponte from my recent backgrounder.