No Intelligence: London Severs Intel Comms, Betting U.S. is Dumb Enough to buy the Venezuelan Drug Boat Cover Story
For journalists trying to make sense of why the United Kingdom has abruptly severed certain intelligence communications with the United States over Caribbean operations—and why Venezuela has suddenly become a flashpoint in the Western Hemisphere—Geoff Gilson offers a uniquely informed and historically grounded explanation. His work, including his book Maggie’s Hammer, traces the lineage of covert financial and intelligence networks that were built in the 1980s and that continue operating quietly through London today. Understanding those networks is key to understanding what is happening now.
In the 1980s, Western intelligence agencies faced global conflicts—the Iran-Iraq War, instability in Central America, and the restructuring of global finance—that created opportunities and incentives to run off-the-books operations. These were not limited to Iran-Contra. They were part of a broader system that raised and laundered money outside official government channels to fund covert military and political efforts around the world. In the U.S., these networks are sometimes collectively referred to as “The Enterprise” or “The Octopus.” Gilson’s research shows that the operational hub for these activities was not Washington—but London.
The City of London, with its longstanding role as a permissive global finance center, became the meeting point for intelligence officers, arms dealers, defense contractors, private banks, and political party finance operations. Networks connecting elements of MI6, the Conservative Party finance apparatus, and global defense-industry intermediaries set up complex pipelines for money laundering, arms financing, and covert influence operations. Individuals such as Ari Ben-Menashe, arms-network financiers, and even later-notorious figures like Jeffrey Epstein intersected with these systems.
One of Gilson’s key findings is that these networks were not dismantled. They evolved, privatized further, and embedded themselves inside offshore finance systems—particularly in the Caribbean. Belize, in particular, became a hub linked to British political financiers and commercial elites. These structures have continued to influence political and intelligence decision-making in the UK across party lines, from Thatcher to Blair and now Starmer.
Which brings us to today. The UK’s sudden refusal to share intelligence with the U.S. on Caribbean drug-interdiction and maritime operations is not merely a diplomatic protest. It reflects a conflict between U.S. strategic policy in Venezuela and long-standing private financial and intelligence interests in London and the Caribbean. The concern is not legal risk. It is economic exposure.
Geoff Gilson can explain these networks clearly, credibly, and historically, connecting present events to their true origins. He is available for interviews.
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OPTIONAL Q&A
- What is the significance of the UK suspending intelligence cooperation with the U.S. in the Caribbean at this particular moment?
- How do the covert financial and intelligence networks formed in the 1980s help explain today’s conflict over Venezuela and Caribbean drug-interdiction operations?
- Why was London—and specifically the City of London—the central hub for these clandestine funding and laundering efforts?
- How did Margaret Thatcher’s government become involved in developing off-the-books financing channels for foreign policy and intelligence activity?
- What role did private party finance structures, such as those of the Conservative Party, play in creating and sustaining these global networks?
- In what ways did figures like Ari Ben-Menashe, Michael Ashcroft, and others connect covert operations in the Middle East to offshore banking in the Caribbean?
- Why were these networks never dismantled, and how have they evolved into today’s offshore financial and intelligence infrastructure?
- How does understanding these historical networks help explain the real motivations behind current U.S.–UK tensions over Venezuela and regional operations today?
ABOUT GEOFF GILSON…
Geoff Gilson is a retired lawyer, development consultant, and political strategist and speechwriter. He began his career crafting speeches for Margaret Thatcher and leveraged his dual British-US citizenship to navigate elite political circles. With decades of front-row access to senior UK and US officials, Gilson served as a key operative for the British Conservative Party, gaining unparalleled insight into global power structures.
His book, Maggie’s Hammer, is a meticulously researched and gripping exposé that unravels a complex web of money laundering, arms deals, and political collusion, that leads all the way to connections between Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, Margaret Thatcher, and Vladimir Putin.
Gilson’s 30-year investigation traces covert operations from the Iran-Iraq War to Russian financial schemes, revealing covert ties to Robert Maxwell, Israeli Intelligence, and the Russian Mob. His particular knowledge of the links between Epstein, Trump, Russian Collusion, and Tulsi Gabbard’s Report, combined with his firsthand knowledge of UK-US relations, Iran, and Israel, make him an exceptional podcast guest.
To schedule an interview, contact Bookings@Specialguests.com or call 512-966-0983
