My Crime Beat Column: A Look Back At The Bug In the Mayor's Office, The Pay-To-Play Scandal, And Other Philadelphia Corruption Cases

The below column originally appeared in The Orchard Press Online Mystery Magazine in 2003.

Lincoln Steffens wrote that Philadelphia was corrupt and contented in 1903.

Philadelphians are nothing if not proud of our history, so it was no surprise to me when Philadelphia Mayor John Street was reelected despite the discovery of an FBI bug in his city hall office shortly before the election.

The news of the bug and the subsequent story that his administration was being investigated for illegally issuing city contracts to campaign contributors actually helped invigorate his campaign.

We appear to be corrupt and contented still.

The time-honored tradition of rewarding political contributors with lucrative city contracts, called "Pay-to-Play," is not unique to Philadelphia. Other cities have similar set-ups.

As I understand it, giving contracts to contributors is only illegal if it’s done on a "quid pro quo" (something for something) basis. That is, if you give the mayor a campaign contribution and then just happen to be awarded a contract, that’s not a crime. But if there is a stated agreement of cash traded for future contracts, that’s a crime.

With only weeks to go in a hotly contested mayoral election, the Philadelphia police "swept" the mayor’s office for electronic listening devices and discovered a fairly sophisticated bug concealed in the ceiling.

FBI spokesperson Linda Vizi came out and stated that the bug was not "election-related," leaving everyone to assume that the bug was the FBI's’ and that they were investigating crimes.

Street’s supporters protested the bugging of the mayor and claimed the federal investigation was political and racially motivated (the mayor’s opponent, Sam Katz, is white and Street is black). U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and President George Bush were mentioned as part of a broad Republication conspiracy to steal the election. Ironically, the fallout from the scandal actually helped the mayor, especially among black voters.

Street said that he did nothing wrong. He said the FBI described him as a "subject," rather than a "target" of the investigation.

A subject, according to the U.S. Justice Department, is a person whose conduct is within the scope of the grand jury’s investigation. A target, according to the Justice Department, is a person that the prosecutor or the grand jury has substantial evidence linking him or her to the commission of a crime.

After the news of the bug in the mayor’s office broke, the FBI raided the city’s Finance Department, the City Treasurer Office and the city Board of Pensions & Retirement. The FBI also raided the law offices of Ronald White, a close political associate of the mayor, as well as a major fund-raiser. White, who has received city contracts for legal work (big surprise), appears to be a key figure in the FBI probe.

White reportedly has his business associates contribute to his political action committees, which in turn donates large amounts of cash to the mayor. White has, according to press reports, collected $967, 094 in fees on bond deals. The city also paid White $1.6 million since 1996 for his work as a lawyer representing the city.

Since the discovery of the bug, we’ve learned that White’s wife was judged by the Street administration to be qualified to run two businesses at the Philadelphia International Airport even though she also serves as a medical director of a mental institution situated more than 30 miles from the city. (I would think that her expertise as a psychiatrist and director of a mental institution is a clear plus. One might say that the city is, after all, one large mental institution).

The city’s Minority Business Enterprise Council (MMBCE), set up to help "disadvantaged" companies, ruled she could become a partner in five airport bars and several gift shops despite her other business interests. Her company grossed $4.7 million according to records released by The Philadelphia Inquirer. The newspaper reported that White’s son once had a popcorn concession at the airport, his daughter, a punk rock singer, had a job there and recent reports show that White’s brother-in-law also had a piece of the action.

The treasurer of one of White’s political action committees sold soft pretzels at the airport. Don’t laugh. We’re talking big bucks here.

City Treasurer Corey Kemp, who recently resigned from his office, had his office raided by the FBI. The Philadelphia Daily News reported that FBI agents were making inquiries into allegations that Kemp was taken to the Super Bowl by White.

A mayor’s aide helped the mayor’s brother, Milton Street, by giving him information about the bidding process for a contract at the airport. The FBI was looking at a $13.6 million dollar contract with a company that had ties to the mayor’s brother.

The FBI is also looking at contracts awarded to a Street supporter and Muslim Iman named Shamsud-din Ali.

"Before becoming a soft-spoken, politically connected leader of Philadelphia’s African American community," The Philadelphia Daily News reported, "Iman Shamsud-din Ali was a reputed Black Mafia kingpin named Clarence Fowler."

The FBI placed a video cam in Ali’s dept collection agency. His company – you guessed it – was awarded a host of city contracts. More to come, I’m sure.

As a crime reporter and columnist for South Philadelphia newspapers for a good number of years, I covered local politics, city government, the police and the FBI. I’ve interviewed most of the principal characters in this urban comedy and I, like everyone else in the city, have heard stories about pay-to-play deals. 

Although all of the known subjects of the investigation, and perhaps the targets as well, are black, I think Katz is correct in his assertion that the federal probe was not about black or white.

"It’s about green," he told reporters. "And green is the color of greed."

The subjects are black simply because, as Street himself proudly proclaimed, "the brothers and sisters are in charge." When white politicians were in office there were also corruption scandals. We have an equal opportunity crooked system.

I recall some of Philadelphia’s more recent seedy history, starting with the rock & roll "payola" scandal in the early 1960s. The scandal involved DJs who accepted money and gifts from records companies for playing their songs. You might say that this was another form of "pay-to-play."

Dick Clark, who hosted "American Bandstand" from Philadelphia at that time, was discovered to have substantial holdings in music publishing and record companies. ABC stepped in and ordered Clark to divest himself or lose the show. In a sense, this was Dick Clark’s first "blooper."

Then there was Democratic City Chairman Peter J. Camiel, who claimed that Mayor Frank Rizzo, the law-and-order former police commissioner, tried to make a deal with him in a hotel men’s room. Rizzo denied it and both men were coaxed into taking a lie-detector test administered by The Philadelphia Daily News. Rizzo failed the test.

Another major black eye for the city came with "Abscam," an FBI sting operation in the 1970s and 1980s. The FBI set up "Abdul Enterprises" and an undercover FBI agent dressed up as an Arab sheik that offered cash to several elected officials. The FBI caught the greedy politicians on tape.

My own South Philly congressman at the time, "Ozzie" Myers, went to jail as a result of Abscam. Myers was the guy caught on tape saying the infamous line, "Money talks and bullshit walks." This could be Philadelphia’s slogan.

Abscam also netted the U.S. Senator from New Jersey, Harrison Williams, Camden Mayor Angelo Erichetti, Philadelphia City Council President George X. Schwartz, Philadelphia City councilman Harry Jannotti, Congressman Raymond Lederer and a string of other elected officials.

Those caught in the sting claimed entrapment, but the images of politicians eagerly stuffing cash into their pockets in a hotel room were truly damaging. John Street, the future mayor and current subject of his very own corruption probe, criticized City Council at the time, calling them "nothing but thieves and crooks." Former Philadelphia Mayor William Green called City Council "the worst legislative body in the free world."

In other scandals, not one, but two of my South Philly city councilmen were jailed for corruption. In the 1980s City Councilman Leland Beloff, along with a local mob guy, tried to solicit a bribe from Willard Rouse. Pay us, they said to the nationally known developer, and your bill will fly through city council.

That Rouse was a constant dinner companion of not only the mayor and the governor, but also the Special-Agent-In-Charge of the FBI, did not deter these two from shaking down the developer. Of course, Rouse went right to the FBI and the two were arrested and later jailed.

Beloff’s successor to city council, Jimmy Tayoun was also jailed in a later scandal.

Tayoun, a former Philadelphia Daily News reporter, would go on to write a book to help initiate the newcomer to federal prison. Tayoun’s Going to Prison? is sort of a dummy’s guide to Club Fed.

It’s a very popular book locally, as you can imagine. I would venture to say that quite a few more copies will be sold in the future. 

A Novel Individual: An Interview with William F. Buckley Jr. on his Fiction

As I've noted here before, I was influenced by William F. Buckley Jr. when I was a teenager. I enjoyed his newspaper columns, his magazine National Review, and his PBS TV show Firing Line. I later enjoyed his spy thrillers. 

Buckley, who served briefly in the CIA in Mexico, was unhappy with the negative portrayal of the CIA in novels and movies. He believed, as I do, that the CIA was a force for good in the world. So, he wrote a series of thrillers that showed the CIA in a postive light.    

The Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal offers a 1996 interview with William F. Buckley Jr on his series of Cold War spy novels. 

He was Interviewed by William F. Meehan III. 

This interview ran in The University Bookman in 1996 (vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 25-32), when Jeffrey O. Nelson, who was the journal’s editor, expertly turned the lengthy manuscript of my 90-minute interview into a coherent, polished piece. I was a student at Middle Tennessee State University writing my dissertation on prose style in Buckley’s fiction, and my director suggested I inquire about interviewing the author. It was fitting that Buckley was the Bookman’s first interview, as he helped Russell Kirk found this journal in 1960.

Buckley as a novelist is a topic still given little attention by scholars, and reviewers have focused more on the author instead of the work. My hope now is that readers unfamiliar with his Cold War spy fiction and the CIA’s Blackford Oakes will take away an insight or two about Buckley the novelist. Such as? His philosophy of language, his rituals as an author, how he creates a character’s name, and the OSS—which is not about the CIA’s parent organization. 

During our meeting at Buckley’s Manhattan office on East 35th Street, I inquired about plans for another spy novel. “No,” Buckley said.“The Cold War is over.” But nine years later he published Last Call for Blackford Oakes, taking Oakes back into deep cover in Moscow during Reagan’s second term. — WFM, April 2025.

You can read the rest of the interview via the link below: 

A Novel Individual: An Interview with William F. Buckley Jr. on his Fiction | The Russell Kirk Center

I reviewed William Buckley’s last spy novel for the Philadelphia Inquirer back in 2005. 

You can read the review below: 

Note: You can click on the review to enlarge. 

Homeland Security Secretary Noem Requests Death Penalty Against Alleged Human Smugglers Whose Actions Resulted In The Death Of At Least Three Individuals

 The Department of Homeland Security released the information below on May 5^th:

WASHINGTON—Today, Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will request the Department of Justice bring alien smuggling charges and seek the death penalty against two Mexican nationals whose human smuggling operation resulted in at least three deaths. Secretary Noem’s request is based on a thorough review of both the Immigration and Naturalization Act and the Federal Death Penalty Act.

On May 5, 2025, United States Coast Guard (USCG) Sector San Diego received a report from the North County Dispatch Joint Powers Authority (North Comm) of an overturned panga-style boat that washed ashore in Torrey Pine, San Diego. USCG Sector San Diego engaged multiple DHS and local assets to assist, including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), United States Border Patrol (USBP), and San Diego Fire-Rescue. USBP confirmed through interviews of surviving individuals that there were originally 16 persons on board, including 14 adults and two minors. Two surviving individuals identified as Mexican nationals were detained on suspicion of smuggling illegal aliens into the United States. Three deceased were recovered and identified as Indian nationals. Seven others remain missing.

Statement Attributable to Secretary Kristi Noem:

“Yesterday, off the coast of southern California, a panga-style boat capsized that was operated by Mexican nationals attempting to smuggle 14 aliens into the U.S. Tragically, three people were killed and seven are still missing. I commend the U.S. Coast Guard, and all Homeland Security personnel involved in the immediate response and ongoing investigation. Their professionalism and rapid action in perilous conditions reflect the highest standards of service and dedication to saving lives and upholding our nation’s laws.

“This tragedy is a stark reminder of the inhumanity and lethal danger inherent to human smuggling at sea. Their deaths were not only avoidable but were also the direct result of the greed and indifference of smugglers who exploited them. Maritime smuggling is not just illegal—it is a violent and inherently dangerous crime. Those who knowingly place human lives at grave risk in furtherance of such crimes must be held fully accountable.

“Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, alien smuggling acts that result in death are capital crimes punishable by death. And under the Federal Death Penalty Act, those who intentionally participate in conduct knowing that it could result in the loss of life may be eligible for capital punishment. Accordingly, I will be formally requesting that the Attorney General ensure that these two suspected smugglers are swiftly prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I will also be urging the Attorney General to seek the death penalty in this case. The Department of Homeland Security will not tolerate this level of criminal depravity or reckless disregard for human life. We will continue to work with our federal partners to ensure justice is served and our laws upheld.” 

Defense Department Official's Statement On Public Service Recognition Week, May 8, 2025

Public Service Recognition Week is of interest to me as I served proudly as a Defense Department civilian employee for 33 years after serving four years as a young sailor in the U.S. Navy.

My wife also served as a Defense Department civilian for 19 years.

Sean Parnell, the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and Senior Advisor, offered the statement below:

“Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW) honors the important contributions of public servants at all levels of government. Celebrated annually during the first week of May since 1985, it provides an opportunity for the nation to recognize and thank this capable workforce, as well as for the government to highlight the scope, scale, and impact of its efforts.

Within the Department of Defense, our civilian patriots are essential to achieving peace through strength. These talented men and women work side-by-side with our warfighters to advance key policies and programs, and to offer the continuity required to sustain these important initiatives.

As we continue to act swiftly to deliver on the President's priorities — reviving the warrior ethos, reestablishing deterrence, and rebuilding the military — we will rely on the experience and expertise of our civil servants in mission-essential fields ranging from federal law enforcement to research and development. These hardworking men and women are vital to our work, and we remain deeply grateful for their professionalism, dedication, and myriad contributions to mission during PSRW and throughout the year.”

You can also read about the Defense Personnel Support Center in Philadelphia, known locally as the “Quartermaster,” where I worked for many years, via the link below:

 Paul Davis On Crime: The Philadelphia Quartermaster Revisited

Justice Department Announces Results Of Operation Restore Justice: 205 Child Sex Abuse Offenders Arrested In FBI-led Nationwide Crackdown

The Justice Department released the information below on May 5^th:

Today, the Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators. The operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sexual abuse offenders in the nationwide crackdown. The coordinated effort was executed over the course of five days by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Department’s Criminal Division, and United States Attorney’s Offices around the country. 

“The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims — especially child victims — and we will not rest until we hunt down, arrest, and prosecute every child predator who preys on the most vulnerable among us,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I am grateful to the FBI and their state and local partners for their incredible work in Operation Restore Justice and have directed my prosecutors not to negotiate.”

“Every child deserves to grow up free from fear and exploitation, and the FBI will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who exploit the most vulnerable among us,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Operation Restore Justice proves that no predator is out of reach and no child will be forgotten. By leveraging the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state and local partners, we’re sending a clear message: there is no place to hide for those who prey on children.”

Those arrested are alleged to have committed various crimes including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors, and child sex trafficking. In Minneapolis, for example, a state trooper and Army Reservist was arrested for allegedly producing child sexual abuse material while wearing his uniforms. In Norfolk, VA, an illegal alien from Mexico is accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sex. In Washington, D.C., a former Metropolitan Police Department Police Officer was arrested for allegedly trafficking minor victims.

In many cases, parental vigilance and community outreach efforts played a critical role in bringing these offenders to justice. For example, a California man was arrested about eight hours after a young victim bravely came forward and disclosed their abuse to FBI agents after an online safety presentation at a school near Albany, NY.

This effort follows the Department’s observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, and underscores the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face. While the Department, including the FBI, investigates and prosecutes these crimes every day, April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preventing these crimes, seeking justice for victims, and raising awareness through community education.

The Justice Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Man Who Burglarized Firearms Dealers And Stole More Than 150 Guns Sentenced To 40 Months In Prison

 The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia released the information below:

 PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Ismael Terrero-Terrero, 22, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Timothy J. Savage to 40 months’ imprisonment and $26,798 in restitution for multiple burglaries in which he stole more than 150 guns from licensed firearms dealers.

The defendant was charged by indictment in January of 2024, and pleaded guilty this January to three counts of theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee and one count of possession of a stolen firearm.

As detailed in court filings, on April 28, 2023, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was notified of a burglary at a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) in Easton, Pennsylvania. Surveillance video showed that, at approximately 2:40 a.m., the defendant used a pry bar to make entrance into the building and immediately began taking AK-style pistols and AR-style rifles from the wall. He then used the pry bar to break open three glass display cases that contained pistols, placed the guns into a bag, and exited the building with 29 stolen firearms.

In the early morning hours of June 29, 2023, law enforcement officers were dispatched to an FFL in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, for a report of a security alarm activation. Surveillance video showed that at approximately 1:35 a.m., the defendant and another man forced entry into the building. They broke the firearm display cases with a metal tool, took handguns from the display case and put them into a backpack. The men then exited the business and fled the scene with 44 stolen firearms.

On August 11, 2023, at approximately 4:16 a.m., the Telford Police Department (TPD) in Telford, Pennsylvania, received a notification of a burglar alarm activation at an FFL in the borough. Approximately three minutes later, a TPD officer arrived at the location and observed a male with a duffle bag entering the passenger seat of a nearby vehicle, which immediately started to flee from the officer. The officer’s pursuit of the vehicle was terminated a short time later, consistent with TPD policy. Upon examination of the scene and review of video surveillance footage, investigators determined that the defendant and another man had forced entry into the FFL and smashed multiple display cases containing firearms. The men then loaded numerous firearms into a large bag and a rolling suitcase, leaving the store with 82 stolen firearms.

“This defendant committed three separate burglaries, stealing an astonishing 157 firearms,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “These guns have now found their way into our communities and are being recovered in shootings and other crimes from Connecticut to the Caribbean. Terrero-Terrero was actively putting guns in criminals’ hands and the repercussions will continue, at society’s expense. Public safety demands that we prevent offenders from getting their hands on guns — and punish those providing a steady stream of illegal weapons.”

“Stolen guns are crime guns that endanger our communities,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “Ismael Terrero-Terrero burglarized three Pennsylvania gun shops, stealing more than 150 firearms connected to crimes up and down the East Coast and overseas. Working with the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, Pennsylvania State Police, local police departments, and U.S. Attorney’s Office, this far-reaching and dangerous criminal operation was ended, and the perpetrator is going to prison for years.”

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The case was investigated by the ATF and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maureen McCartney. 

My Crime Fiction: 'Admiral McCain'

The story below is another chapter in my crime novel Olongapo, which I hope to publish in the near future. 

The story originally appeared in American Crime Magazine.

Admiral McCain

By Paul Davis

One of the good things about working in the Communications Radio Division aboard an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War was that radiomen were the first to know about everything. 

For example, when fleet headquarters ordered the carrier to leave “Yankee Station” off the coast of North Vietnam and sail towards Subic Bay on such and such a date, the word spread quickly among the radio division. The radiomen in turn told their friends in other divisions aboard the ship the good news about heading to Subic Bay and the great wide-open liberty town of Olongapo. 

The Kitty Hawk’s captain often complained that the entire ship’s crew and air wing knew about the order to proceed to Subic Bay before he did. 

While on watch in the Message Processing Center one evening in 1971 during our final Yankee Station line period, I saw a copy of a classified CIA report that was sent to the Task Force 77 admiral and the Kitty Hawk captain. 

The report announced the capture of a North Vietnamese spy in Manila. The spy, named Thanh Ban, was the subject of a nation-wide manhunt in the Philippines. He had been posing in Olongapo as a Filipino Chinese merchant named Shi Chen as he spied on the massive Subic Bay U.S. naval base. But after an assassination plot had been uncovered, Ban fled to Manila and was hidden by the New People’s Army (NPA), the communist guerrillas at war with the Philippine government. 

An elite Filipino police unit, accompanied and assisted by an unnamed CIA officer, raided a NPA hideout in Manila. Four Filipino NPA Communist guerrillas were killed in the shootout with the elite unit. One NPA officer and Ban were captured.

The report noted that although Ban was a dedicated Communist, he did not relish being executed by the Filipinos or spending many years in an awful Filipino prison, so he confessed to the commander of the elite unit and the CIA officer. 

Ban told of the plan to execute Admiral John S. McCain aboard the USS Kitty Hawk while the aircraft carrier was off the coast of North Vietnam.  

On our very first line period on Yankee Station in December of 1970, Admiral John S. McCain, the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command, known as CINCPAC, flew aboard. As CINPAC, Admiral McCain was the commander of all American forces in the Vietnam War.  

I was working in the Message Processing Center when I heard a commotion.

Admiral McCain, escorted by the Task Force admiral, the ship’s captain and other ranking officers, entered the center for a brief tour. I stood at attention like the other sailors in the center and heard McCain yell “At ease.” 

The admiral, a short, thin and wizened officer, with a cigar as big as a pony’s leg, walked by me and other sailors on watch. He stopped, looked me in the eye, and said in a gruff voice, “Get a haircut, sailor!” 

“Yes, Sir,” I replied. 

The admiral and his entourage all laughed. 

As they were passing by, I heard the admiral ask what movie was showing on our closed-circuit television on that evening. An aide responded that MASH was scheduled to air three times for the ship’s three different watches on their down time.   

I saw the admiral grimace and say that we should be watching the movie Patton with the great actor George C. Scott, and not some anti-war crap. 

I liked both films, but the good admiral did not ask me for my opinion. 

After Patton showed in the early evening, McCain appeared on our closed-circuit TV. Noted for his profane language, the admiral opened with, "Good goddamn evening.” He went on to give a rousing and profane speech about our mission to contain the Vietnamese Communists in Vietnam. He praised our Navy commanders on the carrier as well as the young crew. 

He ended his speech by stating, “The hippies back home say ‘make love not war.” I say if you’re man enough, you can do both.” 

There were both cheers and groans from the more than 5,000 sailors and airmen about the ship. 

“Cut him some slack,” I told a friend who had groaned loudly next to me. 

“Do you know his son, a Navy carrier pilot, is a POW in North Vietnam? How would you like to be the top officer in the war while the enemy is holding your son? And you don’t know if he is being tortured because of you?” 

Admiral McCain’s son was U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander John S. McCain III. The future U.S. Senator and presidential candidate was then a prisoner of war being held in North Vietnam having been shot down in 1967. The admiral said little about his POW son, and I can only imagine how he suffered in silence.

 

Later, reading messages to and from the Subic Bay naval station and our message center, I learned about the plot to assassinate Admiral McCain aboard the Kitty Hawk. 

Lieutenant Colonel Cesar Rosa of the Olongapo City Police was a short and thin officer, but he was wiry and hard, and he had a stern face and cruel dark eyes that frightened the people that he investigated and subsequently arrested. He also had a reputation for being relentless and ruthless. 

Luz dela Cruz was an unattractive older woman with a skeletal body, a taunt face and protruding buck teeth. Still, she had her customers in The Ritz, an Olongapo bar that catered to American sailors. Most of her customers who bought her drinks were “Cherry Boy” young virgins and older American sailors that were not too fussy about looks. 

She also had customers she sold shabu crystal meth to at the bar. Luz dela Cruz was her own best customer. When a young sailor went wild on shabu and took on two American Marines in The Ritz, the Olongapo police arrested the sailor. 

Prior to handing over the young sailor to the American Shore patrol, he was questioned by Rosa. 

"Where did you get the shabu?"

The sailor, who was still jumpy from the drug, replied, "I bought the meth from Luz."

He said that he had never taken the drug before and he had never felt so strong and invincible.  

"So why did those two Marines I picked a fight with beat the living shit out of me?" 

After turning over the sailor to the Shore Patrol, Rosa and Mario Dizon, his huge sergeant, drove to The Ritz and arrested dela Cruz. Back at the police station, the scared and desperate bar girl quickly gave up her shabu supplier. As a bonus, she confessed to collecting information about U.S. 7th Fleet ships from the drunk and high sailors and passed on the information on to an NPA agent. 

Rosa and Dizon headed out to arrest the NPA spy. Fernado Diaz, a muscular and seasoned warrior, fought the two Filipino police officers when they tried to arrest him. Diaz swung punches widely and tried to pull a knife from his pants pocket, but Dizon pinned the spy's arms and Rosa punched Diaz repeatedly in the face. Dizon took Diaz to the ground and placed handcuffs on him. 

Diaz was taken to the police station. Rosa called Boone Cantrell, a Naval Investigative Service special agent who worked at the Subic Bay naval base. 

Diaz, bruised by his fight with the Filipino police officers, was quiet as he sat in a chair and faced Cantrell, who was tall and Lincolnesque, and the much shorter Rosa. 

Worried about what Rosa and the American agent might do to him, he confessed to being an NPA spy. He asked for a deal. He would not only confess to passing on intelligence tidbits to his NPA superior in Manila, he would also confess to working with a North Vietnamese spy. Rosa and Cantrell looked at each other in amazement. Rosa agreed to a deal. 

To their amazement, Diaz told them that the NPA had a spy aboard the USS Kitty Hawk. The spy, Roberto Santos, was a Filipino serving in the U.S. Navy as a disbursing clerk aboard the aircraft carrier. Santos was ordered to meet with Diaz whenever the ship visited Olongapo. Santos, the son of an NPA guerrilla, had been ordered to join the American Navy. Although as a disbursing clerk, he did not have access to classified information, he was useful to a point. 

During the Kitty Hawks first port of call to Subic Bay for the 1970-1971 combat cruise, Diaz and the North Vietnamese spy, called Shi Chen, spoke about Santos. Chen said that Santos should be assigned to assassinate Admiral McCain when he visited the aircraft carrier later that month. 

Diaz objected and told his Vietnamese Communist brother-in-arms that Santos was not trained for assassinations, but the North Vietnamese spy said that it did not matter. Even if the assassination failed, it would be a psychological victory for the Communists. 

Since Diaz’s orders were to assist Chen in any matter, he met Santos at an Olongapo hotel and handed him a .25 semi-automatic pistol. Santos cried and pleaded with Diaz. He had never killed anyone, he said. He was also concerned with his own safety. What will happen to him after he shot the famous admiral?  

Diaz was adamant. Santos will follow his orders. 

After listening to Diaz’s confession, Cantrell rushed back to his Subic Bay NIS office and sent an urgent message to the USS Kitty Hawk. 

Aboard the Kitty Hawk, the message was received and distributed quickly. The admiral appeared unconcerned when told of the assassination plot. Two Marines armed with .45’s were added to the admiral’s group, and the Marine Division’s captain and two enlisted Marines armed with M-16 rifles rushed to Santos’ berthing compartment. 

Santos raised his hands in surrender and told the Marines that the pistol was in his locker. He seemed almost relieved to be arrested and therefore he would not have to shoot the admiral.

Admiral McCain later flew off the carrier. His son, John McCain, a 31-year-old Navy lieutenant commander, was held as a POW for five and a half years. He was finally released on March 14, 1973.

And looking back, I didn’t get a haircut after being ordered to do so by Admiral McCain. 

I’m proud, somewhat perversely, of the fact that I disobeyed a direct order from a four-star admiral.

Note: You can read other chapters from my crime novel Olongapo via the links below:

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Butterfly'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Salvatore Lorino'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: The Old Huk

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: Join The Navy And See Olongapo

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Boots On The Ground'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'The 30-Day Detail'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Cat Street'

Paul Davis On Crime: Chapter 12: On Yankee Station 

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'The Cherry Boy'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'The Hit'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: Welcome To Japan, Davis-San

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Murder By Fire'