Calero was responsible for managing the bank accounts into which money was deposited and then used to buy supplies and arms for the Contras. He was brought to testify at hearings of the U.S. Congress in May 1987.
Calero was associated with the Conservative Party of Nicaragua. Before the 1979 overthrow of the government of Anastasio Somoza, he was imprisoned under the Somoza government, which gave credibility to his claim to have opposed both Somoza and the Sandinistas.[3][4]
In early 1983, he joined the political directorate of the Nicaraguan Democratic Force (FDN). By October he became its president, but many observers wondered about his real power because of the political wing's weak control over the military wing. In a bid to unify contra factions and win aid from the US Congress, he became a member of the United Nicaraguan Opposition (UNO) triumvirate with Alfonso Robelo and Arturo Cruz.[citation needed]
Calero controlled the FDN through his deputy, Aristides Sánchez, and the Contras' military commander, Enrique Bermúdez, an alliance so tight that it was dubbed the "Iron Triangle."[citation needed]
However, there were tensions below the surface. After the Sapoa ceasefire, Calero exploited discontent with Bermudez among the FDN's field commanders in an effort to push him out. Heavy-handed intervention by the CIA helped to crush that effort. Later, however, other commanders, with the blessing of the US State Department, ousted both their political and military leadership.[citation needed]
On July 26, 2011, he published his book, Cronicas de un Contra, which narrates his participation during the 1980s in Nicaragua.
Personal life
Calero married Maria Ernestina Lacayo on December 7, 1957. The couple had two children, Myriam (b. 1958) and Adolfo (1960–1994). Calero has three grandchildren. He had three younger siblings: Myriam (1933–2018) Mario (1935–1993) and Martha (b. 1943).
Death
Calero died in Managua, on June 2, 2012, from complications from pneumonia and kidney failure.[5] He was survived by his wife, daughter, three grandchildren, and two sisters.
