SENATE OK'S COVERT AID TO NICARAGUA REBELS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85M00364R002304490051-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: January 4, 2017
• Document Release Date: April 18, 2008
• Sequence Number: 51
• Publication Date: November 4, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2008/04/18: CIA-RDP85M00364R002304490051-7
ARTICLE APP" R
ON PAGE - "
By David Rogers
Globe Staff
WASHINGTON - The Republican-con- ;
trolled Senate, despite Its continued criti-
cism of President Ronald Reagan 's policy
in Central America. yesterday approved a
198A intelligence authorization bill that in-
cludes limited funding for covert military
aid to Nicaraguan insurgents.
The action came on a simple voice vote.
and the proceedings were in striking con- -
trast with the often emotional debate in the:
House. which has twice voted to end fund-
ing for the CIA operation.
Only two weeks ago, the Democratic-
cont,-olled chamber .voted for the second
time to cut off all aid after a classified date.
and the House version of the 1984 defense
appropriation bill approved Wednesday
prohibits any funding after April 1 unless
some agreement is reached between the -
two chambers.
The Iow-key debate yes
terday belied ten- .
sions in the Senate over the same issue, but
It Is clear
t e Administration retains strong support for at
least the limited funding provided in the bill.
Rather than risk almost certain defeat, critics of
th,e CLk operation- made no effort to strike the
Nicaragua funding, and going into conference
with the House, the Senate is seen In the strop-
_r position.
"At the moment they [the Senate) have the
strong hand." admitted an aide to the House In-
telligence Comtrt;ttee. "We don't hold the cards.
It isn't yet at the point where It is a symbolic
vot.e. but It's tough sledding from here on."
I Both Intelligence Committees have an insti-
I tutional stake in reaching some agreement, but
i the Adrinistration is In a stronger position if i
no comprorni'_se- Is found before the appropri-
ation process takes control. The Senate defense
bit includes no prohibition regarding Nicara-
gua. and key members of the House defense ap-.
pr opriatlons subcommittee. have also opposed
the April 1 cutoff. which survived only narrowly
in the full panel. last month.
These members will be critical In any confer-
ence on the military bill. and ultimately their
Judgment may decide the issue this year if no
agreement is reached on the authorizing legisla-
tion.
Senate Intelligence chairman Barry Gold-
water (R-Ariz.) Indicated yesterday he remains
opposed to any compromise, and the Senate's
BOSTON GLOBE
4 November 1983
K's covert al
approach has been to provide limited funding.
which allows the operation to continue but also
gives Congress some control over the CIA.
According to sources, an estimated $19 mil
lion is provided, but as the force has grown to
over 10,000'insurgents under arms, the annual'
cost has more than doubled to nearer $50 mil-?"
lion. The CIA can draw funds from the contin-
gency for. reserves.. but sources have said the
budget is tightly enough written to effectively?
force the agency to come back to the Intelligence
Committees again if it wants- to continue thee"
war.
"We are permitting the operation to continue
with a limited amount of funding." said Sen..."
Walter Huddleston (D?Ky.), expressing snisgiv-
ings about the covert aid. "And if in that time'
period more persuasive evidence Is not present .
ed. then a different course of action maybe
This approach has prevented a major split in
the Senate committee to date. But In a speech
sharply critical of the continued operation, Sen.
Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said the aid is illegal and
risks a war. between Nicaragua and Honduras,
where the insurgents have been based. "Covert
action is never an adequate substitute for a for-
eign policy," said Leahy, a member of the Intelli-
gence Committee.
Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.), the
committee vice chairman, warned the support
In the panel rests on a "fragile consensus," and
.from the right, Leahy's comments provoked a
rebuttal from Sen. Malcolm Wallop (R-Wyo.).
"You're not dealing with people who have sup-
port of the masses, you're dealing with people
who have taken control of the massess," said
Wallop. .
The debate over Nicaragua is linked to the
Administration's commitment to El Salvador,
and In the aftermath of the Grenada invasion,
there is a broader concern about the President's
use of force in the region. On the evening before i
the invasion. Reagan signed a ? notification to
Congress of additional CIA covert operations in
the eastern Caribbean-.-,- -according to sources.
And while' the total cost is expected to be only"'
about S2 million, the finding, or plan, submitted.".
to the Intelligence Committees was criticized by
members as being too general.
.
A related concern is the disposition -of _large-; A
.arms caches found in Grenada, but' Senate
sources said last night-the committee had been
assured by the CIA that the weapons would first
be audited by the Treasury and not secretly;
transferred to the insurgents.
Approved For
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la the House committee, Rep. LeA Hamilton
(D-Ind.). a 'senior. 'member. was described by
sou; as angered by the finding. And while
-.,ae sources said the notification was only to
give the CIA latitude during the invasion, other
sources said there is a more long-term commit-
ment to aid and train police forces In the is-
lands.
Like the Nicaragua Insurgents. the El Salva-
dor regime Is receiving its military assistance
under a continuing resolution running through
next week. and it seems unlikely that Congress
will act on a formal foreign aid bill before ad-
journment this year. A simple extension of the
continuing resolution through Feb. 29 was ap-
proved by House Appropriations late R'ednes-
da}', but at the same time the pane) voted 23-20
to accept an Administration-backed amend-
ment to foreign aid funding.
Some confusion still surrounds this lan-
guage, but committee staff said the technical
impact is to allow military aid for El Salvador to
grow from $64.8 million today to S86.3 million
or the Administration's 1984 request.
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