RESOLUTION OF INQUIRY WITH RESPECT TO UNITED STATES MILITARY INVOLVEMENT IN HOSTILITIES IN CENTRAL AMERICA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP87B00858R000200180008-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 4, 2011
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: May 10, 1984
• Content Type: REGULATION

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98TH CONGRESS ~~, ~aL.~_ a- Cz.i REPORT
2ND SESSION HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ~~?~~; 98-
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RESOLUTION OF INQUIRY WITH RESPECT TO UNITED STATES MILITARY
INVOLVEMENT IN HOSTILITIES IN CENTRAL AMERICA
May 10, 1984.--Ordered to be printed
Mr. BOLAND, from the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
submitted the following
[To accompany H. Res. 484 which on April 10, 1984, was referred ,jointly to
the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence]
The Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, to whom was referred the
resolution (H. Res. 484) directing the President to furnish certain
information to the House of Representatives concerning United States military
involvement in hostilities in Central America, having considered the same,
report unfavorably thereon and recommend that the?;~,~sblution rb not pass.
SUMMARY OF THE RESOLUTION
The resolution would require the President to provide the House with any
documents detailing:
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(1) U.S. intelligence-gathering missions over E1 Salvador during the
period from August 1, 1983 through April 10, 1984; _~
(2) Intelligence gathered by U.S. armed forces and provided to the
armed forces of E1 Salvador, Honduras, or Guatemala during the period from
August 1, 1983 through April 10, 1984;
(3) Actual or proposed involvement by U.S. military or civilian
agencies in combat missions in E1 Salvador or Honduras during the period
from August 1, 1983 through April 10, 1984;
(4) Possible involvement by U.S. armed forces in combat in Central
America;
(5) The border between Honduras and E1 Salvador, how close U.S.
armed forces in Honduras may approach the border, and the number of times
U.S. armed forces crossed the border during the period from August 1, 1983
through April 10, 1984;
(6) Whether U.S. armed forces in Honduras deployed into E1 Salvador
or Nicaragua, except for transportation into or out of Honduras, during
the period from August 1, 1983 through April 10, 1984;
(7) The purpose of Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercises on the
Honduras-E1 Salvador border, the effects of tYi~se exercises on the
conflict within E1 Salvador, and whether U.S. forces involved in the
exercises will be armed;
(8) Whether U.S. armed forces in E1 Salvador or Honduras came into
contact with forces hostile to the governments of those countries during
the period from August 1, 1983 through April 10, 1984;
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(9) Whether U.S. armed forces in El Salvador or Honduras were
subject to hostile fire, or were accompanying armed forces of E1 Salvador
who were subject to hostile fire, during the period from August 1, 1983
through April 10, 1984;
(10) Whether U.S. armed forces transported elements of the Honduran
or Salvadoran armed forces in operations against insurgents, including
operations of the Honduran armed forces in September 1983, during the
period from August 1, 1983 through April 10, 1984;
{11) Whether U.S. armed forces came into contact with forces engaged
in hostile action against the Government of Nicaragua, during the period
from August 1, 1983 through April 10, 1984; and
(12) Whether U.S. Government personnel or contract personnel, or U.S.
Government vessels or vessels operated by U.S. Government personnel or
contract personnel participated in the mining of Nicaraguan waters.
House Resolution 484 was introduced on April 10, 1984 by Mr. Markey. The
resolution was referred jointly to the Committee or~foreign Affairs and to the
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
On April 13, 1984, the chairman of the committee wrote to the President
requesting information responding to the resolution. On April 27, 1984, the
Honorable W. Tapley Bennett, Jr., Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative
and Intergovernmental Affairs, replying for the administration, stated that:
Execeti~a Re istr
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"With respect to intelligence activities, the Central Intelligence
Agency has supplied detailed information to the Permanent Select Committee
on Intelligence and would be happy to respond promptly to any requests by
that Committee for supplementary information.
"As you know, since 1976 the degree to which intelligence-related
information is shared with other committees of the House is under the
control of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
"We continue to doubt the wisdom of periodic Resolutions of Inquiry
as a substitute for the ongoing cooperation which we and the cognizant
Committees of Congress have maintained, or for the carefully structured
intelligence oversight process. Meeting congressional information needs
under the current arrangements, both statutory and informal, is preferable
to passage of individual resolutions concerning the furnishing of
sensitive information. House Resolution 484, therefore, would appear to
be both unnecessary and potentially disruptive of established and mutually
beneficial systems of information sharing.
"This Resolution also raises fundamental constitutional questions
about the authority of the Congress to compel the President to disclose
intelligence and operational military matters which may be highly
sensitive to U.S. national security. Thus, it is the view of the
Administration that House Resolution 484 should not be adopted."
The statutory scheme for providing information to Congress concerning
intelligence activities is found in section 501 of the National Security Act
of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 413) and in section 662 of the Foreign Assistance Act of
1961 (22 U.S.C. 2422). These statutes require that all U.S. intelligence
activities be reported to the intelligence committees of the House and
Senate. These statutory provisions provide the irit:elligence trommittees with
authority for comprehensive oversight of all intelligence collection, analysis
and reporting activities as well as all covert action operations - that is,
covert or clandestine activities affecting the relations of the United States
with any foreign government, political group, party, military force, movement
or other association. The intelligence oversight statutes do not affect the
,jurisdiction of other House committees, including the Committees on Armed
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Services and Foreign Affairs, but briefings on covert action operations
required by these laws are given only to the two intelligence committees.
In addition to its request to the President, the committee directed its
staff to make separate requests for intelligence information responsive to the
resolution of inquiry. The committee received separate responses from the
Central Intelligence Agency, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the
Defense Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Agency on April 18,
April 30, May 1 and May 2 respectively.
The committee met on May 10, 1984, to consider the resolution. During its
consideration the committee reviewed the responses referred to above. Based
on this review, the Committee's prior and ongoing reviews of U.S. intelligence
activities in Central America, and upon the answers to specific queries
directed to the intelligence community, the committee is of the opinion that
the intelligence community responses substantially comply with the committee's
request of April 13. The committee's judgment applies only to those matters
referred to in the resolution of inquiry that fall within the jurisdiction of
the committee - i.e., intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination, and
covert action.
In the past several years, the committee has,c~evoted a considerable amount
of attention - in both budgetary and oversight reviews - to intelligence
collection and covert action in Central America. The information provided to
the committee by intelligence agencies in response to the specific
intelligence questions raised by the resolution was consistent with, and
duplicative of, information already in the possession of the committee.
Executive (tegistry
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The committee has concluded that no further public disclosure of these
matters is appropriate at this time. Such information is available .to Members
of the House pursuant to House Rule XLVIII and the rules of the Committee.
Accordingly, the committee recommends disapproval of House Resolution 484.
COMMITTEE POSITON
~o
On May ~', 1984, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, a quorum
being present, disapproved House Resolution 484 and ordered it unfavorably
reported by voice vote.
OVERSIGHT FINDINGS
With respect to clause 2(1)(3)(A) of Rules XI of the House of
Representatives, the committee's findings and recommendations concerning
H. Res. 484 are contained in the body of this report.
FISCAL YEAR COST PROJECTIONS
With respect to clause 2(1)(3)(8) of Rule XI of the House of
Representatives and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974,
this resolution does not provide new budget authority or tax expenditures.
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CONGRESSIONAL BIAGET OFFICE ESTIMATE
With respect to clause 2(1)(3)(C) of Rule XI of the House of
Representatives, the committee has received no report from the Congressional
Budget Office.
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