GLENN INTERVIEW

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP88-01070R000200810004-5
Release Decision: 
RIFPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
2
Document Creation Date: 
December 21, 2016
Document Release Date: 
June 27, 2008
Sequence Number: 
4
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
July 31, 1983
Content Type: 
OPEN SOURCE
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PDF icon CIA-RDP88-01070R000200810004-5.pdf96.68 KB
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Approved For Release 2008/06/27: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000200810004-5 NBC MEET THE PRESS 31 July 1983 GLL;)~/INTERVIEW DONALDSON: Thank you. J_m. Coming up heat from St. Petersburg, Fla., where he is campaigning. Sen. John Glenn. Ser. Glenn than: you for Xng us today. GLENN: Thank vou'.-4, Glad to be With vou. go we DON.;~LDSON': Now. vou ve bee. very critical of resident heagan's poll-N, in Central America. is VOL' were president of the United States today, what would you do? GLENN: Well, I think we need to define the vital interests of our country down there and try to get su-Dpcr t of the , .1er: can people behind i t . I think we need to get a better balance between our talk and our force show down there. I think we need to also.... When we talk about to the source, as the president did the other day, I think need to remember that when, we go to the source, we need to go to sources of some of the problem also there in LI Salvador itself, because a lot of the problem, there is the internal situation that they have there and the difficulties of the people, and . . . You know. I wonder if we can connect this because I'm getting a very bad feedback here on this whole thing. I r getting an echo that makes it Very dl:ffa,cult to talk. Can we check that, please. We'll check i t , John. Go ahead. GLENN: Good. DONALDSON: Go ahead. Well check it While vou keep telling us about what you'd d0 as president in Central America. GLENT: Okay Tine. What I -as saying is that I think we need to go for the support of the American people oefining the vital interests down, there' We need also to find a better balance between our talk and our show of force in that par tieular area. And I think that when we go into that area and talk about going to the source, as the president did, and then intimate that that is Cuba or that's the Soviet Union, it also is indigenous ir. the country itself down there. We have great ^.7Obe^F n that area :,en we nave the right'wirg death squads }.ilii'g CeoPle with _-p unity from out of the government C:rcies itself and effect driving ?eopie into the hills and nto the support of the guerrilla movement there. It }ust leaves a great deal to be desired In our whole posture there. 'L -'E been very confusing. We have Amoassador Stone. Dick Stone there, and then we have the Con'tadcra Group that we're supporting. We have Fissinger 1n there. We're supporting the Contras also. At the same time, we're making three different major shows of force in there with two carrier task forces, a battleship task force, and we're going to extend the maneuvers the president calls routine, but they're not routine, and evervcne knows that. And so I think we need to define what our real interests are there and what our real posture is going to be. It's been very Confusing. WILL: Senator, last week: the House voted to cut off aid from the United States, covert aid to the Contras fighting the regime in Nicaragua. In doing so, they defeated a proposal by a southern conservative Democrat, Mr. Mica, who said, 'Let's cut L0,NriUTUED Approved For Release 2008/06/27: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000200810004-5 Approved For Release 2008/06/27: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000200810004-5 cff aid when Nicaragua cuts Off aid to _l Salvador.' Could you have supported that ;: in.d of amendment the 'ii ca Amendment? Oh, I probably could have supported that because I don't think that the support that we've been giving there in our efforts to dump the government of Nicaragua. which is basically what it is, is going to solve the problem there. Even if all aid _s cut off from J\'1Caraguia int El Salvador. and C the :low o arms through there is small right now. In fact, it neecs a very low flow of arms to really support all the activity that the guerrillas in `_l Salvador have been making. You know, there are only about 5,000 to 7.000 of the guerrillas there now and they need a few boxes of ammo perhaps and some small flow of arms could actually come by air. So I don't think that's really the final answer in that area under what at least our agreements are with the Organization, of the American States, the Ric Treaty. All have indicated a willingness to cooperate in that region, not go in and try and dump governments. WILL: Senator. I made not have made my question clear. You then would've supported the amendment that did pass the House to cut off aid. You would, not have supported the Mica Lmencme^.t td, make the cut-off cf aid contingent on Nicargua cutting off its aid. GLENN: No. That's right. I would have cut off the aid period in that area or cut off the covert activity in that area. Let me make it clear. Cut off the covert activity in that area, which I think is counter- productive to our purposes in that region. Approved For Release 2008/06/27: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000200810004-5