PBS MACNEIL/LEHRER NEWSHOUR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01070R000201360015-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 22, 2008
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: September 6, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2008/09/22 : CIA-RDP88-0107OR000201360015-2
PBS MACNEIL/LEHRER NEWSHOUR
6 September 1984
WOODRUFF: A1,1 right. Let me turn now to Central America.
Ah, the administration, of course, has repeatedly denied
that these Americans who were killed in this helicopter-
incident in, ah, Nicaragua were CIA. And yet the, the
helicopter apparently took off from an American landing
strip, ah, in Honduras. They apparently had had contact
with the American embassies in Honduras and El Salvador.
At least there are reports to that effect. What was the
U.S. role in endorsing the mission of these men, these
mercenaries, if that's what they were? MCFARLANE: Judy,
the United States neither sponsored nor condoned nor
endorsed, as you put it, the.private effort that was taken
on this past weekend. The, ah, Defense, State departments
and CIA have looked exhaustively at any history of
association with these private citizens and haven't found
any. You make a point about their having been in touch
with the embassy there. As best we can tell, the
questions of the embassy in Honduras early this year
concerned how they could be in touch with, ah,
governmental officials there about providing assistance.
We pointed them, as we would to any American. citizen, to
the local officials. But we surely didn't endorse nor
approve nor make possible this kind of effort.
WOODRUFF: Well, now it turns out that they were in the
process of, of transferring arms that they obtained
apparently in this country to the, ah, rebel groups in
Nicaragua, ah, and, ah, the government-supported groups in
El Salvador. Do we, is that the sort of activity that we
condone? I mean, we're-now investigating to see whether
they broke the law in doing this. MCFARLANE: Well, I
think there are three points to be made here. First of
all, I don't believe, as nearly as I can tell, no one says
nor has evidence that there was any ordinance or munitions
ever transferred by these people. I have heard reports
about clothing,.ah, other nonordinance kinds of things.
Secondly, I think you'll recall that when the United
States, ah, was prevented by the Congress from providing
any further assistance in this program area that you could
expect the_ United States to lose influence,with the
parties. And.they will naturally turn elsewhere, to third
countries, to other Latin American countries. But I think
one thing that's being missed here is this. I've seen
reports today that the people involved, indeed there were
causalities in this episode, were Cubans. Now if we're
gonna talk about foreign presence and violence, it's
curious to me that no one has pointed out that the Cubans
were there.. Why?
Approved For Release 2008/09/22 : CIA-RDP88-0107OR000201360015-2
 Approved For Release 2008/09/22 : CIA-RDP88-0107OR000201360015-2
WOODRUFF: But... MCFARLANE: What possible
justification?
WOODRUFF: Well, whether it was or wasn't, are you saying
the administration, it's all right with the administration
for this sort of activity to continue? MCFARLANE': No, I
don''t. In fact, I said earlier just. the opposite, that we
.do not condone, encourage, endorse nor facilitate this
kind of thing. I'm simply pointing out that when we are
prevented from exercising control over whatever happens
down there by a cutoff of our funds that one can expect
the' people involved to go elsewhere. And this kind of
thing can happen, but it surely is not with the
encouragement of the U.S. government.
Approved For Release 2008/09/22 : CIA-RDP88-0107OR000201360015-2