COMMITTEES TO INVESTIGATE LEGALITY OF U.S. OPERATIONS IN NICARAGUA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000100390016-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 29, 2010
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: April 5, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP90-00552R000100390016-3
S PAGE _ "-S
WASHINGTON - Congressional
oversight committees will review
U.S. involvement in Central Ameri-
ca to determine if the Reagan Ad-
By ALFONSO CHARDY
Herald Washington Bureau
1\' AN'* HFPALD
5 APP'L 1983
Committees to investigate egality
of U.S. operations. in Nicaragua
ministration is
violating re-
strictions im-
posed on a not-
so-secret opera-
tion against
Nicaragua,
committee
members and
administration
officials said
Monday.
The restric-
tions prohibit
the administra-
tion from efforts aimed at the over-
throw of Nicaragua's leftist Sandi-
nista government or of provoking a
war between Nicaragua and Hon.
duras, the alleged base of U
S
-
.
.
backed anti-Sandinista rebels. counterrevolutionaries.
An amendment including the lim- Speakes and Romberg suggested
nations was added to an appropria- the administration is prepared to
bons bill last December by Rep. Ed- answer all congressional questions
ward Boland (D., Mass.), chairman as long as they are asked by the in.
of the House Intelligence Commit- telligence panels.
tee. It was passed unanimously. "The administration is not in via
Meanwhile, under still-classified lation of the law," said Romberg at
guidelines, the administration re- the State Department's reguar press
portedly has been authorized by briefing. "The various congression.
congressional intelligence oversight al committees which have jurisdic-
panels to finance anti-Sandinista lion and oversight responsibilities
guerrillas to interdict alleged Nicar. are free to look into this question
aguan arms shipments to leftist Sal- and I expect that they will be doing
vadoran rebels. that."
Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan The office of a Moynihan sup-
(D., N.Y.), vice chairman of the porter, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.),
Senate Intelligence Committee and said Monday the senator considers
the main proponent of reviewing the matter of "serious concern" be-
covert activities, said Monday there cause he had received Personal as-
is growing concern among commit. surances from Secretary of State
tee members that the administra- George Shultz that the administra-
tion may be violating the spirit, if tion was scrupulously honoring the
not the letter, of the Boland amend- Boland amendment.
meat.
"We'll be reviewing the adminis.
tration's compliance with the law
to make sure it is being followed,"
Moynihan said, adding that there
are a "growing number of members
who question if the CIA is actually
complying with the law."
Aides said Moynihan, his sup-
porters on the panel, and members
of the committee's House counter.
part are seeking unprecedented
open sessions to force the adminis.
tration to shut down or rein in the
operation.
White House deputy press secre-
tary Larry Speakes and State De-
partment spokesman Alan Romberg
denied Monday that the administra.
tion is violating the covert action
limitations. However, they again re-
fused comment on widening accu-
sations that the United States is
deeply involved in financing, train.
ing and supplying anti-Sandinista
Leahy's aides said Shultz Rave
those assurances Feb. 28 in an open
session of the Senate foreign opera-
tions subcommittee. According to a
transcript, Leahy asked Shultz if
the administration was abiding by
the restrictions. Shultz replied:
"Yes, sir ... with no reservations."
On the House side, Rep. Michael
Barnes (D., Md.), chairman of the
Western Hemisphere affairs sub-
committee, has introduced legisla-
tion that, unlike the Boland amend-
ment which authorizes some funds,.
would cut off all U.S. aid to the Ni-
caraguan rebels.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP90-00552R000100390016-3