2 NICARAGUA DEAD ARE CALLED UNPAID VOLUNTEERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000404440075-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 29, 2010
• Sequence Number: 75
• Publication Date: September 5, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/29: CIA-RDP90-00552R000404440075-5
ARTICLE APPEARED
ON PAGE
NEW YORK TIMES
5 September 1984
.2 Nicaragua Dead Are Called Unpaid o un Leers
By PHILIP TAUBMAN The Americans have also provided esence in Honduras last week.
15
Sp dv to tue ?few York rims medical supplies, clothing and other Senator ame Patrick o an,
York mood who is vice
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Sept. 4- Nica- equipment to help the rebels, the incur- the New
"raguan rebel leaders said today that'd gent leaders said. hairman o e Senate Select
`two Americans killed when their hell -I Some Said to Be Reservists tee on nteenc said that the
TT
kk
ane will
oo
into the involvement of
copter was shot down in Nicaragua on The Americans, according to the e Americans and iTeI'iriks to
-Saturday were Vietnam veterans who rebel leaders have connection
with yes
were members of a veterans' grout/ Centrar t tell moo. e -
--formed to Help the Nicaraguan rebels, has supported the iriS1l~entS_Sin e
The rebel leaders, based in Miami ! 1~81,but some are in the United States
and New Orleans, said the two men and
four other Americans who traveled
= with them to Honduras last week volun-
teered their help and received no pay.
'-Previously it had been reported that
ithe group consisted of seven men.
The rebel leaders, from the Nicara-
guan Democratic Force, the largest of
the insurgent groups, said that one of
the men killed was a Huntsville police
detective, Dana H. Parker Jr., who
they said had taken a leave of absence
to assist the rebels.
The other man, they said, was James
Powell, of Memphis. Both men were
g
.
said to have been helicopter pilots in Reagan Administration has also said
V
t
ie
nam
.
Group Formed by Veterans
The two men, according to the rebel
officials, were members of a group
called Civilian Military Assistance that
was formed last year by American
military veterans to help the rebels.
The group, the insurgent officials
said, has chapters in Huntsville, Mem-
phis, and Birmingham and has sent be-
tween 15 and 20 Americans to Honduras
'during the last year to advise the
rebels.
The Americans have helped 'train
rebel airplane and helicopter pilots, the
insurgent leaders said, but have not
participated in military activities in
Nicaragua.
They said that the two men were,,
killed on Saturday when their helicop-
ter flew over Nicaragua to inspect the
!damage inflicted by a rebel ground at-
tack on a military installation, but that
they had not taken part. in fighting.
Army Reserve.
The main rebel group, the Nicara-
guan Democratic Force, scheduled a
news conference to identify the men
and provide details about their involve-
ment in the Nicaraguan conflict.
Rebel officials said that Mario
Calero Portocarrero, a rebel leader in
New Orleans, had helped arrange for
the Americans to travel to Honduras
last week.
The rebel leaders said the -men had
no connection, direct or indirect, with
the United States Government while
they were assisting the insur
The
ents
ocia
ffi -othe to me o
..A. of bac to-
ay to cordirm the original information
a the encan citizens inv-d-Tved
with the 'contra' aacctivity in on uras
and Nicaragua are in no May associ-
ated with the intelligence community,
orFiave i'fie~ been':~lt appear`s to me it
.s now a matter for the State Depart-
ment to investigate."
'Contra' is a term used to describe
hose seeking to overthrow Nicara-
cud's leftist Government.
that the men, described by White
House and intelligence officials as
mercenaries, were not associated with
the Government.
Nicaragua, which said that the heli-
copter was shot own a er it andlour
planes a attacked a litaiTy
Honduran border, has charged that the
men workea for a entra n e i-
Igence A eency.
questions reifiained, however. about
'how the six Americans became in-
volved with the rebels and how the
w i as esscnbK7_U e aL
tivities in some detail, knew about their
STAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/29: CIA-RDP90-00552R000404440075-5