ROLE OF AMERICANS IN LIBYAN WARFARE CONFIRMED BY U.S.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000606440003-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 27, 2010
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: November 3, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/27: CIA-RDP90-00
ARTICLE APPEARED
NEW YORK TIMES
3 N0VE 4Br.R 1981
R "1 Agalnst Interest of Peace' of people trainee to use ana maintain
~L 9 i el the weaoons and other equipment. With-
V 11L OF lIAIVillliJ~iiiii He added: "I want to repeat that we out Soviet advisers and the pilots and
find it reprehensible and-against titre in. technicians recruited in the W est, the
of- serest of peace and security in the re- ficials have said, Libya's armed forces
gioa. for anyone, including American wouidbeimmobilized.
it I 'LIBYAN -
citizens, to c ntribute to Colonel Qadda- The pilots who were interviewed by
~ ~ fi's ability b carry out policies of ag- The Tarr freed that Araerici were
gression, subveersion and terrorism." , ? flying air force aircraft. including heU_
f, Several pilots and technicians re- copters bearing the Libyan Air:Force in-
cez Iy returned from Libya, who were sigma, that were used in the interven- ticn.
interviewed by The New York Times. dha Anthony Stub b?; a. British pilot
State Department Depicts Any said that without the personnel andma who worked for Mr. .Wilson in LibyaI
^ serial that bad been found for Libya in earter this year, said that-he had flown
., the West; Colonel Qaddafi would have
A dorms of transport missions to southern
id to Quaddafi's Attacks
`had difficulty sustaining .the interven Libya, near the border with Chad, car.
as `Reprehensible Act tionjnCbaa. tying arms and other-supplies. He said
bfr:Fiscbers comments appeared to that the G130's he flewbrarght in fuel
indicate that the United.`States had needed by. 'Soviet-built:-and Soviet-
Sy B.MARs1 CRO5SETI;r known for some time about the involve- mannedMJGfigltters,. 'Wewerelogisti-
~
S .twtb.xs+nro t'nmm meni of American citizens ia, Libyan tally keeping the Russians.' MIG's air-
WASI3INGTON, Nov. 2 -The United military efforts but badnot made the ia. bone," he said.
formation public. On Oct 23, the State - U.S.Would AidOAU.
States today confirmed that Americans:
l Department had said that there were no ' Michael D. Bedwell, a former United.
ad been involved in military support. activities in Libya and called the in.- ynditaticxrs that Americans were in= States Army pilot. who returned from
volved with the Libyan Air Force.. Libya Oct. 8, said in an interview that
volt' ens 'reprehensible- < "if the Americans left, not one Chrncox
m8 to Dean Fischer, a State ' _ HeImpliesTalks WithC_iA hellcepterwould be flying."
Department spokesman, American citi- Mr.- Fthcber said today, "We choose Mr. Fischer said today that the United !
zees have been servicing planes of Col.- 'riot to publish all the iMormati?n rye' States would be willing to give "ma-
Muammar el-Qaddafi's Libyan Air have,particulary sensitive infor?matirr teral assistance" to efforts by the Or-1
Force, including C-130 transports and based on noaipubiished sources. When. ganizatiun of African Unity to replace
CH-47 helicopters.' we are asked questions relating to such Libyan troops with African peacekeep. (
'4r. Fischer also said that he could' activity we are obliged to get authorize- ing forces. The organization, backed by
other parts of the U.S. Govern- France, has been trying to assemble :
confirm that American citizens had also tics from
" such a force for several months.
meat in order to share it
.
served as crew members on charter The State Department would not cam-
ights from Libya to Chad on Unit . Mr. Fischer indicated drat there sad
f
l
l
African Airways, a Libyan line used to been disctSsicns.with the Central Intel- ment today cn the legality or it egality
.,___-- -----_- ------ -- -- of the American citizens involvementin;
Sates Department spokesman added,- can urvotvemeat in Libya. Mr. Fischerjest the Justice Department.
"Our inlorroation is that they have not SaiA he could not go into details of such. The Justice Department has said that
been pilots" on either the military or discussions. the recruitment of American pilots and
troop-carrying charter planes. Libya, a The. Central Intelligence Agency has technicians would not appear to violate
militant Arab nation in North Africa, repeatedly denied that it has any In- I Federal laws.
has been warring in Chad. e?otrement with Edwin P. Wilson, a for- ' Officials in the department said that it
xaera$dat,wboLsnowunder Federalin-- was illegal for Americ uia to enlist in
dktaexrt for iUe8sI transfer of a xplo: military forces of a foreign government.
sivrs mad is lid as a tugitlvein'rri . In the case involving Libya, Americans , ! were recruited and paid by a Swiss tom
! pang controlled. by Mr. Wilson. This
r .. ~ F : would put Mr Wilson's program outside.
artier inThe TI ls hawz the jurisdiction of American lawn.
PXW that :ettadttag activities in the
United States and Europe byMr. Wilson
one peoelded the Libyan.Government
i with vtW anpport Lees aed for ills. ac-
tiritl s in a14 Where Libyan: troops
have been in virtW oocupetion-since
isst year The Libyans are backing the
Clsadian .;Gcveermaerrt.:.of ? Gcukouni
Quaddeiagainst ittmuge~ts still active
near the border-whh the. Sudan, which
has backed the rebeili?-.
- ? Aina M se~dorAmerican.intedlY-
geace oMda1; Libya, whicx has pur-
chased an arseeal at military supplies
trout the So,fd Union. is severely abort
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/27: CIA-RDP90-00552R000606440003-0