CONTRAS TO SEEK MORE PRIVATE DONATIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000504130051-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 9, 2012
• Sequence Number: 51
• Publication Date: September 11, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09 :CIA-RDP90-009658000504130051-6 -STAY
AitTICLE AP RED
ON PAGE
Pie T r
LOS ANGELES TIMES
11 September 1985
Contras to Seek More Private Donations
Nicaraguan Rebel Reports $25 Million Raised, Mostly Abroad
.: DALLAS-The leader of the
Largest Nicaraguan rebel group and
his chief American fund-raiser said
Tuesday that they plan to continue
soliciting private donations for.
arms, ammunition and military ve-
hicles, now that Congress has
agreed to resume humanitarian aid
for their cause.
Adolfo Calera resident of the
Ni emocrat c ~ orce an
ohlt< inR u ,are ' Army
eneral who has been the s
mos ? vial a un -raiser,
the rave receive near
ion m contra u ons over e
as mon since on
cu aI ere nown as
con res.
-TfV oet of that money has come
from outside the United States,
they said, from wealthy individu-
als, from corporations with inter-
ests in Nicaragua and-Calero
hinted-from several foreign gov-
ernments.
But ironically, now that Con-
gress has agreed to permit ;27
million in non-lethal U.S. aid to
begin flowing Oct. 1 to the contras,
the anti-Communist forces fear
that some of their private donations
may dry up.
Now Mud Work Harder
"We're oin to have to work
h er to et ess to au sat to
an Interview. 'A lot o
overseas a is elan
wea ns to a contras m to o
t o aw, an t s ar con race
t em at It s not so.
' ongress, era said, "has
made it clear that it is only offering
humanitarian support, but we need
more than medicine and food and
uniforms. We need weapons and
ammunition."
To buy arms for the contra
troops, which he estimates number
18,000, Calera has been making the
rounds of wealthy sympathizers in
the United States and Latin Ameri-
ca. He ie spending this week here at
the annual convention of the World
Anti-Communist League, a net-
work of conservative groups from
98 countries, of which Singiaub is
chairman.
Raising money inside the United
States for weapons to be sent
abroad is illegal, eo Singiaub and
Calero say they rely entirely on
overseas contributions for their
arms-buying accounts.
Of almost ;25 million in total
contributions, they said, only ;5
million to i10 million has been
received from Americans. "Moat of
it is clearly from donors overseas,"
said Singiaub, who retired from the
Army as a major general in 1978
after publicly criticizing President.
Jimmy Carter's foreign policies.
Other contra officials have said
that most of their weapons come
from friendly Latin American gov-
ernments such as Honduras and El
Salvador, both of which are major
recipients of U.S. military aid. Cal-
ero refused to confirm their ac-
counts but seemed to acknowledge
that his group was receiving some
offfcial help.
"It (the list of donors) could
include countries," he said, smiling
broadly. "The United States is the
only country in the world that
discusses its covert aid openly.
Countries can get aid to you
through a corporation, or through
an individual, or through a bill of
lading."
$ut he refused to identify any of
his contributors, whether individu-
als or regimes. "If we put our
fingers on the sources ...we'd
blow up the whole thing-nobody
would give us anything," he con-
tended.
Calera and Singiaub said they
have been talking with wealthy
American conservatives in search
of contributions to buy trucks,
ambulances and transport helicop-
ters, which they expect Congress to
exclude from the category of "hu-
manitarian" aid.
One of their biggest donors, they
said, was Ellen Garwood of Austin,
Tex., who recently gave E65,000
toward the purchase of a used
helicopter. The ;100,000 aircraft,
now being refitted, will soon go into
battle with the name of "Lady
Ellen" painted on its fuselage.
'Didn't Give Ue a Dime'
Not all potential donors are quick
to give, however. Calera noted that
he spent a day in Colorado last
week with Joseph Coors, the ul-
trarich, ultraconservative beer
magnate, "and he didn't give us a
dime."
Singiaub has sent thousands of
fund-raising letters on the contras'
behalf, noting that contributions. to
his U.S. Council for World Free-
domare tax deductible.
The effort was thrown briefly
into confusion last month, howev-
er, when it was reported that the
council had told the Internal Reve-
nue Service, in an application for
tax-deductible status, that it did
not plan to send "materiel" to the
contras.
Singiaub said that issue has since
been cleared up with the IRS. "It's
always been quite clear from our
constitution and bylaws that we
planned to raise money and materi -
et for the freedom fighters," he
said. "The IRS was smarter than
the media on that.... There's no
problem there."
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09 :CIA-RDP90-009658000504130051-6