NO CLEAR LEGAL LIMITS ON 'CONTRA' AID

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000504480012-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 9, 2012
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: August 15, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504480012-1
WK LE g PPMf- Lnr1J111 N )U NUL MUNI IUR
ON eAGE 15 August 1985
No clear legal limits on 'contra9 aid
By Does ~tration role in raising r~private funds defy spirit of law?
Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor"~SL?
W And provisions of US neutrality laws prohibit Ameri-
The Reagan administration is walking a fine legal can citizens from helping to fund or plan military oper-
line in helping "contra" rebels wage war against US iOns is directed against any government with which the
Nicaragua's Sandinista government. pp? By Providing military advice and abet-
Even if Reagan officials are not breaking any ting private fund-raising efforts, the administration has
laws, they have gone further than Congress wants, duectly ~oIa~d the 1794 statutes, they say
critics say. But it isn't likely Congress will do _ It's not likely either law will provide much help in en-
i
cs aytB, they concede. any forcing limits on US involvement in Nicaragua. 9~Iia-
ffi
"The political will just isn't there to take Reagan won supporters note that unlike the Central Intelli-
on," says and source familiar with congressional atti- the NSC is not squall an in ' vice
tudes on the issue. and is not su to the Boland amen~nent.
Since Congress cut off funding to the contras last They also point to a recent federal court decision prohib-
year; the guerrilla war has been kept alive by the ef- Tithing US citizens from bringing suit under the neutrality
forts of a small number of closely linked US private meant In any case, they argue, these laws were never
groups on the extreme right. m to apply to US officials.
According to recent news reports, the Reagan ad Legal arguments aside, critics say there's still the mat-
ministration has played a major role during this ter of ignoring the intent of Congress. Last month, the
rind b hel pe- House and Senate finally agreed to resume funding to the
y ping to raise funds from the private sector contras, but only after barring US aid for military pur-
n
coanders. dmmbyy providing direct military advice to contra poses. Critics say by helping to raise p vattee funds -
which contra leaders say are used to buy weapons - the
Reports say the key man for the effort is Marine Reagan administration has disregarded the intent of
Lt. Col. Oliver L. North, an intelligence expert and Congress.
senior aide to national-security adviser Robert C. Congressional reaction will be difficult to gauge until
McFarlane. Administration sources acknowledge lawmakers return from recess after Labor Day. If enough
that Colonel North has met regularly with rebel lead- members see the issue as a direct challenge to their role
ers, both here and in Central America, and has ap- in foreign policymaking, Co
peared at frequent privately sponsored fund-raising the activities of the NSC, could
private seek to groups, by
events for contras. , and even of f private groups, by
[In an interview in yesterday's Washington Post, l ti . the Boland amendment or by enacting new
Adolfo Calero, head of the largest US-backed contra But given the more hawkish foreign policy mood on
group, confirn)ed_that he had met on several occa- Capitol Hill, there's little chance Congress will hold the
sions with North and other members of the National administration's feet to the fire on the private-aid issue,
Security Council INSC-.)
Last year between $15 million and $25 million in cash with the President" sources say "The political momentum is
P
and "in kind" private contributions were raised to sup- of Penn v ia, a,,,memsays bber of Rep. the Peter House se Foreign A Rreign A r IDs
poet the contras. Much of the money has reportedly beC' a ,member
used to purchase weapons, including some DC-3 trans- With the influx of new US and private funding, Con-
pert aircraft war deep that extend inside Nicene' capacity to carry ~ gress and the administration will be watching closely to
Responding to news reports, President Reagan said h its sump o the contra war.
aid and advice for contra The resumption of official US aid has been symboli-
aid an groups were "not violating any cally important, raising morale of contra forces to the
laws." highest
But opponents of ,s N level in years, experts say.
Reagan 's policy say in-
volvennent of administration officials violates the spirit, More the money will ensure the flow -
and maybe even the letter, of at least two laws. Ialso weapons, contra spokesmen say may make it
raises questions about the distribution of foreign during e arm and field thousands of additional soldiers
coming gmonths.
Policymaldng responsibilities between Congress t dos Last month the
executive branch. guerrilla forces launched a major new of-
fensive that took contra forces deep inside Nicaragua,
The 194 "Boland amendment" to the Defense DR- the most serious
a nations bill its us enc in- military threat tOthe '
volved activitree year
or regime.
ui support .. operations inside- Ncma-
gua. Te amendment. which remains in effect until octal
bee; was enacted soeG5rally to prevent the kind of clan
destine actevitaes reportedly conducted by NSC officials
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504480012-1