REAGAN OFFERS CAPTURED ARMS AS THE PROOF OF 'THE CRIMES'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000504860017-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 7, 2012
• Sequence Number: 17
• Publication Date: March 14, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

~ Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08 :CIA-RDP90-009658000504860017-4 STAT
Reagan offers
captured arms
as the proof
of `the crimes
By Jeremiah O'Leary
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
President Reagan had an "eye-opening" look at weapons
captured from Central American Marxists yesterday and
declared they were proof of Sandinista crimes against the
people of Nicaragua and their neighbors.
The president viewed the display of rifles, grenade
launchers and mines at the State Department.
Mr. Reagan said if Congress does not act now on his $100
million bill for military and other assistance to the rebels
fighting Nicaragua's Sandinista regime, "irreparable disas-
ter" will result in Central America.
"If we do not act now to counter this subversive aggression
by helping the brave men and won-en of the Nicaraguan
democratic resistance, Americans will in the not too distant
future look to the south and see a string of anti-American
communist dictatorships;' the president said after listening
to three defectors from the Nicaraguan and Salvadoran left-
ist movements.
"If that happens, it will do no good to ask who's to blame,"
he said. "That's why I'm asking the Congress to set aside
partisan politics and act now to protect our national security
by helping those who want a democratic outcome in Nicara-
gua :'
The arms display, assembled largely for the benefit of
television cameras, marked the increasing escalation of Mr.
Reagan's all-out effort to win a vote on the $100 million,
scheduled Wednesday in the House.
Well aware that he faces an uphill
fight and does not yet have the votes
in the Democratic-controlled House,
Mr. Reagan is stepping up the tempo
of his drive to pull victory out of
defeat. He continued the pressure
yesterday by receiving another two
dozen members of Congress at the
White House. He also is granting a
number of interviews in hopes of
swaying public opinion to his side.
House Speaker Thomas P. O'Neill
Jr said yesterday 220 Democrats
and 15 Republicans in the 435-
member House oppose the
president's plan.
A bipartisan group of House
members was scheduled to leave
this morning on a one-day fact-
finding trip to Nicaragua and El Sal-
vador, the White House said.
The hastily organized trip will in-
clude about a dozen lawmakers.
VrASHINGTON TIMES
14 March 1986
Mr Reagan's campaign on behalf
of the aid proposal comes to a climax
this weekend when his regular Sat-
urday radio broadcast and an 8 p.m.
Sunday televised address to the na-
tion will focus on aid to the rebels.
He told listeners at the State De-
partment that the Ntcaraguan gov-
ernment is con uctin? a
well-mana ed cam ai of lies dis-
tortion and disin orma ~an_ e
themselves, but Americans can and
will see throueh this smokescreen"
he said. "The communist goal is to
paralyze us, to prevent us from do-
tn~ what is necessary to save Central
America: but thev will not cucceed "
The three Central Americans who
spoke before the president were
Alvaro Baldizon, a former high-
ranking Sandinista official; Teofilo
Archibald, a political spokesman for
the Creoles and Indians of Nicara-
gua, who was imprisoned, tortured
and then defected; and Napoleon Ro-
mero, former third-ranking mem-
ber of the Marxist FPL (Popular Lib-
eration Front) in El Salvador, who
defected after becoming disillu-
sioned with the revolution.
Mr. Reagan said he wished all
members of Congress could have
heard their message and seen the
weapons display.
He said the fledgling democra-
cies of Central America cannot be
expected to stand alone against this
kind of concerted international com-
munist effort. "Make no mistake;'
Mr. Reagan said. "This nation, too, is
threatened:'
Senior administration officials
said yesterday the president still is
standing firm for his $100 million aid
bill, with no compromise.
As the House vote draws closer,
sources say Mr. Reagan has has two
options: accept a measure that
would delay disbursement of $70
million in military aid while diplo-
maticefforts are stepped up, or face
a possible defeat and then redouble
his efforts for a victory in the Senate.
In an interview with The Balti-
more Sun, published yesterday, Mr.
Reagan said he would not want to
commit himself to any proposal
from members of Congress that
would delay arrival of the aid to the
resistance forces in Nicaragua.
It would be counterproductive,
Mr. Reagan said, if Congress im-
posed a 60- or 75-day delay that
would "take the trigger away from
me." Mr. Reagan said he would be
willing to talk to the legislators about
a delay only if no second vote was
required.
But he did acknowledge that i[ ~
would be fine with him if Congress
passes the aid bill with a period of
time established before it would be
carried oat, so long as the Sandin-
istas would be willing to come to the
negotiating table with the rebels
who oppose them.
"The important thing is that the
Sandinista government must not be
left any loopholes in which they be-
lieve there might still be a denial of
this help;' Mr. Reagan said in the
interview
The president said it would be
foolish to commit himself to a pledge ~
not to come back seeking more milt-
tary assistance for the democratic
forces after 18 months. He said that
would stiffen the Sandinistas' resis-
tance and send them the message
that all they have to do is hold ou[ for
18 months.
"If we do nothing and this is al-
lowed to grow and carry its rev-
olution across other borders, then
the threat will remain that there
would come a day when their hostil-
ities would be directed at our own
interests;' Mr. Reagan said.
"And that is the time in which you
could say that a -yes, then Amer-
ican forces would be involved be-
causethe hostilities were directed at
us :'
But the president hastened to
deny the interpretation of this as
leaving the door open for use of
American troops in Nicaragua. "I
don't think we'd have a friend left in
Latin America if we used American
forces;' he said.
Mr. Reagan .refused to say
whether he would have any political
hard feelings toward Republicans
who do not back him up in next
Wednesday's vote on the aid bill. "I'd
just better swallow hard and not an-
swer aquestion like that;' he said.
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08 :CIA-RDP90-009658000504860017-4