21 JUNE 1984 THE NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90B01370R001301770019-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 2, 2009
• Sequence Number: 19
• Publication Date: July 10, 1984
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release 2009/02/02: CIA-RDP90B01370R001301770019-3 ~e--o
ADMINISTRATIVE - INTERNAL USE ONLY
OLL 84-2502
10 July 1984
MEMORANDUM FOR: Chief, EPA
ATTENTION:
VIA:
FROM:
Chief, OLL/Liaison Division
raison ivision enate Liaison
SUBJECT: 21 June 1984 The New York Times Article
Mr. Tom Connolly, Senator Biden's designee on the Senate
Select Committee on Intelligence, is interested in the validity
of the 21 June 1984 The New York Times article entitled
"Nicaragua Says It Has Broken Up Rebel Ring." If .the article
is true, Connolly is interested in a damage assessment. A
reply would be appreciated by 17 July 1984.
Attachment:
21 June 84 New York Times article
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
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OLL/LDP law
Distribution:
Original - Addressee
1 - OLL Record
1 - OLL Chrono
1 -F ~hrono
STAT
STAT
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ARTICLE APPEARED NEW YORK TIME S
ON PAGE- 6 21 June 1984
Nicaragua Say as ? s It H
Broken
By STEPHEN KINZER
Speelal to The Hew Yost Ttmee
MANAGUA, Nicaragua, June 20
The Nicaraguan Government said
today that it had broken up a subver-
sive network . that was planning to
carry out acts of sabotage and "create
anxietyand fear among our people."
According to the Sandinista security
chief, Lenin Cerna, the network was in
contact with opposition political lead-,
ere, anti-Sandinista trade unions and at
least one Roman Catholic priest. Lead-,
ere of the groups implicated denied the
r. Cerna rna said the priest; the Rev.
Luis Amando Pena, had been turned
over to the custody of ;be Papal Nuncio
in Managua. Mr. Cerna showed corre-
spondents a videotape in which Father
i Pena appeared to be viewing explosive
devices at the home of a person said to
be a subversive organizer.'
At a news conference, Mr. Cerra in-
troduced the organizer, a Nicaraguan
whom he identified as "chief of the gen-
eral staff of the internal front" of the
anti-Sandinista guerrilla group known
as the Nicaraguan Democratic Force.
The prisoner, who identified himself as
Pedro Hernan Espinoza Sanchez, im-
plicated Father Pefia, leaders of the
Democratic Conservative Party and
members of two independent labor con-
federations as having collaborated
with rebels.
Leaders of each organization denied
the charges A spokesman for the Nica-
raguan Democratic Force, Frank
Arana, said in a telephone interview
from Honduras that "we have an inter-
nal front, but none of these people are
involved." He said he had never heard
Mr. Espinoza's name before today.
In recent weeks, Sandinista officials
have placed increasing emphasis on
what they have portrayed as stepped-
up efforts by rebels to build a "social
base" of clandestine rebel support in
Nicaraguan towns and cities. Rebels
were apparently aided by local resi-
dents in attacks in the last few months.
Mr. Cerna said the job of Mr. Espino-
za's network was to sow panic, lead
Nicaraguans to blame the Sandinista
Government for shortages of basic
goods "and create the climate.for an in-'
tervention by the United States." He
charged that Mr. Espinoza was follow-
" lans formulated by the C.f.A.?'
puma, w a to be
about 30 years old, said he was fe-
c cited to join and-Sandinista rebels in
1981. He said he had been in touch with
Miriam Arguello and Mario Rappac-
doll, two leaders of the Democratic
Conservative Party. Mrs. Arguello was
not available for comment, but Mr.
Rappaccioli said in a telephone inter-
view that the charge was unfounded.
Up. Rebel Ring.;;
Mr. Espinoza did not give details of
his meeting with Father Pefia, nor did..
Sandinista officials say when or where r,
the videotape
him was purporting to implicate
'made
In ?an interview after the news col.
ference, the Nicaraguan Archb
Miguel Obando y Bravo, said Fa~tKer"
Pena "works in a poor slum and is ds.??`'
voted to spreading the Gospel." He said
Father Pefia and other Roman Catholic"
priests maintained contact "with any
one who seeks pastoral help" but not
with armed rebels.
In his hourlong statement; Mr.. E gm
pinoza said one of his principal goals
was to sabotage Government instalfa-'
tions. He did not mention any success
ful sabotage operations.
Mr. Cerra declined to give details +of
the fate of other -members of the pur
ported subversive ring, saying only,,
that "some have been detained for '
months, others have left the country.!'--
Mr. Espinoza concentrated his alle- .
gations. against the Confederation oY ?:
Nicaraguan Workers, a nonSandinista'
labor organization that. says it has ~ '
19,000 members. A leader of the confed?
eration; Jose Altimirano, said he Con-'
sidered the allegations "part of an of-
fort the Sandinistas have been pushing
for some time to discredit opposition
groups by, linking .them"with. armed,
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