WHITE HOUSE: DEM REPS UNDERMINED NIC MISSION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100020118-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 17, 2012
• Sequence Number: 118
• Publication Date: April 12, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/17 :CIA-RDP91-005618000100020118-9
- By NILIIS LATAEM
! Bureau Chief
WASHINGTON -The
~ Reagan a ministration
~ believes'~bemocrats on
~ the ~iouseTnfeZl't nce
Committee un ermin
II.S. effoi'ES pr?Oessure
-ibe goveramen-t o~'Tv~c_
siagua ~ eaking-
sensitive eta1T about
s.l' ~CId's coveriulaer8-
lion in Central America'
W the~ress, -
+Senior administration
officials told The Post
last night that they be-
lieve committee mem-
bers leaked secret de-
tails of a briefing
Director VG'illiastl_Casey
gave them about. the
mine-laying operation
in Nicaraguan harbors.
They believe the moti-
vation behind the leaks
was to score .political
points against .Presi?
dent Reagan .during an
election year.. -
White House officials
announced _ yesterday
that the mining.stopped ;
earlier this week after
the administration
came under heavy fire
from Congress and U.S.
allies.
Officials are hoping
that, by -stopping the
mining, Reagan ~ can ?
convince the House to
approve a bill which
would give S21 million
of emergency aid to
CIA-backed guerrillas '
for other activities.
A senior t~S'hlte House
official said yesterday
that a CIA_ ship, regis-
tered in.Panama,.whieh
is orchestrating the
mining, left Nicaraguan ,
K?aters two days ago.
ii~arhor
mirting~.
sere is
leaked
NEB,' YORK POST
12 April 1984
issue of" it until last get ass
p age for the S21
weekend
.
But the ship left after ?' It is no coincidence, thelrebej~d package for
elite CIA-employed : say' officials, that the The Senate approved
commandos ffrom Ar- criticism came after the aid before the mia-
gentina and Chile made ~ Caste briefed members ing furor erupted last
another run in the Nica- of the House Intellt- week, but House
raguan harbors to plant gence Committee two -..Speaker Tip O'Neill has
a series of acoustic Weeks ago. predicted that it will
mines. White House officials not pass the House.
"I wouldn't ? run a believe that someone on -
speedboat by there," the that committee leaked ~ O'Neill ,vesterdav
secret details of the called the minin
thereglare ~ implying ,operation to, the .press operation "terro sir' m_ at
still some - . _ _ --
d~cr. .
The Post reported in
Monday's edition chat
the Adrriinistratioa wa`s
forced to back down
after islembers of .Con-
gress became enraged
that the mining opera-
tion was going on with-
out formal .notification
from the CIA.
. But, u?hl~?'The Admin-
istration has backed
down, it remains furi?
ous with members of
Congress who may
have jeopardized the";
kev, eletnPnf -;., ;.~ ,.~
forts to stop the spread
of revolution in Central
America. '
White House officials .
noted yesterday -that
the existence of the
mining operation was
reported in the press as
early as January.
But members of Con-
gress did not make an -
"There may have And . he added that
been some laws violet- Case ~ none erv,
ed.". said an official, verv poorly as head of
-?? - - -- .-.e r...
-
may tx called to roves- ne pas taken liber-
tigate the matter. .ties that no of er mem-
The House and Senate ber of tLe'CIA'has ever
Intelligence Commit? none before,"- the
tees were formed in 5pe~:ker said-~-
1915 to oversee the Administration offi-
operations of the U.S. cials said that if Con.
intelligence agencies. gress fails to approve
The. ,c~jA; and .other the funding, the ~
agencies were required may be forced to halt
?to disclose all details of the entire anti-Sandin-
th
l
e
r operations to the ista operation as early
committees, but com-? as next week.
~,.,?~ memoers and
staffers are sworn to se-
Crecy about what is dis-
cussed.
The Senate on Tues-
day night voted &4.12 to
condemn the mining
operation - a move
which isnon-binding.
The administration is
expected to launch a
lobbying campaign to
But other ~intelligenee
experts noted that the
anti-Sandinista rebels,
who have been operating
out of bases in Honduras
for two years, still may
continue their campaign
? with aid from Latin Am-
nerican countries like Ar-
gentina -
Israel is also known to
be assisting the rebels.
STAT
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/17 :CIA-RDP91-005618000100020118-9