WHITE HOUSE ON CIA AND MANDELA ARREST: DONT ASK US

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06529841
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: February 24, 2023
• Document Release Date: February 24, 2023
• Case Number: F-2014-00485
• Publication Date: June 13, 1990

Approved for Release: 2017/07/13 C06529841
White House on CIA and
Mandela arrest:
Don't ask us
By Michael K. Frisby
GLOBE STAFF
WASHINGTON - The White House
yesterday brushed aside accusations that
the Central Intelligence Agency assisted
South Africa in capturing Nelson Mandela
in 1962 and referred questions to former
members of the Kennedy administration
and a member of the Kennedy family.
After being asked repeatedly whether
the charges were accurate, the White
House press secretary, Marlin Fitzwater,
angrily told reporters at his daily briefing
that they were questioning the wrong peo-
ple.
"If you want to know what happened,
ask Pierre Salinger, Ted Sorensen or Ted
Kennedy, but don't beat me up for what the
Kennedy administration did," Fitzwater
told reporters. "I don't like it when people
question our motives in regard to blacks or
Mandela in relation to something the Ken-
nedys did."
Paul Donovan, a spokesman for Sen.
Edward M. Kennedy, said the senator has
"no information on the issue" of CIA in-
volvement in Mandela's arrest.
Edward Kennedy was in the thick of his
campaign for election to the Senate when
Mandela was arrested ori Aug. 5, 1962. He
was elected that fall.
Mandela, the (kitty president of the
African National Congress, will visit the
United States for 14 days beginning next
week and is scheduled to meet with Presi-
dent Bush June 25.
Fitzwafer dedined to say whether Bush
would apologize for any possible CIA in-
volvement in:the arrest of Mandela, who
was released from jail only in February.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution re-
ported Sunday that Mandela was seized at a
police roadblock near Durban after the CIA
informed the South African government
"what he would be wearing, the time of day,
just where he would be."
Fitzwater refused to confirm or deny
the charges. "Well, the fact is, we just don't
comment on these kinds of intelligence mat-
ters," said Fitzwater.
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In declining to say if Bush might apolo-
gize, Fitzwater said, 'Well, we welcome Mr.
Mandela to this country. ... we want to fight
apartheid as best we can, and we find no
value in reviewing a 30-year-old history in
this case. Our attitude toward Mandela is
one of total support, and we want to demon-
strate that to him when he comes."
Meanwhile, preparations were continu-
ing for Mandela's visit, which will include
stops in New York, Boston, Atlanta, De-
troit, Los Angeles and Oakland.
Mandela is scheduled to be in Boston on
June 23 for a meeting with students at
Madison Park High School, a lunch at the
John F. Kennedy Library and a rally on the
Esplanade.
There has been growing concern in
Washington about the logistics for the trip.
The planners, who include TransAfrica
and the African National Congress, have
decided not to have a press plane, paid for
by the media, accompany Mandela - as is
customary on a trip of such magnitude -
and are offering no ground transportation
for reporters, according to representatives
of the trip sponsors who were interviewed
yesterday.
Some planners said that Mandela was
advised to visit the United States in August
or September to allow more time for logisti-
cal preparations, but he insisted on a June
trip.
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Approved for Release: 2017/07/13 C06529841