CENTRAL AMERICA: SERIES OF REPORTS

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP88-01070R000100120003-9
Release Decision: 
RIFPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
4
Document Creation Date: 
December 20, 2016
Document Release Date: 
May 17, 2007
Sequence Number: 
3
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
March 18, 1982
Content Type: 
OPEN SOURCE
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PDF icon CIA-RDP88-01070R000100120003-9.pdf209.08 KB
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Approved For Release 2007/05/18: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000100120003-9 RADIO TV REPORTS, INC. NBC Nightly News March 18, 1982 7:00 PM STATION W R C TV NBC Network Central America: Series of Reports JOHN CHANCELLOR: Good evening. Washington, DC In Central America, more trouble involving Nicaragua. It was reported today that near its border with Honduras, Nicara- guan troops got in a fire fight with anti-government guerillas sometime yesterday, in which 11 guerillas and three government soldiers died. Honduras borders on both Nicaragua, with a left-wing government opposed by the United States; and El Salvador, whose government is supported by the United States. And Brian Ross reports from Honduras that American military advisors and men Argentina are Hondurans to take a more active role in the troubles of Central America. BRIAN ROSS: This is Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras, and a city that American diplomatic sources and sources in the intelligence community say may soon become headquarters for a secret war of infiltration and sabotage against the country to the south, Nicaragua. Since the first year, dozens of American military personnel have been sent to Honduras, described as advisers to the Honduran army. Some of them travel around in government jeeps, wearing US Army uniforms. Others try to operate less conspicuously, dressed in civilian clothing, and traveling in small groups in rented vans and cars, all appearing to be unarmed. American embassy officials in Honduras say with the new Army personnel to arrive this week there are now at least 95 American soldiers in Honduras as advisers, almost twice the number of American military advisers reported to be in El Salva- OFFICES IN: WASHINGTON D.C. ? NEW YORK ? LOS ANGELES ? CHICAGO ? DETROIT ? AND OTHER PRINCIPAL CITIES Material supplied by Radio N Reports Inc. may be used for file and reference purposes only. It may not be reproduced, sold or publicly demonstrated or exhibited. Approved For Release 2007/05/18: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000100120003-9 Approved For Release 2007/05/18: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000100120003-9 The big buildup in the number of American military advisers here comes at a time when former Nicaraguan military men who served in the regime of Anastasio Somoza say a para- military force is now being assembled to conduct sabotage raids into Nicaragua. Sources say at least one training camp is now being run in Honduras by military advisers from Argentina, and that Ameri- can military advisers are involved in obtaining weapons for this force, including laser rifle scopes and artillery range fingers, which can be used at night. Sources say this force, which is made in part by former military men from Nicaragua, was involved in two raids last weekend into Nicaragua, which led the government in Nicaragua to declare a state of seige. And while American military advisers are apparently not involved in training the paramilitary force, some of the training the Americans are doing with the Honduran army involves special infiltration techniques. The men in the dark jumpsuits are American Army parachute specialists teaching a special high- altitude jump which they say is perfect for infiltration. CAPTAIN RICHARD GORSON: It would be for an infiltra- tion technique undetected. The aircraft could fly at an altitude that would not be detected from the ground. ROSS: Officially, the United States and Honduras say all that is going on here is the kind of standard military training the United States provides to many countries. But American sources and others involved here say Honduras, with its long borders on Nicaragua and El Salvador, is about to become deeply involved in the conflict in Central America. Brian Ross, NBC News, Honduras. CHANCELLOR: We asked the Argentine Embassy in Washing- ton to comment on all that, and it denied that any of its citi- zens were training covert actions forces in Honduras. American officials said it was ridiculous to say that Americans are ob- taining sophisticated weapons for the force, but also said they routinely to not comment on allegations of covert activity. And on the Nicaraguan side of the border with Honduras, there's a buildup of forces. Robin Lloyd has the story from Nicaragua. ROBIN LLOYD: The Nicaraguans are steadily building up their military strength on the border with Honduras. The two bridges that were blown up by anti-government guerillas a few days ago are going closely guarded while repairs are made. Approved For Release 2007/05/18: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000100120003-9 Approved For Release 2007/05/18: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000100120003-9 Nicaraguan leaders charge that the CIA was involved. Border outposts like this one have sentries on duty day and night. Military training camps, some 20 miles from the Honduran border, are active. Soldiers are reporting scat- tered shootouts in many areas. Meanwhile, here in Managua, the Reagan Administration's foreign policy increasingly is coming under fire. Nicaragua's leaders are demanding that the United States stop building up its military presence in the region. Commandante Tomas Borge, one of Nicaragua's top leaders, told reporters yesterday that Nicaragua will not negotiate with the United States until the Reagan administration guarantees it will not intervene in Nicaragua or El Salvador. He said, quote, "you can't negotiate when you have a pistol pointed at you." Today, a group of Americans living in Nicaragua also were critical of the administration's policies. Patricia Hines, of the Centeral American Historical Institute. PATRICA HINES: ....concerned that, when people express concern over my safety in Nicaragua, I have to say to them that the only danger that I am in in Nicaragua comes from the actions of my own government. LLOYD: Nicaragua's leaders have announced that militia training will continue at full speed. They claim they have more than 100,000 people signed up for the militia now. What they have not said is how many of these people they can arm. Robin Lloyd, NBC News, Managua. CHANCELLOR: There is an anti-leftist group of Nicarguans based in the United States, called the National Liberation Army, which has claimed responsibility for blowing up six bridges in Nicaragua. Today in Washington, the Justice Department said it is looking into that group's activities. More from Washington, from Roger Mudd. ROGER MUDD: The Reagan Administration has just about put a lid on all briefings, comments, and public relations exer- cizes involving El Salvador and Nicaragua. The Administration still is smarting over the 19 year old Nicaraguan soldier who didn't say what he was supposed to say. Today, in El Salvador, four members of a Dutch television crew were killed when they reportedly got caught in a cross-fire between the guerillas and the government. Dan Molina reports. DAN MOLINA: The confirmation that these four Dutch journalists had been killed in El Salvador came today from the Approved For Release 2007/05/18: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000100120003-9 Approved For Release 2007/05/18: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000100120003-9 Dutch Ambassador in Mexico. Ambassador Van Warden told NBC News that the Foreign Minister of El Salvador relayed word that the four, all members of a television crew, were killed in a fire fight. The place where they died is said to been an are about 40 miles north of San Salvador, in the southern part of the Chela Tanongo (?) Province. This area has been the scene of heavy fighting. Today this bloody clothing was found in the area, along with a film can. It can't be confirmed that any of this belonged to the Dutch crew, and no bodies were seen. Until yesterday, the four men had been staying in this San Salvador hotel, the Hotel Alameda. The desk clerk told us they checked out yesterday with the intention of returning on Saturday. Last Thursday night the men were taken to this police headquarters and question for five hours by government security forces. According to this article published the next day in a San Salvador newspaper, a guerilla killed by government troops was found to be carrying a piece of paper that read, "contact with Kuef Kauster (?) at the Alameda Hotel, Room 418, telephone 239999, Dutch. Yokovis Kauster was a producer in the group. During questioning, the article says Kauster said he didn't know any terrorists in this country, and possibly his name had been given to the guerillas by another journalist. Late this afternoon a spokesman for the military con- firmed that the four journalists are dead. No one has as yet supplied any information as to who killed them. Dan Molina, NBC News, San Salvador. MUDD: The estimate is that in 2 1/2 year sof fighting in El Salvador, about 32,000 people have been killed. Nine journ- alists are dead, two missing and presumed dead, and 12 wounded. Approved For Release 2007/05/18-:-C'IA- DP88-01070R0o01001 00a -9