CENTRAL AMERICA/U.S. AID

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01070R000201150010-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 10, 2008
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: April 9, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2008/12/10: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000201150010-0
9 April 1984
CENTRAL AMERICA JENNINGS: Good evening. The government of Nicaragua has
/U.S. AID taken its case against the United States to the World
Court in the Hague. Nicaragua has a long list of charges,
one of which is U.S. responsibility for mining Nicaraguan
ports. Outside the court today, the Nicaraguan ambassador
to Holland explained his country's position. CARLOS
ARGUELLO GOMEZ (Nicaraguan Ambassador to the Netherlands):
...because Nicaragua feels that it is a legal case., that
international law is being violated, that the killing of
people, the aiding to the contras to kill people in
Nicaragua, to mine our ports, to destroy hospitals, to
destroy industries in Nicaragua is a violation of
international law.
JENNINGS: The U.S.-supported campaign against Nicaragua
is not new. Only last week, the Senate voted in favor of
another $21 million to support the antigovernment rebels.
Many members of Congress have opposed the mining of
Nicaragua's harbors, and what has upset them today is the
administration's decision to ignore the World Court.
Charles Gibson is on Capitol Hill.
GIBSON: The twin revelations, first, that the CIA had
supervised the mining of Nicaraguan harbors, and second,
that the U.S. would ignore World Court actions, touched
off a congressional firestorm today. REP. MICHAEL BARNES
(D-Md.): I'm shocked, frankly, that the president of the
United States would show so little respect for
international law. REP. BERKLEY BEDELL (D-Iowa): These
elements of President Reagan's Central American policy
border on sheer lunacy. The mining of harbors is an act
of war. Does the president realize or accept
responsibility for such actions? REP. PETER KOSTMAYER
(D-Penn.): The president formulates, but the Congress
appropriates. Cut him off now.
GIBSON: The congressional anger comes at a bad time for
the administration. It comes just as House-Senate
conferees are due to take up $21 million in aid requested
by the administration for the anticommunist Nicaraguan
rebels and $61 million in military aid for the government
of El Salvador. These revelations could kill those funds.
The speaker was asked if the House will ever pass any more
money for the rebels in Nicaragua. REP. THOMAS O'NEILL
(Speaker of the House): I doubt it. I doubt that the
House will ever pass it.
GIBSON: The Senate had voted just last week'to fund the
anticommunist rebels in Nicaragua. Today, some senators,
even influential Republicans, were saying the
Continued
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 Approved For Release 2008/12/10: CIA-RDP88-01070R000201150010-0
administration never told them last week about mining the
harbor. SEN. CHARLES PERCY (R-Ill.): I was just as
surprised and shocked when I read this report as all of us
were. I was unaware of that particular activity, uh, and
apparently, the intelligence committees have not been kept
up to date on it.
GIBSON: But other senators said they knew exactly what
they were voting on. SEN. PATRICK LEAFY (D-Vt.): All of
the senators who voted on this last week really knew what
they were voting on, no matter what they say this week.
And a majority of them did vote to pass the money.
GIBSON: CIA Director William Casey will be here tomorrow
to try to repai a amage and calm the anger, but the
anger is obvious y there. Already this evening, Sen.
Edward Kennedy has on the floor of the Senate a resolution
that says the U.S. should not ignore the World Court and
should not fund the mining of harbors. And there is anger
from other members of Con ress who say the CIA is now
involved in other activities in Nicaragua, activities that
trouble them, they say, just as much as the minin of
har ors, ar es i son, A-gC News, Capitol Hill.
PEU
Approved For Release 2008/12/10: CIA-RDP88-01070R000201150010-0