WHITE HOUSE CONFIRMS CRASH

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01070R000301410005-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 6, 2010
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: October 19, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2010/01/06: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000301410005-6
RADIO TV REPORTS, INC.
4701 WILLARD AVENUE, CHEVY CHASE, MARYLAND 20815 [phone]
DATE October 19, 1984 8:00 PM
White House Confirms Crash
STATION CNN-TV
Cable News
Network
Washington, DC
DON FARMER: Just two days before the presidential
candidates debate foreign policy issues, there are events
around the world tonight that could have an impact on the
debates and the campaign, and on this country.
Tonight, the Reagan Administration says an American
intelligence plane monitoring arms movements by the Nicaraguan
government has crashed into a mountain near San Salvador, in El
Salvador.
Four American, quote, "CIA civilians," are said to
have been killed.
Let's get more on that story now from Bernard Shaw, in
Washington.
BERNARD SHAW: The White House tonight is confirming
that crash. Let's go live to there and correspondent Mary
Tillotson.
MARY TILLOTSON: Bernie, Administration officials say
that four CIA employees, one of them a full-time regular
employee at the agency, three of them freelancers working on
the contract, all of them Americans, were killed early this
morning when the reconnaissance plane in which they were flying
crashed in heavy rain into the mountains outside San Salvador,
the capital of El Salvador. There were no survivors in that
crash.
Administration officials say that the plane was under
OFFICES IN: WASHINGTON D.C. ? NEW YORK ? LOS ANGELES ? CHICAGO ? DETROIT ? AND OTHER PRINCIPAL CITIES
Material supp `^1'' - ^ r i "o^ ^^v"''ted or exhibited,
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 Approved For Release 2010/01/06: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000301410005-6
contract both to the United States and the Salvadoran govern-
ment. The mission of the CIA crew was to track the flow of
arms supposedly coming from the Marxist Nicaraguan government
into the country of El Salvador to the leftist rebels fighting
the government there.
New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the ranking
Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN this
evening that he is satisfied the mission was within the
guidelines acceptable to Congress.
SENATOR DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN: This operation
within El Salvador has been approved by the committees and
funded by the Congress.
REPORTER: There was no relationship between what
happened here and the covert war in Nicaragua?
SENATOR MOYNIHAN: No, sir, this has to do with the
cessation of the foreign intervention in El Salvador.
TILLOTSON: Administration officials say the families
of all those four CIA employees killed in the crash have now
been identified about their family members' deaths, but no
identities have been released by the government as yet.
Mary Tillotson, CNN, at the White House.
SHAW: And Walter Mondale took time off today from his
debate preparation to hold a news conference outside his
Washington home. The subject was the CIA handbook for Nicarag-
uan rebels.
Mondale demanded President Reagan take action.
WALTER MONDALE: The first is that he fire Bill Casey
as the Director of the CIA before the Sunday debate so that we
can get on with the necessary work of restoring the strength
and the credibility of that crucial agency.
SHAW: Mondale says he does not believe the White
House explanation that the manual was written by a low level
CIA worker.
Approved For Release 2010/01/06: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000301410005-6