NICARAGUA/U.S.)JENNINGS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01070R000301450010-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 6, 2010
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: November 12, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2010/01/06: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000301450010-6
ABC WORLD NEWS-TONIGHT
12 November 1984
NICARAGUA/U.S.>JENNINGS: There is no letup in the tension between
Nicaragua and the Reagan administration. Today, the
Nicaraguan government said an American invasion was
imminent and put its armed forces on alert. ABC's Anne
Carrels is in Managua.
CARRELS: Nicaraguans woke up this morning to find tanks
positioned all over. the capital. Government radio
announced a full military alert. Soldiers are busily
digging trenches. The government has warned the
Nicaraguan armed forces of an imminent U.S. air attack,
and Sandinista civil defense committees have orders to
watch all opposition groups. It's not clear what sparked
today's mobilization. A U.S. frigate remains offshore,
where it has been for several days. The U.S. overflights
continue as they have for over a week.. 'We'll shoot the
U.S. spy planes down,' says a defiant Nicaraguan. But,
perhaps because they are now so used to these warnings,
most Nicaraguans seem remarkably unruffled by today's
military activity. Diplomats suggest. the Sandinistas are
deliberately exaggerating this latest crisis in order to
crack.down and deflect attention from the severe economic
problems here., Nicaragua is virtually bankrupt; the
shelves are bare., Sandinista leaders now travel to remote
areas, blaming the sacrifices people must make on U.S.
aggression. For all these dire predictions, there's a
strangely festive atmosphere to the Sandinista rallies.
But here in 'Montegaba, farmers stand to lose the most
from this alert, and they looked grim. Students who were
to help pick Nicaragua's most valuable export have been
ordered on defense detail, with officials saying it's
better to lose the coffee than the country. A popular
folk singer woos the crowds with a patriotic song, 'My
little Nicaragua, how dear you are, now that you are
free.' But under the.increasing military and economic
pressure from the United States, the cost of this
country's revolution grows higher. Anne Carrels, ABC
News, Managua, Nicaragua. <
AP04>NICARAGUA/USSR>JENNINGS: While the Nicaraguan government is doing what
it can to mobilize the population,-the Reagan
administration is struggling. over what to do about
Nicaragua's military capacity. Reports last week that
Soviet MiG fighters were possibly being delivered to
Nicaragua only intensified debate within the
administration. As ABC's John McWethy reports, nothing
has been resolved.
Coatirued
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 Approved For Release 2010/01/06: CIA-RDP88-01070R000301450010-6
MCWETHY: The Soviet fighter that the. Reagan
administration last week believed was carrying MiG
fighters to Nicaragua has now left. No high-performance
aircraft were unloaded. And as a result, the Reagan
administration was not compelled to follow through on its
threat to use military force, if necessary, to keep such
planes out of Nicaragua. The ground rule, in essence: If
no MiGs, then no'U.S. strike. This rule, as written by
Washington, is now firmly established, but some officials
feel it should be broader and much. tougher. They argue
the administration should try to stop Nicaragua from
getting other types of weapons as well. In the last two
weeks, for example, hundreds of tons of military supplies
have poured into Nicaragua, including new helicopters
armed with rockets and machine guns that can fight
CIA-backed guerrillas better than MiGs could. With that
in mind, there are many who feel the U.S. must be willing
to use military pressure to stop the arms flow to
Nicaragua all together. Among the options: one, push
Congress to provide more money for the CIA-backed Contras,
the 15,000-man guerrilla force that is working to
overthrow the government of Nicaragua. Two, run more
military exercises in the region to intimidate Nicargua.
And, three, if that fails, there are those who believe a
naval blockade must be considered-next. The Reagan
administration views Congress as a major impediment to a
more muscular policy toward Nicargua. Many Democrats say
Congress will continue to be an impediment, as long as the
administration is considering use of force to achieve its
end. John McWethy, ABC News, the State Department.. <
AP05>BRAZIL/OAS>JENNINGS: One of the key policy makers about Nicaragua, <
>MEETING>Secretary of State George Shultz, was in Brazil today for
a meeting of the Organization of American States, and
relations between Nicaragua and Washington are high on
that conference's agenda. Mr. Shultz said fears of an
invasion in Nicaragua are self-induced to whip up the
Nicaraguan population. Mr. Shultz said what needs to be
stopped is the Soviet attempt to bring in bigger weapons
to-Nicaragua. <
Approved For Release 2010/01/06 : CIA-RDP88-01070R000301450010-6