CIA LATIN PLANS COME UNDER FIRE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000100010024-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 21, 2010
• Sequence Number: 24
• Publication Date: July 15, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/21: CIA-RDP90-00552R000100010024-5
L,ASI INGTON TIMES
15 July 1983
STAT
CIA Latin plans come Ulluer tire
By Tncrnas D. Brandt
Capitol Hill Republicans yesterday chal-
lenged reports the CIA has plans to support
twice the number of anti-Sandinista insur-
gents in Nicaragua. Democrats accused the
administration of "simple-minded decep-
tion"
Democrats claimed deception included
concealing the real level of U.S. spending in
Central America, which, according to Rep.
William Alexander, D-Ark., could bea billion
dollars a year, and fighting an undeclared
war against Nicaragua.
Published reports stated the CIA plans to
back twice as many anti-Sandinista insur-
gents in Nicaragua - as high as 15,000 men.
House Minority Leader Bob Michel, R-Ill.,
sharply challenged the reports. "I was very
shocked to read some of that material. That's
not the way I read the tea leaves."
Asked why he thought the 15,000 figure
was too high, he replied: "I know better."
Michel said the American people "need to
be educated" on the necessity of covert oper-
ations. "Our enemies are doing that on a
broad scale," he said, adding that the current
U.S. involvement in Nicaragua should be
kept off the "front page"
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-ind., a member of
the Senate Intelligence and Foreign Rela-
tions committees, said that he was "not in a
position to confirm or deny" the reports.
At the White House, Deputy Press Sec-
retary Larry Speakes refused to comment
on other reports that the CIA was overspen-
ding its covert military aid budget to the
guerrillas opposing the Nicaraguan Sandin-
ista government, or was trying to overthrow
the government.
But he added President Reagan's asser-
tion of several months ago that the United
States was not doing anything to overthrow
the government in Nicaragua "still stands"
Alexander said, "Such a covert operation
is unbecoming to this great nation ... and
unsupported by-our allies abroad" He is
prominent in a group of House Democrats,
including Speaker Thomas P. O'Neill,
D-Mass., which is supporting a bill to end
covert aid in exchange for an $80 million,
two-year overt program to block the flow of
weapons to lefist insurgents.
Meanwhile House Majority Leader James
Wright, D-Te-x., was working on a compro-
mise position between the White House and
its Democratic opponents on conditions for
shutting off covert aid.
The plan, in broad outline, would cut off
U.S. covert aid into Nicaragua in exchange
for a commitment from the Sandinistas not
to aid leftist insurgents opposing the govern-
ment of El Salvador.
Published
reports stated
the CIA plans
to back twice
as many anti-
Sandinista
insurgents in
Nicaragua -
as high as
15,000 men.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/21: CIA-RDP90-00552R000100010024-5