BEHIND THE SCENES IN NICARAGUA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000100630005-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 23, 2010
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: July 21, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/23: CIA-RDP90-00552R000100630005-8
WASHINGTON TIMES
21 July 1983
M. STAN TON ENANS
Behind the scenes in Nicaragua
Based on the sensational
statements of a newly
defected Sandinista secu-
rity official,. Reagan
administration warnings about the
crisis in the Caribbean are an
understatement
and 20-25 Bulgarians. "The real
power is with the Soviets. The
Cubans feel they are underlings
and have a high regard for the Sovi-
ets "
+ Arms have flooded into the
According to Miguel Bolanos w I country from the Soviets including
Hunter, who escaped from Nicara- bazookas, machine guns, armored
gua in May and made his wayto`the i personnel -carriers, tanks, SAM
United States through Costa Rica, missiles and 200,000. AK-47s
the Marxist government in his Underground -missile bases have
homeland is the major focus of sub- been constructed, one of which is
version in this hemisphere. Stuffed
with Communist arms and Soviet-
bloc advisers, the Sandinista gov-,
ernment as he depicts it is the chief
supplier and promoter of the insur-
rection in El Salvador, and of i have handguns which are the same
Marxist-guerrilla actions as the-KGB uses ...'!,The wvhole
throughout the region. structure of the security system,
Bolanos, who fought on the side the methods and means of working
of the Sandinistas in 1978 and 1979 are from handbooks and studies
and had- served in state -security given in Cuban and Bulgaria. This
(meaning secret police)since 1980, yearwe,will-send peopledireetlyto
made these points- in a wide- the Soviet Union"
ranging press briefing conducted i The Sandinistas are the major
at the Heritage Foundation. "Nice- source of supply for the guerrillas
ragua," he said, "has become today fighting in E l Salvador,
the new Cuba spread The base intserna- transporting arms and ammunition
tional communism m in in for the the Westtern ern by boat, truck and small aircraft.
Hemisphere." e W They are encouraged by the Soviets
there, he e insurgen-
added, who promise to give the Sandinistas
planned Targets
include s being eing planna ned d a, altwo AK-47s for every one provided
nclude Costa Rica, Guatemala, Salvador insurgents.
Honduras, Colombia and Argen- to the 9 "The Sandinistas give total
tins. help, advice and direction on how to
Extensively debriefed by the manage the war and internal poli-
State Department and Central tics. The guerrillas are trained in
Intelligence Agency, Bolanos has Managua, the Sandinistas help the
proved persuasive to U.S. officials Air Force, Army and Navy get arms
and presumably skeptical inter- through ... They use the houses of
viewers from The Washington Post. Nicaraguan officers for safe houses
He is a prolific sourceof data about- and command posts ... You can say
Soviet-Cuban involve ennin Nica-
man-
ragua, killings by the regime, war- aged h Nicaragua.
"
fare against the Catholic Church,
use of blackmail, double agents and In addition to these basics,
other intelligence tricks. Yet, Bolanos testified concerning San-
incredibly enough, he has yet to be dinista brutality and deception, nei-
called to testify by any committee Cher of which would seem to be in
of the Congress. Among the specif- short supply. He recounted the
ics he alleges: summary execution of prisoners
e There are 5,000 Cuban captured after the Sandinista take-
teachers and educational advisers ' over, and the "psychological tor-
in Nicaragua, 2,000 involved in ture" administered to opponents of
undercover military operations, the regime, including a leader of
400 involved. with state security. In the Miskito Indians.
addition, there are about 70 Soviets
involved with the state-security
nnnarari,c 40 S0 East Germans,
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/23: CIA-RDP90-00552R000100630005-8
probably operational now. The
Soviets have lavished arms aid on
the. Sandinistas gratis, exacting
payment mother ways.
? "The state security forces
Bolanos also told of schemes to
.entrap and discredit American offi-
cials, disrupt the visit of the Pope,
frame and intimidate priests,
manipulate church groups such as
the Maryknolls, and plant double
agents in the media. His provoca-
tive statements on these last two
subjects barely skimmed the sur-
face, and merit an extensive follow-
up. One has to wonder why he hasn't
been called to testify about these
matters before the Congress. i
STAT