DUARTE CONQUERS CONGRESS ON AID TO EL SALVADOR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000100980003-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 22, 2010
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: May 23, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/22 : CIA-RDP90-00552R000100980003-2
STAT
GA'PA-?T._A-J_
WASHINGTON POST
23 May 1984
Duarte Conquers Congress OnAict
"He chose not to comment, saying
it was a decision for the United
o El Sal vdStates reported Rep. Matthew F.
McHugh (D-N.Y.) after Duarte met
f -- with the House Democratic Study
"I think he has sold enough people . Group.
House Approval Expected tin the House," O'Neill said. "The Rep. Michael D. Barnes (D-Md.),
votes are there overwhelmingly, de- chairman of the-Foreign Affairs sub-
By Joanne Omang ' spite my opposition." committee on the Western Hemi-
w~r,-ngcon Pose Starr writer But the aid is still plagued by the sphere and a longstanding critic of
President-elect Jose Napoleon Duarte of El Sal- contra issue. The House Select Com- U.S. policy in Central America, said
vador swept through Congress like a conquering mittee on Intelligence, which is ex- Duarte "is not pushing actively for
hero yesterday, winning broad assurance that an- petted to take the lead on the con- covert aid" to the contras. But he
ate-passed emergency military aid for El Salvador tras in House debate, met yesterday said Duarte's visit made Congress "a
will now win swift House approval. to decide its strategy on the question lot more receptive" to providing aid
But the delivery date remains uncertain be- but postponed a decision until today. to El Salvador.
cause of a provision in the same bill for $21 mil- "The question we're d_ealin~with "What we heard today is exactly
lion in aid to rebels against the leftist government is whether to cut off all the money what many of us have been saying
of Nicaragua. Key House leaders remained firm [for the contrasl_or to permit some for years is needed" in terms of
yesterday in their determination to shut that pro- money for winding dowbusll_to promises for human rights reforms,
gram down, discussing compromise only in terms _ insist that the _9peretion_be_=- curbs on the Salvadoran armed
of possible phase-out'money. cluded,", said Rep Lee H: Hamilton forces and the growth of democracy,
Th
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e
m-
pression Duarte made on members of Congress
the proposed $61.75 million in aid for his embat-
tled country and another $1.1 billion in appropri-
ations for food aid to Africa, women's and chil-
dren's nutrition, summer youth employment and
_
other programs in the same bill cannot pass until
the House and Senate agree on what to do about
the rebels in Nicaragua, called "contras."
During Duarte's triumphant tour of Capitol
Hill he. told at least two Housoups rivately
that he plans to remove from office a
top security officer. Treasw LF lke.
Chief Nicolas Carr anzaL_who has-
been - charmed with links to right-
_wing death__sgpads_and_the CIA, ac-
cording_._to... members _ who -were
present.
The controversial Carranza has
been moved from job to job in El
Salvador because of these charges,
but be has strong ties to rightist mil-
itary officers and civilians opposed
to Duarte and has never been for-
mally reprimanded.
By midday, House Speaker
.Thomas P. (Tip) O'Neill- Jr. JD-
Mass.) acknowledged that Duarte
had swayed House sentiment on aid
to his country.
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,_who is.- xpected_J become Barnes said. "Duarte's election has
c, airman of.the intelligence-commit- changed the atmosphere of Congress
tee in the next session ,of Congress. .... His case is a strong one and he
"That hasn't been decided vet." makes it well."
Other sources said there is strong Duarte reiterated , his warning,
sentiment within the committee fa- first made in a speech Monday, that
voring a total cutoff of the three- any strings attached to the aid would
year-old program as a way to pres- compromise Salvadoran national
sure the Republican-controlled Sen- sovereignty. "I would say it would
ate into being the first to make a mean they don't give me the trust I
formal phase-out proposal. need," he said after a meeting with
"That would seal the coffin," said r House Republicans. "Then I won't
one Democratic member. But the be president really."
Reagan administration has adamant- He added, however, that he had
ly refused that option so far, indicat- already promised Salvadoran voters
ing to several members that it would to make reforms tougher than any
rather get no funding now in hopes Congress had proposed
of reversing it later. Several House members are still
At each of his eight Capitol Hill
uneasy about providing aid to El
meetings yesterday, Duarte was re- Salvador without making it condi-
peatedly asked his views on the tional upon human rights advances
contra program, which the Reagan and progress toward land reform and
administration says is hindering Nic- democratization.
aragua from aiding leftist guerrillas "He needs the money to show that
in El Salvador. Duarte has previous- he is respected in the United States,"
ly endorsed the contras, but this said Rep. Clarence D. Long (D-Md.),
time he tried to talk mostly about El who chairs the Appropriations sub-
Salvador. committee on foreign operations.
'Basically we're being asked to take
his promises on faith .... If we give
it now, the military might just take
it for granted."