DEMOCRAT BACKS AID TO CONTRA GUERRILLAS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000201880002-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 21, 2010
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: August 1, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/21 : CIA-RDP90-00552R000201880002-2
ARTICLE APPEAttxv
ON,PAGE__? j, __
1 August 1984
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By Jay Malvin Sr.
NMSHHOTON TIMES
Rep. Dante B. Fascell,"chairman
of the Foreign Affairs Committee of
The House of Representatives, says
fit is "vital" for the United States to
continue support of the rebels
fighting the :Sandinista rulers of
Nicaragua.
In a question-and-answer inter-
:,view with The Washington Times,
c the Florida Democrat outlined. a ?
position markedly different from
other leaders of the Democratic
Party who have opposed such assis-
tance. Democratic ? presidential
Candidate Walter- Mondale has
repeatedly called for a U.S. military
pullout from Central America.
Meanwhile, another key Demo-
crat, Rep. Clarence D. Long, D-Md.,
chairman of the House Appropri-
ations subcommittee on foreign
,operations, agreed to back-$126
million in military :,aid for fiscal
`1985, which starts Oct. 1. That is
only about $6 millionless than Pres-
ident Reagan requested and equal
Ito this year's aid to the Central
`American country.
His action was hailed by.the Rea-
gan administration. L. Craig John-
stone, deputy assistant secretary of
state for inter-American affairs,
said he was "pleased that there is a
growing bipartisan consensus"
rover the 1985 spending, ;:
Rep. Fascell has been a member
of Congress for 30 years, a member
of the Foreign Affairs Committee
since 1957, and this year he became
chairman.
Asked whether he believed there
was cause for concern in the
ongoing Soviet military buildup,.he
responded:
"Absolutely. It demonstrates that
the Soviets have not slowed down
one bit in building their military
'.capability to achieve their political
objectives. We have to be concerned
from the military and political
standpoints!'
Rep. Fascell said he did not
believe, however, that communist
Cuba poses a military threat to the
United States; but, he added, "there
is no question'that the existence of
Cuba as a `coti munist state backed
by the Soviet Union is apolitical and
a military problem for all the coun-
trie$ in-the hemisphere"
"And when you add to that the
constant export of ideology and
support for organizations that are
trying to undermine democratic
institutions throughout the arga,
then you have a problem of'consid-
erable concern;' he said.
Rep. Fascell indicated that the
mining of Nicaraguan harbors by
the rebels was a prime reason for
the U.S. -cutoff of assistance to the
rebels....
He continued: "Otherwise there
would be a bloodbath and, secondly,
this would diminish U.S. credibility
.once -we had made that -commit-
ment. That's the reason I supported
them.
Rep. Fascell emphasized that he
does not favor "U.S. military
involvement in Central America;"
but he pointed out:
"I have supported sending advis-
ers to El Salvador. I supported mili-
tary assistance to El Salvador. I
supported military assistance to
Honduras. I supported the zat`litary
advisers in Honduras. I.supported
assistance to the Contras"
The congressman warned that
the United States must pay greater
continuing attention to Latin
American affairs. He asserted that
unless there are effective remedies
to the area's economic and social
problems, the United States will be
sitting "on a volcano that is going to
blow up:'
"There has been a tendency, I
might say, not to focus sufficient
national will on the problems in the
Western Hemisphere, We hit it in
stops starting as far back as
Franklin Roosevelt and the Good
:Neighbor Policy, then Jack Ken-
~nedy with the Alliance for Pro-
gress, and now with the Caribbean
Initiative, the.congressman said.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/21: CIA-RDP90-00552R000201880002-2