GENERAL DOUBTS G.I. ROLE IN SALVADOR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000202320018-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 20, 2010
• Sequence Number: 18
• Publication Date: August 2, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
STAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/20: CIA-RDP90-00552R000202320018-5
ARTICLE APPEARED NEW YORK TIMES
ON PAGE 1q-3 2 August 1984
General Doubts G.I. Role in Salvador
By PHILIP TAUBMAN
Special to The New York Times
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 - The com-
mander of United States military
forces in Latin America said today that
he "could foresee no circumstances
when it would be useful" to commit
American troops to combat in El Salva-
dor.
The commander, Gen., Paul F. Gor-
man, told a House subcommittee:
"The Salvadorans can protect their
own Government if they are provided
with resources by the United States.
United States forces cannot protect the
Government of El Salvador."
He said it would be a mistake for the
United States to use combat forces in
El Salvador even if the Salvadoran
Government appeared to be in danger
of being overthrown by guerrillas.
The arrival of American forces, he
said, would likely "transform the con-
flict from an indigenous struggle into a
very different kind of fighting in which
nationalism might cut against the
United States."
'A Very Historic Burden'
"We carry a very historic burden in
that region and for the United States to
send troops to fight could very well pre-
cipitate the kind of events we are trying
to foreclose,", General Gorman, the
senior officer of the United States
Southern Command, based in Panama,
told the House Foreign Affairs subcom-
mittee on Latin America.
He said he would like to increase the
number of American military advisers
in El Salvador from the current limit of
55 to 125, a recommendation be made a
year ago that was turned down by the
White House as too risky politically.
Since assuming command in
Panama last year, General Gorman
has been a key architect of the Reagan
Administration's military buildup in
Central America, including the use of
large-scale exercises to intimidate
Nicaragua, according to senior Admin-
istration officials.
He told the subcommittee that if Con-
gress approved the level of military
assistance for El Salvador that the
White House has requested, the Salva-
doran military could have 80 to 90 per-
cent of the country under its control
within two years.
General Gorman described the cur-
rent military situation in El Salvador
as slightly favoring the Government
forces, but noted that the Salvadoran
military, while steadily improving,
was still producing "a checkered per-
formance" in which "minor tactical
debacles abound."
Attempt to Increase Aid Defeated
The subcommittee later held a cjosed
session to receive a brief ina f p
eral Gorman in which, Defense DePaZ-
ment officials said. the_generaj shp_d
the lawmakers classified photo ra hs
and otherintel igence in_ formations as~
demonstrated that icarae~~a w
providin a stead flow of weapoW and
mmunltron to
a a vadoran llas,
Moments after General Gorman
spoke, Representative Jack F. Kemp,
Republican of New York, was ruled out
of order in the House when he tried to
amend a supplemental appropriations
'bill for the fiscal year 1984 to provide El
Salvador with $116 million in additional
military aid.
The ruling had the effect of eliminat-
ing Administration hopes of obtaining
the extra money for El Salvador.
Earlier, Representative Clarence D.
Long, Democrat of Maryland, the
chairman of the House Appropriations
subcommittee on foreign operations,
said he would recommend making
some military and economic aid to El
Salvador in 1985 conditional on the ob-
servance of human rights there.
Mr. Long, who said on Monday that
he would approve almost all of the eco-
nomic and military aid requested for
El Salvador in 1985, told reporters
today that he would support a proposal
to delay final approval of half of the
assistance for six months to insure that
Congress could retain some control
over the aid.
Mr. Long said on Monday that he
would support the Administration aid
request because he thought Jos6
Napoleon Duarte, who was elected
President of El Salvador in May, de-
served a chance to establish demo-
cratic rule.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/20: CIA-RDP90-00552R000202320018-5