WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE EFFECT OF THE VOTING OF THE HOUSE TO CUT OFF ALL COVERT ASSISTANCE TO NICARAGUA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000303310022-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 29, 2010
• Sequence Number: 22
• Publication Date: July 31, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
3 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP90-00552R000303310022-9
CBS FACE THE NATION
31 July 1983
SHACKNE: What is going to be the effect of the voting of t he House to cut off all
covert assistance to Nicaragua, and what will be the ability of the administration to
maintain such assistance for the contras, the anti-Sandinistas, in view of that vote
and in view of the fact that there is an appropriation that has to be made starting in
October. KIRKPATRICK:;*You know, I'm really glad you mentioned that vote. I was
hoping that would come up today because I think that it was a very important vote, and
I think the most important aspects of it have not in fact been focused on by the media
treatment of the vote. If you look at what the house of Representatives voted, they
voted on something, an amendment which was submitted by the majority leader, Jim
Wright of Texas, and as he himself pointed out, what the House did in that vote was
formally for the first time ever, find in the most clear-cut terms that the government
of Nicaragua was guilty of violating its promises to its people, that it was guilty of
repressing freedom and pluralism in Nicaragua, that it was guilty of stifling the free
press and free trade unions and private sector in Nicaragua, that it was guilty of
providing arms and guerrillas and other support to overthrow the government of El
Salvador, all of this for the first time ever, was formally subscribed to as the
nature of the problem. Now the amendment also called on the president to go back to
the OAS, as it were, to encourage the OAS to take action to cause the government of
Nicaragua to fulfill its promises, which had been `birthday promises made to the
people of Nicaragua and to the OAS. Now, in addition to that, it provides that for a
period of about 30 days, the United States government should cease support for any
covert activities, direct or indirect or whatever directed against the government of
Nicaragua providing, that that should continue, you know, unless that after 30 days,
there will be a finding that the government of Nicaragua is continuing in fact to
support guerrilla activities in El Salvador. I think that it is very important that
the, virtually all the Democrats in the House of Representatives have now formally
agreed about the nature of the government of Nicaragua and the nature of its
activities in the region, and now that we know what the problem is, we can get on with
the discussion of what we ought best most effectively to do about it.
SH:ACKNE: I take that, I take that as putting the most favorable light on a vote that
every administration official I've talked to said was the kind of outcome they did not
want, and in essence, where the Congress seemed to be saying. the house seemed to be
saying, stop paying money for this military, for this particular kind of military.
KIRKPATRICK: but that isn't at all what the House said. I suggest that you should
look at what the House said. I don't think many people have looked at what the House
said, and I don't think many people have ever, listened to what the majority leader
said, Jim Wright said, what is it that this amendment does. He was very fair about
it.
SHACKNE: It cuts off funds. KIRKPATRICK: It cuts off funds. and it declares the
government of Nicaragua, for a period of 30 days, and it declares the government of
Nicaragua an outlaw of the region guilty of the repression of its own people and
aggression against its neighbors.
SHACKNE: But, but, may I ask this question. What will the administration do, what
can you do in view of this vote, and in view of the great problems in both sides of
the hill in continuing funds for this kind of pressure? And there are great pressures
in t.ie Hill against such continuation. Can you maintain such pressure? KIRKFATRICK:
I think what we have to do is continue our conversations. of course, with the members
of the Congress now that we've agreed about what the problem is, we have to continue
our conversations`about what we need to do about it. I think what the vote showed
was, you know, was a great deal of division and a certain, a lot of uncertainty about
w at it is we ought to do about the problem confronting us in Nicaragua and Central
.-,erica, but the most significant thing about it, I think, it does show we've now got
a consensus of what the government of Nicaragua is. what it is doing to its own people
in the region. That's really important.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/29: CIA-RDP90-00552R000303310022-9