THE CIA IN NICARAGUA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000504880112-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 15, 2010
• Sequence Number: 112
• Publication Date: August 26, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/15: CIA-RDP90-00552R000504880112-4
SEARED
?~:: L. IT 170N 77E:L'r J0'1R4AL (DE)
26 August 1982
Letters to.the editor
The -CIA in Nicaragua
Commander Zero (Eden Pastora),
-whom Henry Rosin cites 1h his July: .
12 letter, is widely regarded as-i'%
traitor in his own- country..The..
question is whether he is -being
?backed by the U.S. Central Intelli-
gence Agency. He may well. have
legitimate-criticisms of the Sandin-
istas; the Sandinistas may well have
been harsh in the conflict with the
Miskitos. They have, made mis=`,
takes
Overall, however, as Robert
White, former U.S. ambassador to
El Salvador, states in his article on
Central America in the July 18 New.
York Times Magazine, "Sandinist
Nicaragua has been more respect-.:
ful of human rights than any Cen-
tral American republic except
Costa Rica" He points out that the
press is freer than in El Salvador or
Guatemala, that there are six well=
organized political parties that crit-
icize the government, independent..
labor unions, and more than 60 per
cent private ownership of the econ-
omy.
Meanwhile the 'United States
recently approved $19 million of
our public money to be spent by the
CIA in Central America, particu-
larly in Nicaragua, for .paramili-;
Lary teams, among other things-'It-
seems that our government is.aid=
:=-ing or conducting a_ Campaign -.of
sabotage and terrorism against :Ni-
caragua, which has a population'ol.
only 2 million. ,
No-wonder it is . buildingiup its l
armed forces. As Ambassador
White says, it seems only -prudent.
DESMOND M. KAHN
Newark
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/15: CIA-RDP90-00552R000504880112-4