EXCERPTS FROM PRESIDENT REAGAN'S SPEECH ON HIS PROPOSAL FOR EL SALVADOR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000505370091-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 13, 2010
• Sequence Number: 91
• Publication Date: March 11, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2010/09/13: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505370091-3
A8
THE NEW YORK TIMES, FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 1983
Excerpts From President Reag
Special to Thelgew York Times
WASHINGTON, March 10 ? Followineare excerpts from a speech by
President Reagan to the National Ass6ciatiotyof Manufacturers today, the text
of which was made available by the White House :
z
Cenfral Anierici is -too close and the
strategic stakes' are too high for us to
ignore the - danger of governments
seizing power there with ideological
and military ties to the Soviet Union.
As I speak to you today, its coun-
tries are in the midst of the gravest
crisis in their history. Accumulated
grievances and social and economic
change are challenging traditional'
ways. New leaders with new aspira-
tions have emerged who want a new
and better deal for their peoples. That
is good. I
The problem is that an aggressive
minority has thrown in its lot with the,
Communists, looking to the Soviets
and their Cuban henchmen to help
them pursue political change through
violence. Nicaragua has become their
base. These extremists make no se-
cret of their goal. They preach the
doctine of a "revolution without fron-
tiers," Their first target is El Salva-
dor.
Why is El Salvador imPortetnt?
Well, to begin with, there is the sheer
human tragedy. Thousands of people
have already died, and unless the con-
flict is ended democratically, millions
more could be affected throughout the
hemisphere. The people of El Salva-
dor have proved they want democra-
cy. But if guerrilla violence succeeds,
they won't get it. El Salvador will join
Cuba and Nicaragua as a base for
spreading fresh violence to Guatema-
la, Honduras, even Costa Rica. The
killing will increase, and so will the
threat to Panama, the canal and ulti-
mately Mexico. In the process, vast
numbers of men, women and children
will lose their homes, their countries
and their lives.
I know a good many people wonder
why we should care about whether
Communist governments come into
power. One columnist argued last
week that we shouldn't care because
their products are not that vita) to our
economy. That's like the argument of
another so-called expert that we
shouldn't worry about Castroite con-
trol over the island of Grenada.? their
only important product is nutmeg.'
Nutmeg Not the Issue
People who make *Mese arguments
haven't taken a good look at a map
lately or followed the extraordinary
buildup of Soviet and Cuban military
power in the,. region or read the Sovi-
et's discussions about why the region
is important to thein and, how they in-
tend to use it. ?
It is not nutmeg that is at 'Stake in
the Caribbean and Central America.
It is the United States national securi-
ty.
Soviet military theorists want to de-
stroy our capacity to resupply West-
ern Europe in case of an emergency.
They want to tie( down our forces. on
our own southern border and so limit.
our capacity to act in more distant
places, such as Europe, the Persian
Gulf, the Indian Ocean, the Sea of
Japan.
For the past three years, under two
Presidents, the United States has been
engaged in an effort to stop the ad-
vance of Communism in Central
America by doing what we do best --
by supporting democracy. For three
years our goal has been to support fun-
damental change in the region ? to
replace poverty with developmment,
and dictatorship with democracy.
These objectives are not easy to at-
tain, but we are on the right . track.
Costa lice continues to set a demo.
cratic example, even in the midst of
economic crisis and Nicaraguan irt-
timidation. Honduras has gone from
military rule to a freely erected civil-
ian Government. Despite incredible
obstacles, the democratic center is
holding in El Salvador, implementing
land reform and working to replace
the politics of death with the life of
democracy.
The Choice of Central Americans
So the good news is that our new
policies have begun to work: Democ-
racy, with free elections, free labor
unions, freedom of religion and re-
spect for the integrity of the individu-
al, is the clear choke of the over-
whelming majority of Central Ameri-
cans. In fact, except for Cuba and its
followers, no government and ;io sig-
nificant sector of the public anywhere
in this hemisphere wants to see the
guerrillas seize power in El Salvador.
The bad news is that the struggle for
democracy is still far from over. '
Despite their success in largely
eliminating guerrilla political influ-
ence in pop ated areas and despite
some improvements in military ar-
maments and mobility, El Salvador's-
people remain under strong pressure
from armed guerrillas controlled by
extremists with Cuban-Soviet sup-
port. -
The military capability of these
guerrillas ? and I would like to stress
military capability, for these are not
"peasant irregulars but trained mili-
tary forces ? has kept political and
economic progress from being turned
into the peace the Salvadoran people
so obviously want. Part of the prob-
lem is internal to El Salvador, But an
important part is external: the avail-
ability of training, tactical guidance
and military supplies coming into El
Salvador from Marxist Nicaragua.
Now all this is happening in El Sal-
vador just as a constitution is being
written, as open presidential elections
are being prepared and as a Peace
Commission named last week has
begun to work on amnesty and na-
tional reconciliation to bring all social
and political groups into the demo-
cratic process. It is the guerrilla
mili-
tants who have so far refused to use
democratic means, have ignored the
voice of the people of El Salvador and _
have resorted to terror, sabotage and
bullets instead of the ballot box.
During the past week, we have dis-
cussed all of these issues and more
with leaders and members of the Con-
gress. Their views have helped shape
our own thinking, and I believe we
have developed a common course to ,
follow. Here are some of the question*
raised most often.
First : How bad is the military situa-
tion? It is not good. Salvadoran sol-
diers have proved that when they are
well trained, led and supplied, they
can protect the people from guerrilla
attacks. But so far U.S. trainers have-
been able to train? only one soldier in
10. There is a shortage of experienced
officers; supplies are unsure. The
errillas have taken advantage bf
these shortcomings. For the moment,
at least, they have taken the tactical
initiative just when the sharply lim-
ited funding Congress has so far ap-
proved is running out. _
No U.S. Combat Troops
A second vital question is: Are we
going to send American soldiers into
combat? The answer is a flat no.
A third question: Are we going to
Americanize the war with a lot of U.S.
combat advisers? Again the answer is
no. Only Salvadorans can fight this
war, just as only Salvadorans can de-
cide El Salvador's future. What we
can do is help to give them the skills
and supplies they need to do the job for
themselves. In military terms' that
mostly means training. Without play-
ing a combat role themselves and
without accompanying Salvadoran
units into combat, American special-
ists can help the Salvadoran Army irn-
"prove its operations. Over the last
year, despite manifest needs for more
training, we have scrupulously kept
our training activities well below our
self-imposed numerical limit on num-
bers of trainers. We are currently re-
viewing what we can do to provide the
most effective training possible. We
think the best way is to provide train-
mg outside of El Salvador, in the U.S.
or elsewhere, but that costs a lot
more. So the number of U.S. trainers
in El Salvador will depend upon there-
sources available.
Question four: Are we seeking a
political or a military solution? De-
spite all I and others have said, some
people still seem to think that our con-
cern for security , assistance means
that all we care about is a military
solution. That is nonsense. Bullets are
no envier to economic inequities, so-
cial tensions or political disagree-
ments. Democracy is.
, Issue of Negotiations
This reality leads directly to a fifth
question: Why not stop the killing and
start talking? Why not negotiate?
. Well, negotiations are already a key
part of our policy. We support negotia-
tions among all the nations of the re-
gion to strengthen democracy, to halt
subversion, to stop the flow of arms, to
respect borders and to remove all the
foreign military advisers ? thei Sovi-
ets, Cubans, East Germans, P.L .0.,
as well as our own ? from the region.
A regional peace initiative is now
kr.
emerging. We have been in close
touch with its sponsors and wish it
well. And we support negotiations
within nations, aimed at expanding
Participation in democratic institu-
tions ? at getting all parties to par-
ticipate in free,nenviolent elections.
What we oppose are negotiations
that would be used as a cynical device
for dividing up power behind the peo-
ple's back. We cannot support negoti-
ations which, instead of expanding
democracy, try to destroy it negoti-
ations which would distribute power
among armed groups without the con-
sent of the people of El Salvador. The
thousands upon thousands of Salvado-
rans who risked their lives to vote last
year should not have their ballots
thrown into the trash heap this year by
letting a tiny minority on the fringe of
a wide and diverse politicial spectrum
shoot its way into power. No, the only
legitimate road to power, the only
road we can support, is through the
voting booth, so that the people can
choose for themselves ? choose, as
His Holiness the Pope said Sunday,
"far from terror and in a climate of
democratic conviviality." This is fun-
damental and it is a moral as well as a
practical belief that all free people of
the Americas share.
What Comes Next
Having consulted with the Con-
gress, let me tell you where we are
now and what we will be doing in the
days ahead. We will be submitting a
comprehensive, integrated economic
and military assistance plan for Cen-
tral America. -
First, we will bridge the existing
gap in military assistance. Our pro-
jections of the amount of military
assistance needed for El Salvador
have remained relatively stable over
the past two years. However, the Con-
tinuing Resolution budget procedure
in the Congresss last December led to
a level of U.S. security assistance for
El Salvador in 1983 below what we had
requested, below that provided in
1982' and below that requested for
1984. I am proposing that million of
the monies already appropriated for
our worldwide military assistance
programs be immediately reallocated
to El Salvador. Further, to build the
kind of disciplined, skilled army that
can take and held the initiative while
respecting the rights of its people, I
4?
Iraqi Navy Contends It Sank
6 Iranian Ships in Persian Gulf
NICOSIA, Cyprus, March 10 (AP) ?
The Iraqi Navy sank six Iranian ships
today as they were entering an inlet on
the northern tip of the Persian Gulf, the
Iraqi News Agency said.
There was no immediate comment
from Iran on the claim, and no inde-
pendent confirmation was passible.
Western reporters generally are barred
from the Ira-xi-Iraq battlefront.
The press agency said the six sunken
vessels were in a ccinvoy sailing north
toward the port of Bandar Khomeini. It
Said fires and thick smoke were seen
rising from the vessels before they
sank, while the attacking Iraqi navy
units returned safely to their bases.
The attack in the gulf waters was the
third reported by Iraq thisInonth.
a
eech on His Proposals for El Salvador
verity assistance. These funds will be
used to help neighboring states to
maintain their national security and
will, of course, be subject to full Con-
gressional review.
k Secondly, we will work hard to sup-
port reform, human-rights and
democracy in El Savador. Last
Thursday, the Salvadoran Govern-
ment extended the land reform pro-
gram, which has already distributed
29 percent of all the arable land in the
country and transformed more than
65,000 farinivoriters into farm owners.
at they aate is Mir continued eco-
nomic support while' the reform is
completed. We will provide it. Without
?. support, we expect that the steady
progress toward more equitable dis-
tribution of wealth and power in El
Salvador will continue.
Woricing for Human Rights
Third, we will, I repeat, continue to
"Work for human rights. Progress in
this area has been slow, sometimes
disappointing. But human rights
means working at problems, not walk-
ing away from them. To make more
Progress, we must continue our sup-
port, advice and help to El Salvador's
people and democratic leaders. Law-
breakers must be brought to justice
and the rules of law must supplant vio-
lence in settling disputes. The key to
ending violations of human rights is to
Wild a stable, working democracy.
Democracies are accountable to their
citizens. And when abuses occur in a
democracy, they cannot be covered
up. With our support, we expect the
Government of El Salvador to be able
to move ahead in prosecuting. the ac-
cused and in building a criminal jus-
tice system applicable to all and ulti-
mately accountable te the elected rep-
nasentatives of the people.
Fourth, the El Salvador Govern-
ment proposes to solve its problems
the only way they can be solved fairly
? by having the people decide. Presi-
?
The New yet* Times/ Tares! Za
President Reagan addressing the
National Association of Manufa0
turers yesterday. ?
will be amending my supplement
currently before the Congress, to real-
locate $50 million to El Salvador,
Focus on Training
These funds will be sought without
increasing the overall amount of th
supplemental we have already p
sented to Congress. And, as I haV
said, the focus of this 'assistance will
remain the same: To train Salved
rens so that they can defend the
selves. Because El Salvador's
curity problems are not unique in
region, I will also be asking for
additional $20 million for regional s
dent Maga& has just announced na-
tionwide elections this year, calling on
all to participate ? adversaries as
well as friends, To help political ad-
versaries participate in the elections,
he has appointed a Peace Commission
including a Roman Catholic Bishop
and two independents. And he has
called on the Organization of Ameri-
can States and the international com-
munity to help. We were proud to par-
ticipate, along with representatives of
other democratic nations, as observ-
ers in last March's Constituent As-
sembly elections. We would be equally
pleased to contribute again to any in-
ternational effort, perhaps in conjunc-
tion with the 0.A.S., to help the Gov-
ernment insure the broadest possible
participation in the upcoming elec-
tions ? with guarantees that all, in-
cluding critics and adversaries, can
be protected as they participate.
, Plan for Economic Aid
Finally, we must continue to help
the people of El Salvador and the res
of Central America and the Caribbean
to make economic progress. More
than three-quarters of our assistance
to this region has been economic. Be-
cause of the importance of economic
development to the region, I will ask
the Congress for $65 million in neiv
monies and the reprogramming of
4103 million from already appropri-
ated worldwide funds for a total of
$168 million in increased economic
assistance for Central America. And
to make sure that this assistance is as
productive as possible, I will continue
to work with the Congress for the u,r-
gent enactment of the long-term op-
portunities for trade and free initia-
tive contained in the Caribbean Basin
Initiative, In El Salvador and in the
rest of Central America, there are
today thousands of small business-
men, fanners and workers who have
kept up their productivity as well as
their spirits. in the face of personal
danger, guerrilla -sabotage and ad-
verse economic conditions. With them
stand countless national and local offi-
cials, military and civic leaders and
priests who have refused to give up on
' democracy: Their struggle for a bet-
ter future deserves our help. We
should be proud to offer it, for, in the
last analysis, they are fighting for us,
too.
Need for Strong Neighbors ,
By acting responsibly and avoiding
Illusory shortcuts, we can be both
loyal to our friends and true to our
peaceful, democratic principles. A na-
tion's character is measured by the
relations it has with its neighbors. We
need strong and stable neighbors with
whom we can cooperate. And we will
not let them down.
We would in truth be opening a two-
way street. We have never fully real-
ized the great potential of this West-
ern Hemisphere. Oh, yes, I know we
have talked in the past of plans involv-
ing our neighbors to the south, but it
was our plan which we would impose
on them -- the big colossus of the
north.
On my trip to Central and South
America, I asked for their ideas. I.
pointed out that we had a common
heritage. We had all come as pioneers
to these two great continents. We wor-
shipped the same God and we had
lived at peace with each other longer
than most people in other parts of the
world. .
There are more than 600 million of
us calling ourselves Americans ?
North, Central and South. We have not
really begun to tap the vast resources
of these continents. ,
? Without sacrificing our sovereign-
ties; our own culture or national pride,
we could as neighbors make this West-
ern Hemisphere our hemisphere ?
a force for good such a; the old world
has never seen. But it starts with that
, word neighbor.
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