REAGAN SAYS CRISIS IN REGION COMPELS AID FOR SALVADOR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000505390135-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 9, 2010
• Sequence Number: 135
• Publication Date: April 15, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/09: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505390135-2
REAGAN SAYS CRISIS
IN REGION COMPELS
AID FOR SALVADOR
HE DENOUNCES NICARAGUA
Cites Situation 'at Doorstep'
in Upholding Decision to
Send Emergency Arms
??"TEh YORK TD Z'S
15 April 198k
'I Hope Voiced for Cooperation Control A ,
level of f emergency arms and medical
Senior Administration officials said-.: supplies for El Salvador to the $32 mil-
today that they hoped that the end to'i lion offered by the House, rather than
the mining, and the declared willing.
ness of the Administration to cooperate
with Congress, would lead to a calmer
mood after the Easter recess, and to an
agreement-by the House to vote for the
measures related to Central America
that are viewed as critical by the Ad-
ministration and have already been ap-
proved by the Senate.
"We just had too many Chicken Lit-
tles in Congress in the last week, who
seemed to become hysterical over cov-
ert aid," one official said. "The Con-
gress keeps saying it wants to be in-
volved and have more of a say, but
what can you do when they react. like
that. They have to accept that covert
aid is part of the real world."
By BERNARD GWERTZMAN The - Republican-dominated Senate
Spe'aal wThe New York Tin, - last week approved $21 million in new
_ f
ds
t
h
WASHINGTON, April 14 _ Presi-
dent Reagan said today that he had or-
dered S32 million in emergency arms
shipments for El Salvador on Friday
right because "we cannot turn our
backs on this crisis at our doorstep."
He ordered the aid after Congress ad-
journed for a 10-day Easter recess
without voting on whether to approve
the money.
In his first public comments since the
furor in Congress in recent days over
the Administration's policies toward El
Salvador and Nicaragua, Mr. Reagan
also leveled some of his sharpest criti-
cism to date at Nicaragua for conduct-
ing what he called "covert aggression"
against El Salvador and its other neigh-
bors.
Nicaraguan Harbors Mined
Mr. Reagan, in his weekly, paid
radio broadcast, did not refer directly
to the American covert. campaign
against Nicaragua, which reportedly
ipclud the mining_of Nicaraguan har-
bors by Nicara an rebels and Latin
American agents under direction of the
Cent Intel igence Agency.
But he indirectly upheld it by saying
that given the Sandinista Govern-
ment's "record of repression, we
should not wonder that the opposition,
denied other means of expression, had
taken up arms" against the Nicara-
guan leaders.
The Senate and the 'House both
un
o support t
e covert program in
Nicaragua, and $62 million in emer-
the $62 million approved by the Senate.
This was done, a senior State Depart-
ment official said, to demonstrate that
the Administration was not trying to
flout the intention of Congress, but was
trying to be conciliatory toward the
House, hoping for a more cooperative
relationship after the recess.
Appreciation Voiced by Long
Mr. Long on Friday afternoon, when
be thought the Administration would
use all of the S62 million approved by
the House, condemned the rejection of
the reprogramming proposal. But he
said today that he appreciated Mr.
Shultz's setting the level at $32 million,
and that this "should mollify the House
somewhat."
There is still a potential for a con-
frontation, however, because the Ad-
ministration is still hoping for early ac-
tion by the House after the recess on
the pending $62 million request for El
Salvador. Mr. Long said he did not
think the House would want to take up
the matter again until after a new Sal-
vadoran President is sworn in on June
15.
Mr. Long said that the $32 million,
which includes $20 million in ammuni-
tion and other military supplies, and
S12 million for helicopters and other
equipment for medical evacuation,
gency military and medical equipment
for El Salvador-
The Democratic-dominated House,
which was much more antagonistic to-
ward the Administration's Central
American policies, did not take up ei-
ther measure before the Easter recess
began on Friday. But, House Demo-
cratic leaders did offer to allow the Ad-
ministration to reprogram S32 million
in aid funds already approved for other
countries for use in El Salvador.
This compromise, drafted by Repre- Continued
sentative Clarence D. Long, Democrat
of Maryland, chairman of the Appro-
priations Subcommittee on Foreign
Operations, was initially accepted by
the Administration. But it was rejected
by Senate Republicans who said the
Administration should invoke emer-
gency provisions of the Arms Export
Control Act, which allow the President
to send a country military supplies that
do not have to be paid for for 120 days.
Pentagon Could Absorb Cost
The Senate leaders also advised
using the entire $62 million already ap-
proved by the Senate in the emergency
package. Under Section 21d of the law,
if Congress does not provide funds for
the arms during the 120 days, the cost is
absorbed by the Defense Department
budget. _
Given the different views of the Sen-
i ate and the House, the Administration,
on the advice of Secretary of State
passed nonbinding resolutions in recent 1 George P. Shultz, devised its own com-
days caIli.-tg for an end to such mining.-, promise, officials said today. As a re-
Senior Administration., officials as-
serted on Friday that not only had the
mining ended but there were no plans
to resume it, in view of the attitude of
Congress and many friendly foreign
nations.
gency provisions of the Arms Export
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/09: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505390135-2