U.S. SAID TO SEND MILLIONS TO NICARAGUAN OPPOSITION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000505410069-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2010
• Sequence Number: 69
• Publication Date: March 11, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/16: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505410069-3
ARTICLE APPEARED
ON PAGE1A 1s
BALTE [0?.E SUN
11 1'iarch 1932
to Nicarauuan'0"*_%-0S1 10
. 6 - I PF
From wire Services
? Washington-The Reagan administration is
,providing millions of dollars in covert aid to in-
dividuals and private organizations in Nicara-
gua in hopes of bolstering moderate forces in
that nation, according to senior administration
officials
.
The effort, which is being managed by the
Central Intelligence Agency, began late last
year after it was approved by President Rea-
gan, these officials said.
They said that Mr. Reagan and his national
security advisers rejected a proposal to fund the
creation of a paramilitary force in Central
America.
? Several South American nations, however,
including Argentina and Venezuela, are working
together to assemble paramilitary units that
would infiltrate Nicaragua for hit-and-run at-
tacks aeainst. government troops and installa-
tions, these officials said.
The Reagan administration is aware of the
formation of these units, according to the offi-
cials, but has declined to provide financial or
military support.
"The president and the National, Security!
Council looked over proposals to create our own
paramilitary force, but once the idea of using
former Nicaraguan national guard command-
ers was rejected, there didn't seem to be-a feasi-
ble, way to do it," recalled a senior administra-
tion official familiar with the deliberations that
took place last November.
reconnaissance a flagrant violation of
international law. It also accused the
'United States of trying to convert
Nicaragua into "another Chile" by
ousting the junta.
Nicaraguan Ambassador Francis-
co Fialios Navarro, in an ABC-TV ap-
pearance, called the U.S. allegations
of a major military buildup by his
country "totally false."
Then. Directorate member Jaime
Wheelock, speaking at a news confer-
ence, denied allegations that Nicara-
guan pilots are being trained in Bul-
garia, but was vague on whether Nic-
aragua plans to acquire MiG fighters
from the Soviet Union.
Mr... Wheelock said the military
buildup was mainly defensive, and
also called for development of "a nor-
mal constructive relationship with
the government of the United States."
The Reagan administration's re-)
view last fall of covert action options:
in.Central America was prompted
.partly by the reconnaissance photos
and -a growing belief within the ad
ministration that the Sandinist gov-'
ernment was becoming a surrogate of
Cuba and the Soviet Union, senior
American officials said.
The options presented to, the Na-
tional Security Council November 19
Mr. Reagan decided, officials said, to ap- CUY LCU Iuduy pruposals, accormng col
prove the less risky option of secretly financing these officials, including the one for'
individuals and private organizations that op- creating an American-sponsored
. paramilitary force.
pose Nicaragua's government:
The country has been governed since 1979 by This and several other optionsi
a nine-member Sandinist National Directorate were sent back to intelligence .agen-1
made up of. the leaders of the revolution that Gies for further study, they said. When i
the ideas were submitted again for)
overthrew the government of Gen. discussion at a. National Security.
Anastasio Somoza Debayle. A three- Council meeting later that month, the;
j
t
d
i
i
t
h
man
un
a a
m
n
s
ers t
e country.
The Reagan administration has ac-
cused the Sandinist government of
promoting Soviet and Cuban interests
in Central America, including provid-
ing military and financial assistance
to guerrillas in El Salvador. Sandinist
leaders, who describe themselves as
Marxist reformers, have denied the
charges.'
.
? On Tuesday, the Reagan adminis-
tration made public aerial photo-I
graphs which intelligence officials
said proved that Nicaragua, . with
Soviet and Cuban assistance, was cre-
ating the largest military force in
Central America.
The Nicaraguan government yes.
terday protested. against American
flights over.. Nicaragua,, calling . the
paramilitary option was rejected be-
cause it seemed to require the use of
former Nicaraguan national guard of-
ficers who had supported General
Somoza. . .
."We realized that the surest way
to have this kind of project backfire
would be if Somoza's- military men
were involved," one official recalled:
The administration was aware,
these officials added, that Argentina,
Venezuela and other South American
nations were trying to assemble -a
:force ? for deployment in Central
America. .
The U.S. plan approved by Mr.
Reagan may eventually cost more
than the nearly $20 million projected
as the price of forming and support-
ing a paramilitary force, administra-
tion officials said.
In a press briefing Tuesday, Adm.
Bobby R. Inman, the deputy director
of central intelligence, was asked
about' reports in The Washington
Post that the United States had ap-
proved $19 million to support covert
action in Nicaragua.
He replied, "I would suggest to you
that $19 or $29 million isn't going to
buy you much of any kind these days,
and certainly not against that kind of
military force."
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/16: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505410069-3