JERSEY 'TOWN MEETINGS' FOCUS ON LATIN AMERICA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000606700002-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 27, 2010
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: June 20, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/27: CIA-RDP90-00552R000606700002-2
J:RTI Cry 0-P-20Lai13+ TZw YORK TIT S
ON ?.,G- 20 JT,7T;~
rse `Town Meetings'
~ .Y
Focus on Latin America
By JANEPERLEZ
svo~tsoz'.N..YaetrSes
HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, N.J. Jame
X8 - On this muggy weekend
morn- when beaches .and :backyards
ID meet their Caogessmaa. They
;state's c mraste
-Ii, -a freshman Democrat of Bergen
,County and aber+ot the-Moose
Foreign.Aitairs'Comm?aee,'isviewed
.by, 'some . constituents as the -closest
thing tbeybave roa Central American
!
expert.
-He listened, as be had at 30 other
;`town meetings" since be took office
.six months ago, to questions about
land reform, Cuban arms supplies and
:the inevitable one - the possibility of
American troops being seat to defend
=the Salvadoran Government.
Skeptics) of U.S. Policy
"We've pat our prestige at stake,..
said Mr. Tarricelli, who has voiced
skepticism about the Reagan Admin-
,.-the President has said it is in exit-
'vital k tereat to preserve these gow
etnments " he .told his audience. "If!
those governments tall, I don't believe
the President 'wfll walk away. The
,
p
g ,
He added, "I often tell people: 'Send- to rmidenu of Hasbrouck Hedghts,-N.J.; dtaing a town Int. h g oDgaturdav:
a message now or your sans later. , t, ?
uho v no 'ed mve
as counter
-Mr TOmO
d
i
l
pro
uct
ve, e w so-
,
Mr. Torriexlli, who is 3Z
years .old, easygoing maener, replied: "I want ciai change and is gashing the rebels
went to EI Salvador in J scum! to WP'! to stopcommtnism as much as Presi M
. the heads of the Russia=.
persuade tie-Z' &e-rnmm~t a to m dent Reagan - not only because ft is
turn the body of Joan Sullivan, a free- bad for national seturfcy but because Cross Section of Views Sought
lance writer from Bogota, NJ., who sus thewrotiganswerforthepeop*-d Mr. Torricelli, who served in the I
was believed to have been frilled by a Latin America. Nicaragua is a perfect White House under President jimmy
rightist death squad shortty.atter-ar- example- the revolution has been a Carter as a counsel to Vice President
riving in the country in 1980. 'The body disap~poantonemt.-Nevertheless the an- Walter F. Mondale -and who later
was returned in February and a meth ewer isn't to take up arms against worked in Mr. Mandale's law brm,
cal examination determined that.. he -them." said he had tried to seeds Wormatim
had probably been killed by grenades Speaking over a cup of coffee before about Central America from people
tied to his hands. ;-tbe meeting, the Congressman said he representing a wide spectrum opin-
had been struck bythe interest in Cen- ion, including campus and labor
tral America at his town meetings. He groups, evangelists, Cuban-American
said be bad found a number of Repub- groups, the Central Intellurcnce
licans ~aho were disturbed by the Res- Agency ana the Pentagm.
gan Administration's policy in the re- em wt o vial informa-
gioa. lion, ever, is its inconsistency. be
'T'hey often think that the policy is tai you as what impact the low
o arms icaragguuaa to k;I va-
or is ving,
sU* State P
ay i is Mmurial, the Penta
yon
WID say it has some impact and the
ti~y51~S'm8~miim In1~Ci
Representative Robert G. Torrlexlti, Democratof Bergen City
s
eakin
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/27: CIA-RDP90-00552R000606700002-2