REAGAN SEEKS TO AVERT SHUTDOWN OF COVERT AID TO NICARAGUA GUERRILLAS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000707350009-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 12, 2011
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: May 3, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/12 : CIA-RDP90-00552R000707350009-2
ARTICLE A7PRA UD WASHINGTON POST
oN PAGE A_1;?- 3 MAY 1983
Reagan Seeks to :Ave
Shutdown of Covert .Ai
To
By PatrickE. Tyler :
and Loo"Cannon :
Washingwn,PostStarrWrttOrs' -
The Reagan .administratioon _yes-
.terday sought sa'fthhiour:compro-
mise to avert a- congressionally or- -
dered shutdown-of covert-CIA assist-
ance to guerrilla forces -.operating
..against the leftist .Sandinista,govern
went in Nicaragua..- 77
A compromise is :in the works, a
`high administra'ti6n dal ssmd.
While the precise ,nature- of any
'compromise was unclear, ep C.W.
(Bill) `Young (R-F.lia)' a =member of
the House TPermanenl -Select Com-
mittee "on Intelligenk, said the had
received a telephori ll-from CLA
:Director William:- ?Casey",saving
that he had"prolo.?id-S ptaii:;_that
would impose greater restrictions on
covert activity m Nicaragua w. .
Administratidii'.4s6ut"94k the
-restrictions would -~he -aimed .at en-
suring that covert activity, was lim-
ited to interdiction~-~of arrris supplies
to -leftist guerrillas =.in El ..Salvador.
While this _ is -the - supposed -purpose
of the present-covert- activity-, some
administration critics have charged
that it is aimed at destabilizing or
overthrowing the Sandinista govern-
ment.
Young said that Casey told him
his compromise plan vas outlined in
-a :letter -last week .4.o Committee
Chairman - Edward :F. .Boland (D-
-Mass.) aDd _. 'Kermeth "Robinson
(R.Va.), the panel's~:sanking Repub-
licCap
-Legislation by`-Boland and"Rep.
Clement J. Zablocld D-Wis.) .to cut
off funds for -all overt,activity in
Nicaragua is scheduled =to come up
in the committee this morning, but
Young said he and Robinson had
asked for a delay because"of sched-
uling conflicts.
Young has proposed an amend-
ment that would cut off the funding
45 days after it was determined that
Nicaragua Guerriflas
When the Senate Intelligence
Committee meets at 2 p.m. today it
also will have legislation before it to
shut down covert aide. The bill, pro-
posed by Sen. David F. Durenberger
(R-Minn.), was first considered two
weeks ago but was put over because
of poor attendance at the session. - -
Congressional sources said yester-
day that there are only "five hard
votes" on the Senate committee to
cut off covert aid, with eight needed.
Two senators, William S. Cohen (R-
Maine) and Walter D.:Huddleston
(D-Ky.), are regarded as undecided.
Efforts to cut off funds for covert
activity have divided :both parties
'and provoked lively debate within
the ? administration. The president
and his national security advisers
have made it known that they prefer
no additional restrictions, -but, they
have been told by friendly congress-
men that they must make some-con-
cessions or face the possibility -of a
House-voted cutoff on covert assist-
_ance.
- But the issue also -has-deeplv_di?
vided congressional Democrats, risk-
ing the fragile. unity they appear to
have achieved in the House-on major
domestic legislation.
Last week House Majority Leader
James C. Wright Jr. (D-Tex.) deliv
ered a stinging rebuke to the nation-
ally televised response of Sen. Chris-
topher J. Dodd (D-Mass.) to -
Rea-'gar's speech -on Central. America -be-
_ fore-_ a_ ?Lint session of -Congress.
Wright accused Dodd of "florid zhet-
oric" and "hyperbole;'.adding:."I.be-
lieve in a. bipartisan foreign . policy.
We've got one president." ..
Some Democrats have 'privately
expressed political concern's that
they would be held responsible if the
leftists won in El Salvador after
.
-Congress cut off funds for covert
activity and refused the ' president
the funds he has requested for out-
"There are pressures on-both sides
for- a compromise, .,one administra-
tion official- said.. eesterday.. The
Democrats don- t ant ; to . be- held
responsible for what ppens Lf.tbey
,cut -off -the .funds. And some of our "
hard-liners-are binning to iealise J
_-they're going.to have to acoeptsome
more restrictions inorderio save the
package." -. - . . .
'he' administration is most-con-
cerned about.-winning congrssional
approval of '460 -million in .military
aid funds that have been bottled up
in -both houses of -Congress. Last
week a House Appropriations sub
committee votedto give the admin-
istration.half bf its request- - -
"Getting the full -appropriation,is
most important to us, but we'd like'
to keep the covert activity, too, ,in
some form,'' Baia an administration
,official. "It's -a -tool we'd like _:to
have."
Nicaragua was no longer aiding the right military assistance.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/12 CIA-RDP90-00552R000707350009-2