GUERRILLA QUEST FOR U.S. SUPPORT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000201090042-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 12, 2010
• Sequence Number: 42
• Publication Date: March 30, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/12 : CIA-RDP90-00806R000201090042-3
LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH
30 MARCH 1981
S0 ME 'of: the most revealing
documents on the foriegn
cgnnections of El, 'Salva-
den's guerrilla. Left: were
withheld . by. the '.S ' tate
Department. from . the'
inch--thick- dossier it- made
' .
public last month.'
Through Congressional sources
in ?, : Washington-:. .L.. have..
came. from e - American
Communist party- and the
Cuban intelligence station in
New York,-
i\Ir Sandy . 'Polak. "or - the
Communist' party.' for ex-?f
ample, "proposed a national
conference under the auspices ?,
~~- of the. United States- Peac&I
A7 et:J ;. s11; Council , (American aim of
copy of a captured document ` ' - ?iiVY,' " i1,& IJ J. ? I . 1`ational Council of Guurche,,
that contains a '. 22-page The= .seminar' was ,used , to: -Amnesty International.
report by Senor eFarid = 'benefit bf pcogLessiveCoa? ={ tVOLA?and various important
assemble members fora new gressmen, .for the-purpose-of ;unions:'-'' - -
Handal, 'brother,, of Shafik: ?' Ilid r at'Commi~tee of y~ I?I
. mr+.ung the rest of = m- kork.
Hr Polak also suggested means
Handal, the . . Salvadoran Solidarity ity with the P ` PI .'Of
Communist leader,: on avisit; ElSalvado,,,.appear more natural,. and in -by,-wljych-radio?and television
he made to the United States that'vay'protect visa.. ,.~ p;ncrammes could -be.tfinan-
.? the spring of last -year.' However,' as ? Hapda notes, Handal's.;?,report :,.,con?tinues: I .reed." under, the public broad-
in
these.were- on_y two ;Salva .
to mobilise support for,. th ..
e .. : dorans' on this commitee at They" offered to facilit.te- casting System, accordia, to':
guerrilla 'cause., - the :outset .- : contacts in ? Waslutigton =And Handal:
t M they did that" Another' of ~Fr ' d 'e
a n a
describes meetings ; r-with
-Cuban: intelligence ?:offcers??;
based--in-New York, with. a
Palestine. Liberation Organisa-.
tion s. representative,';. with...
networks of - radical . Latin-'
American- r; - . exiles, with
Congressmen,- -: and . ? with.
individuals from the Institute
1 for 'Policy Studies ? and the
National Council of Churches...
:Yeb_ of committees=.
! Hand 1's'report details contrite+u-
tiu~is -made ? by - these and
? others-notably . the. Commu- -
gist -party,. USA .--: to th,e
creation.',of ? a 'web 'of . soli-;
darity : -committees" and
Jobbyin~ caucuses that have
since been. at the forefront ..
of -the ;campaign. to sabotage
..the-:Reagan Administration's
.intervention in support of-the.
present -Government of.. El
Salvador.:.. ;..
'The- report also, contains some
startling . revelations ' about
the role" of ,the: Mexican
Government and :'a senior:
',State Department official who.
has since beee'removed. from
his .Job.- , : ?: . .., .
_
.
Setting . off"' '.from San 'Jose,
Costa Rica, in February' last
year -in the. go of a spokes- ?
man ? .for = the ? Salvadoran
National-. Democratic Union
party, Farid .' Handal''visited-
New" York;- Washington;
Chicago, San Francisco. 'and'
Los 'Angeles,. and 'created
joint solidarity committees in
several of these. cities - al-
though .he?' frequently com=plains in his report about the ?
bickerin -between 'rival Sal?
vadoran Leftist groups. : , '
Iii Washington, he notes, Senora
. Isabel Letelier.(widow of the
i eziled'Chilean Socialist leader
who- worked as a Cuban'. In. Palid' ];randal'soivn"words''
'agent before ? his murder' in `"v ith' regard to- my ? stay in'
Washington) ''organised a ' i the-,?United -States-' and` the
seminar for him at the InstI- , work I "should~. accomplish
lute 'for. Policy Studies: :(.there, they,. (the DG I men)
I recommendd.. that.: I . should
t carry out work of an informs-?=
-..lions, nature about" the titua'
The other members. came5froiri;l
i Chile, `.t Argentina ,: Bolivia, III eTetins.with leaders, 6f,-the' re reentative- hoa ispnoff _
Ecuador, .Uruguay; ,the .Dom= p
inican .Republic and, Cuba, Communist Qarty;'yU i named is the" report but-was'
' _ ? He~aot off to a. bad--start-with .I apparently. a- member" of' the
Council of Church?S - `. -them, but in 'the- subsequent s Democratic Front for tha;
e course of. his' trip -.thanks Liberation of Palestine.
In San Francisco, according to '''largely: to' the. effol?ts? of Mr The Palestinian promised 'that
Farid Handal, hismeetings Sandy Polak, a member of.,the: the PLO."could give us.;
'
"
,
were-
attended
three American Communist party :
-very valuable harp:',
prleAts . from... the, .National central- ??comrnittee ---land =y However, Handal was cautious-
-
van >ruuulGwl[ ??Urudu5e OC
--?--- ?- + .4 Washington?nteetutgg
arranved later. meetings.:'.
.he: idivision b
t
; th
e
ween
. .. ..,,,?
e ? .
groups and the.'Jack 'of The comrades= of "the='CubanOne . ?nF the most - fn
t
t xr -
s
ea
}I
d
t
aa repor
an
single directorate.'" missi n, .,
s SeCLIOnS= of Han(ta-t's report
Two more -priests` .from-"the. ?` had . iecommended Juan ;f" describe, ?hjs ? meetings in
National. Coiests'turned- up. 'Ferreira ':from Uruguay." I' t1'ashingtoawith. Senor Guil,,
contacted :diim :'at' W O L A lermo Manuel ("Memo"),
sa 'the course- 'of Handal (Washington = Office on Latin , Ungo, the Salvadoran revo-
working - discussions with, America) "He helped me at. lutionary front "leader' 'and
. ,Corrrmunist, Trotskyite_'and.. . wV O L A and at the. National Dr. Jorge:: So!, CasteKanos.
Maoist-. orga-nisations: Count it of Churches " said to; be he head: of a
The Church in tiie< United . On his return to Washin ton, private. support, network in-
States continues to.. play a. Farid .'Handal met . ?Rep? the American-capital..:.
leading role'. In opposing Ronald..:Pellums...a ' liberal Senor Ungo is said to
have
_
American involvement in El black Democratic Congress- been .haring: conversations in
Salvador.- jean.. and hisstaff and they R'ashington with senior State.
In?-.New--'-York, -Farid Randal- -also helped .to broaden -his Department. officials. aid toe
:.says, . he -me. ' officers of - the ? network of 'contacts, he said.= ? _ have'- - quoted' M?1r ' ? Robert
Cuban.: secrcr seryice . the In preparation' for a meeting ;''White, -then- -American 'Am
DO I, % ho are.. -operating with other members of ? the bacsador to 'El Salvador 'as
under : cover at the'. Cuban
mission: ? ? to' :.the. .United
Nations,:- at. '.the home of.
Senor ?- Alfredo. - Garcia
Almeida: s_ 1
Significantly the `Cuban intelli-e
gence :officers ga've him his
main: support in ?develooing
contacts` on. Capitol" Hill-i
further confirmation of "the
intensive efforts -of 'the -D G r?
:, and the'American=department'
I of* the Cuban ' .. Communist
party toe-recruit agents of in-
-black?caucus on. Capitol Hill. ? sa~?ing.,lie was- "optimistic"
Handal notes," the- offices of - theee_wouid be no America n
Congressman "Dellums were intervention. and as' "agree-
turned ..into't--our: offices ing tvith'-what `Memo'- had
Everything was donee.there." said." ~' ' ? ? =
The'?meeting...with-'"the - black Di Sol 'Castellanos is..said to
caucus, he states, "took' place have described it conversa
in the Jiver of the monster '- tion he claimed to have -had
itself"- a reference 'to the' " with ex-President Oduber.of
committee meeting',room on , Costa Rica'. after he. had
Capitol Hill that ~ as'made.I ? talked with President
. interesting Portitlo of 1llecico..'.'-
reflection on. Farid' .Handal's? According to'this .secord?haad''
-attitude- to '.;'democratic account, the Mexican, leader
institutions.. ', had expressed....+ sympathy ,
National conference.: . lvith the Salvadoran revolu?
? tion and had suggested that,
It becomes '.apparent 'from - while there 'Was 'little he
Handal's report .that many.of could do tp' give di!ect' sup.'
the most productive proposals 'port, he could',-,guarantee
for the expansion ' of..,. the , :.that the G uatemalan.' Artny.
Salvadoran ."solidarity''cam- 'would not _intervene:'.
paiga" in the:United States t
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/12 : CIA-RDP90-00806R000201090042-3