INTRODUCING SECURITAS NEWSLETTER

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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 %,-Ri ~01Cq.U 3ED STAT 2) 2) NEWSLETTER WASHINGTON, D.C. Declassified information from: -CIA, FBI & military intelligence -State Department cables -White HouseiPresidential papers -National Security Council reports -DOD & Joint Chiefs war planning -Scientific & technical studies -Office of Strategic Services & other W.W II-era agencies 1- Stephen R. Keefe, c/o Securitas (VA) - Associates, 7600 Somerset Ln. Manassas, SECURITAS NEWSLETTER is published by Securitas Associates, a private research firm dedicated to providing our clients with declassified federal government records. The majority of declassified documents covered in SECURITAS NEWSLETTER were made public as a result of the Freedom of Information Act (Public Law, 5 U.S.C. 552), which allows access to ALL records of ALL executive branch agencies, unless the desired documents fall within any one of nine categories of restricted government information. Other declassified documents have been made available to Securitas Associates as a result of the Privacy Act (Public Law, 5 U.S.C. 552a). This statute allows any U.S. citizen the right to inspect their own dossiers maintained by federal agencies such as the CIA, FBI or IRS. All documents presented in SECURITAS NEWSLETTER have been reviewed by U.S. government declassification authorities to ensure that their disclosure no longer poses a threat to the nation's security. The declassified documents acquired by Securitas Associates will be reproduced in retyped format since many of the original records have been 'SANITIZED' with substantial portions blackened out by classified data specialists prior to their release. The formerly secret papers we have selected for inclusion in SECURITAS NEWSLETTER range from one page cables, memorandums and correspondence to lengthier (CIA) National Intelligence Estimates and NSC meeting minutes. Each of these documents have been individually evaluated to determine their usefulness in terms of meeting the information needs of our clients. In an ongoing effort, our researchers are investigating hundreds of declassified 'TOP SECRET,' 'SECRET' and 'CONFIDENTIAL' files. In addition to our retyped documents, SECURITAS NEWSLETTER will feature updates on prominent journalists, authors and scholars who have obtained interesting declassified records. When possible, we will interview executive branch officials to obtain their views regarding the documents they authored. A declassified documents research service will be available only to subscribers of SECURITAS NEWSLETTER. Such special projects, involving archival research to recover documents not found in SECURITAS NEWSLETTER, can be contracted through arrangements with Securitas Associates on a per order basis. Our subscribers can also utilize Securitas Associates should the need arise for a liaison with Freedom of Information Act offices. Since America entered the 'Atomic Age' four decades ago, both the size and respon- sibilities of the United States government have grown enormously. One side-effect of America's ascendancy to the status of a 'superpower' has been the creation of a huge storehouse of government documents. Fortunately, researchers can use laws such as the Freedom of Information Act to uncloak heretofore secret information about the important debates and decisions that shaped the course of modern history. In no other country in the world is such information made available to anyone other than an inner circle of key governmental officials. With that point in mind, Securitas Associates invites you to fill out the subscription form on the next page. We are certain you won't want to miss SECURITAS NEWSLETTER'S important information concerning not only America's relations with its allies and enemies around the world, but also fascinating revelations about the U.S. government's internal security apparatus as well. Stephen R. Keefe President Securitas Associates 01* SECURITAS 2 1 Address all correspondence to: SECURITAS Newsletter ? 7600 Somerset Lane ? Manassas. Virginia 221 1 I ? (703) 361-4782 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION A one year subscription to Securitas Declassified Documents Newsletter is $300.00. This subscription fee entitles our clients to receive our monthly issues of Securitas Newsletter. Each month, Securitas Newsletter will feature 5 separate declassified U.S. government documents of varying lengths and on differing topics. Therefore, our clients will have access to 60 declassified documents over the course of one year. Newsletter subscribers can also utilize Securitas Declassified Documents Research Service to further investigate subject matter introduced by our staff or to find out if any declassified documents exist on a subject of their choosing. Additional fees for research and photo- copying services will be established after our researchers have examined the feasibility of obtaining records pertinent to the request. SECURITAS NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION FORM NAME OF INDIVIDUAL OR ORGANIZATION: TITLE OR NATURE OF BUSINESS: ADDRESS: CITY: STATE : ZIP CHECK ONE: ENCLOSED IS A CHECK OR-MONEY ORDER IN THE AMOUNT OF $300.00 FOR ONE YEAR'S SUBSCRIPTION TO SECURITAS NEWSLETTER PLEASE BILL ME MAILING ADDRESS SECURITAS DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS NEWSLETTER 7600 SOMERSET LANE MANASSAS, VIRGINIA 22111 I am interested in seeing declassified documents on the following topics in future issues of SECURITAS NEWSLETTER: Ac Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 -CIA, FBI & military intelligence C-i C_, -Cr~ro rla.,~.r.r,onr -kl.c -National n 0, TN TKVA7 TS J 17 9 -DDOD & O& JSoint nt Ch Chi efs w waar r Council ing planning NEWSLETTER -Office of Strategic Services & other W W II-era agencies The following declassified Central Intelligence Agency document outlines the CIA's official rebuttal to an article published in a magazine called "CounterSpy" relating to the assassination of CIA station chief Richard Welch on December 23, 1975 at Athens, Greece. Mr. Welch's affiliation with the CIA had been revealed in a "CounterSpy" magazine issue just a few months before he was gunned down on the doorstep of his home. The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency at the time of Richard Welch's death was William Colby. On the day following the Welch assassination, Director Colby asserted in a terse statement that "CounterSpy's" publication of Mr. Welch's name and address "may well have contributed to his death." One of the founders of "CounterSpy" magazine is a man by the name of Philip Agee. Mr. Agee served as a covert operations officer in the Central Intelligence Agency from 1957 until 1968, when he was asked to either resign or have his employment terminated by CIA. Mr. Agee is currently living in Hamburg, West Germany and has been prohibited from reentering the United States because his U.S. pass- port has been invalidated by the State Department. The identification of CIA employees in "Counterspy" magazine and in Agee's book, Inside The Company; CIA Diary, prompted President Reagan to sign into law the Intelligence Identities Protection Act (Public Law 97-200) on June 23, 1982 at a ceremony held at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. This new law makes it a crime for "CounterSpy" editors or anyone else to reveal the names or addresses of active duty intelligence agents serving the United States government. CIA DIRECTOR WILLIAM COLBY'S STATEMENT ON CIA AGENT'S DEATH Date: 12/24/75 "The so-called "CounterSpy" magazine of the Fifth Estate, without even an expression of human sympathy, has issued a statement which can only be called a shocking attempt to use the death of a dedicated American as fuel for it's irresponsible and paranoic attacks on other Americans serving their country here and abroad. I am sure that true Americans will repudiate this cynical statement. It is untrue that the CIA attempted to manipulate the media by laying the blame for Welch's death to the publication called "CounterSpy" which has published Mr. Welch's name and identified him as a CIA officer. In responding to media inquiries immediately after Mr. Welch was assassinated, this office in fact de- clined to confirm that Mr. Welch had been a CIA officer. It was pointed out to reporters, however, that Mr. Welch had been so identified in "CounterSpy" and that this may well have contributed to his death. The Agency maintains that position to this day." Along with CIA Director Colby's statement on the Welch murder, the CIA also included in it's declassified document file the excised text of a "CounterSpy" magazine statement concerning the Welch killing. "The attempts of CIA officials, both current and retired, to link the death of CIA station chief in Athens, Greece to the Fifth Estate is more than mere stretching of facts and coincidences. It is a blatant attempt to (illegible word) those who have the courage and conviction to oppose the CIA and it's domestic and foreign operations. Richard Welch, the dead CIA agent, was identified as the CIA station chief in Lima, Peru in the spring/ summer (1975) issue of "CounterSpy," the quarterly journal of the Fifth Estate. His sub- sequent move to Greece was unknown to us and we have had no contact with the Greek news- paper that identified him. Mr. Welch died as a direct result of the worldwide hostility that the CIA helped generate against the United States. As a CIA agent, he (Welch) knew that his role in coordinating CIA operations, be they in Peru or Greece, could someday (continued next page) Address all correspondence to: SECURITAS Newsletter ? 7600 Somerset Lane ? Manassas, Virginia 221 1 1 ? (703) 361-4782 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 "COUNTERSPY'S" STATEMENT ON THE WELCH ASSASSINATION CASE/PAGE TWO lead to his death. It is a fact of life in such organizations. If anyone is to blame for Mr. Welch's death, it is the CIA that sent him to spy and perhaps to intervene in the affairs of the Greek government. After The Athens News publicly identified him, there was no excuse for the CIA to keep him there. The blood of Mr. Welch is on the hands of the CIA and not on the pages of "CounterSpy." The political rationale of Mr. Welch's death should not be overlooked. For many Greeks, the name CIA brings back horrid memories of United States supported tortures, imprisonment and death as well as the intervention in the country of Cyprus. Such emotions based on political fact are felt by many throughout the world." Address all correspondence to: SECURITAS Newsletter ? 7600 Somerset Lane ? Manassas, Virginia 221 1 I ? (703) 361-4782 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 . Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 1_ S E L U K I I A 5 Declassified information from: -CIA, FBI & military intelligence -State Department cables -White House/Presidential papers -National Security Council reports -DOD & Joint Chiefs war planning -Scientific & technical studies -Office of Strategic Services & other W W II-era agencies This Central Intelligence Agency memorandum to J. Edgar Hoover, former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation was written shortly before the Black Muslim leader Malcolm X was slain at a N.Y.C. auditorium in February 1965. This memorandum concerns CIA in- telligence regarding the funding Malcolm X said he received from the Egyptian government, which in 1965 was headed by Gamal Abdal Nasser. At the time this memo was written, Malcolm X was the leader of a Black Muslim organization called, The Muslim Mosque. Al- though the declassified document offers no explanation as to how Malcolm X made contact with Egyptian government officials, it is a matter of record that Malcolm X made a re- ligious pilgrimage to Mecca (Saudi Arabia) in 1964 and, shortly thereafter, converted to Orthodox Islam. Malcolm X joined the Black Muslims in the 1950's while he was incarcerated and became a Black Muslim minister after he was released from prison in 1952. As a militant black nationalist (favoring an autonomous state for black people), Malcolm X (also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) vastly increased the number of Black Muslim converts by preaching to blacks throughout the United States. Eventually Malcolm X's following rivalled that of the founder of the Black Muslims, Elijah Muhammad. By 1963, tensions between Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad reached a boiling point. The result was a schism within the Black Muslims resulting from Elijah Muhammad's decision to suspend Malcolm X after the latter suggested in a speech that President John F. Kennedy's assassination was a matter of "the chickens coming home to roost." At the time of his death in 1965, Malcolm X had changed the name of his group from The Muslim Mosque, Inc. to The Organization of Afro-American Unity. For the record, the current leader of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan, is more closely identified with the followers of the late Elijah Muhammad who died in 1975. Central Intelligence Agency Washington, D.C. Date: 23 February 1965 From: Deputy Director for Plans (CIA) To: Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation Att: Mr. S.J. Papish Subject: Malcolm K. Little, aka Malcolm X "1. Reference is made to this agency's communication to you of 23 December 1964, subject Malcolm K. Little, aka Malcolm X. 2. (deleted) subject recently revealed that he is currently being financed by the Egyp- tian government. Subject made this statement in the course of a discussion (deleted). Subject stated that he feared that the Egyptian government would decrease it's funding of his (Subject's) organization and denegrate Subject's stature as an American negroe leader. Subject did not supply any further details on the amount of funds he is re- ceiving from the Egyptian government, or the channel by which the funding is conducted. 3. It is requested that no further distribution of this information be made without reference to this agency." Address all correspondence to: SECURITAS Newsletter ? 7600 Somerset Lane ? Manassas, Virginia 221 I I ? (703) 361.4782 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 NEWSLETTER Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 S E C U R I T A S -79(MZS25OHNMM NEWSLETTER Declassified information from: -CIA, FBI & military intelligence -State Department cables -White House/Presidential papers -National Security Council reports -DOD & Joint Chiefs war planning -Scientific & technical studies -Office of Strategic Services & other W.W. II-era agencies VOL 1, NO. 3 According to a declassified CIA Foreign intelligence information Report, there was an "unspecified accident" at the Soviet's KASLI nuclear energy production plant at Kyshtym, in the Russian S.F.S.R. during the winter of 1957. The disaster at the KASLI plant caused radio-active materials (possibly plutonium wastes) to be spread over a sixty mile area between the Soviet cities of Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk. People living in this region of the Urals told the CIA's undercover agent that the water supplies in the area were contam- inated and had been declared a "health hazard" by Soviet government authorities. The most highly radio-active villages in the contaminated zone were reportedly burned and tainted foodstuffs such as milk and meat had to be destroyed. The Soviet citizens living nearby the KASLI atomic plant were exposed to high doses of radioactivity. The CIA's source in- dicates that there was "a hysterical fear" amongst the people concerning a "mysterious disease" that broke out in Kamensk-Uralskiy (a city downwind from the KASLI reactor site). Two Soviet emigres, (one living in England and the other living in Israel) have since con- firmed that a nuclear accident caused a "vast nothingness resembling a lunar landscape" in the Urals where no trees or vegetation could grow for years after the disaster occurred. INFORMATION REPORT Report Number: CS-3/389,785 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY Date Distributed: 4 March 1959 Country: USSR No. of Pages: 1 Subject: Accident at the KASLI atomic Plant References: RD Date of Information: 1957-1958 CS-3/380,057 Place and Date Acquired: (deleted) Source: (deleted) In the winter of 1957, an unspecified accident occurred at the KASLI (N 55-54, E 60-48) atomic plant (deleted). All stores in Kemensk-Uralskiy which sold milk, meat and other foodstuffs were closed as a i precaution against radiation exposure, and new supplies were brought in two days later by train and truck. The food was sold directly from the vehicles, and the resulting queues were reminiscent of those during the worst shortages during World War II. The people in Kamensk-Uralskiy grew hysterical with fear, with an incidence of unkown "mysterious diseases" breaking out. A few leading citizens aroused the public anger by wearing small radiation counters which were not available to everyone. (For KASLI "Plant Summary" see next page) Ad( Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 51-4782 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 KYSHTYM DISASTER CIA DOCUMENTS/PAGE TWO CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY PLANT SUMMARY (undated) 1. NAME: Atomic Energy Installation (deleted) 2. LOCATION: Kyshtym (55 44 N 60 35 E) a. Address: N/A b. Pinpoint: The restricted area of Kyshtym is approximately 60 km N/S and 45 km E/W. The railroad from Kasli to Karabash runs diagonally from the NE corner to the SW corner with Kyshtym in the center. It includes the installations at Techa (reactor) and Sungul (radiological institute). 3. HISTORY: A large atomic plant and workers' settlement were established about 15 km NE of Kyshtym, probably at Techa on Osero Irtyash, during the period 1945-1948. Approx- imately 70,000 inmates of 12 labor camps participated in the construction. In the spring of 1948, the entire population, including all prisoners of war and forced laborers had to evacuate the Kyshtym restricted area. The population was replaced by Communists and their dependents who came to Kyshtym from all over the USSR. They were reportedly never to leave the area again. 4. PHYSICAL PLANT AND EQUIPMENT: The restricted area covers 2700 sq. km containing eight small lakes with interconnecting watercourses. The atomic plant (reactor) is situated in a tunnel which extends beneath a river, with only a smoke stack visible above ground. One of the lakes was drained and a building of undetermined size was built on its bed with cement, rubber and lead. Then the lake was refilled with water. A double tracked railroad line was built to the area... 5. PRODUCTION: It is reported this plant contains atomic piles and supplies Sungul Radiological Institute with radio-active materials. This plant has been reported to be manufacturing components for atomic weapons. In the spring of 1958 hundreds of persons were exposed to radiation and injured as a result of an explosion at the Kyshtym plant. In early 1959, an atomic test reportedly took place in Kyshtym. After the test, such foodstuffs as meat, fish and milk were removed from the retail stores in Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk and destroyed. Residents were ordered to turn in food stocks in their houses. Residents were warned against buying agricultural products from farmers. 6. LABOR: In this area in 1956 there were military personnel from various army units. With them 16 labor battalions of about 1,000 men each were activated. There were also 25,000 Soviet soldiers of General Vlasov, who had collaborated with the Germans. These men.were actually considered as prisoners and were likewise organized into labor battalions. In addition, about 60,000 Soviet convicts of both sexes were 7. employed in the project. KEY PERSONALITIES AND ORGANIZATION: N/A 8. SECURITY: Strict security observed. Movement was restricted in the vicinity of the plant. The surrounding fences were considerably removed from the enterprise itself, but the entrances were under permanent military guards. Special passes required. 9. VISITS BY AMERICAN AND/OR WESTERN OBSERVERS: N/A 10. PHOTOS AVAILABLE: N/A Ai Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 1-4782 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 SECURITAS ~-' MIN M O U 73 REM m uo `~\r NEWSLETTER ISSN 0882-8113 Declassified information from: -CIA. FBI & military intelligence -State Department cables -White Houser Presidential papers -National Security Council reports -DOD & Joint Chiefs war planning -Scientific & technical studies -Office of Strategic Services & other W W. II-era agencies The declassified document reproduced below was composed just two days after a group of Korean army colonels, led by Major General Park Chung Hee, consolidated a coup d'etat on May 16, 1961. by forming a Supreme Council for National Reconstruction as the sole governing organ of South Korea. The Park Chung Hee regime replaced the short-lived gov- ernment of President Yun Po Sun and Prime Minister Chang Myon, the interim leaders who were elected to office following the ouster of South Korea's first President Syngman Rhee in 1960. Major General Park was elected President of South Korea in 1963 and remained in power until his assassination by the Director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) in the fall of 1979. This document gives us a glimpse of the American monitoring of press censorship in Korea after Park Chung Hee's bloodless coup. The author of the telegram was Mr. Marshall Green, the Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul South Korea. Incoming Telegram Department of State From: SEOUL To: Secretary of State Date: May 18, 1961 "Press censorship becoming increasingly strict. Stories unfavorable to revolutionary committee do not appear and portions of stories which do not depict coup or committee actions in favorable light generally omitted. Particularly evident is tendency to (word deleted) from abroad or statement by prominent individuals so that they appear to endorse coup. Until systematic censorship, established papers apparently allowed to use own discretion on stories to be printed or their content, but were held responsible for material published. Initial censorship spotty and inconsistent with identical stories being censored in one paper but not in another. On May 17, 1961, public information office of martial law command set up censorship office in Seoul city hall and papers required to submit proofs in advance of publication. Army General Kim Won-Sop has been designated censor. Press articles "which benefit enemy, conflict with revolutionary goals, instigate counter-revolutionary activities, hamper the maintenance of public order, and those which are contrary to public will and sentiment," are forbidden. Also restricted are those stories "which will harm military morale, violate military secrets, falsify true facts and other designated information." Censored articles at first defaced and often were partially legible. Later censored articles were replaced by "slugs" and today many papers contained large blank sections. However, reportedly papers will no longer be permitted to leave sections blank to indicate censored material. Press also being instructed to suppress certain stories. Local press today carried only abbreviated accounts of wire service re- ports of remarks made by Acting Secretary Bowles with portions relating to maintaining civil authority and keeping Korea on road to democracy eliminated. Similarly Senator Fulbright's remarks following Foreign Re- lations Committee session heavily cut so that his remarks appeared to follow tenor of headline stating, "Fulbright Says Statement of Junta In- spiring." Ad('' "u ...e~.. ,..ao. ~o t?? ctrl 101T AC niu,udnttnr a 7(Afl cc n rvPI 1 nnv ? Mnnxc c Viroinii 7? 1 I I ? 17!121 IF, 1-4782 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 S E C U R I T A S Declassified information from: f~J -CIA, FBI & military intelligence u e -State Department cables Lb3 Lb3 ~J -White House/Presidential papers -National Securit Council re orts y p O ? RE M IN 1Z 0 - DOD & Joint Chiefs war planning -Scientific & technical studies -Office of Strategic Services & ~/ _U other W.W. II-era agencies c N E W S L E 1 1 E R WASHINGTON, D.C. VOL. 1, NO. 5 This CIA report from 1982 was prepared to document the rapid pace of military growth in the Republic of Nicaragua since the Sandinista National Liberation Front took power on July 19, 1979. The Sandinista Directorate controls a total population of 2.9 million citizens (Nicaragua has the smallest population of any nation in Central America). Yet, the Nicaraguan government maintains a 30,000 member standing army backed up by a 79,000 reserve militia force. The Reagan administration has received intelligence reports in- dicating that Soviet-built T-55 model tanks and other heavy weapons have been shipped from the Soviet Union to Nicaraguan ports. The increased sophistication of the Sandinista ar- senal has created tensions between the U.S. and Nicaragua and "has disturbed Nicaragua's neighbors (Hondurus and Costa Rica, in particular) greatly," according to a State Depart- ment official. The United States government has expressly warned that it would consider as "unacceptable" any introduction of Soviet MIG fighter aircraft into Nicaragua because such advanced warplanes would upset the regional balance of forces and threaten the security of U.S. military bases in the area. Central Intelligence Agency Nicaraguan Military Buildup Report Number 28 Date: 1982 "Prior to the overthrow of Somoza (Anastasio Somoza Debayle ruled Nicaragua from 1967 until 1979) by the Sandinistas, he (Somoza) maintained a National Guard of around 10,000 men. This force was widely dispersed throughout the country in an internal sec- urity role. The National Guard had little heavy equipment, as there was little perceived external threat. When the Sandinistas came to power, it appeared initially that they would maintain a security force similar to Somoza's; they gradually built up a 5,000 to 6,000 man police force. At the same time, however, we could see that they were developing a large standing army supplemented by an even larger militia reserve. This combined force, which totals some 70,000 to 75,000 men, has upset the military balance in Central America and alarmed Nic- aragua's neighbors. This is especially true of Costa Rica, which maintains no standing army. By way of contrast, the following may be of interest: Guatemala with a population of 7.2 million and a growing insurgency has an armed force of 15-17,000 with a reserve of some 35,000 comprised of reserves, national police, treasury police, etc. Honduras with a 3.8 million population has some 12,500 men under arms with a police force of 5,000, and El Salvador with almost 5 million--and fighting an active insurgency--has a security es- tablishment of some 24,000. (Note: The CIA Report included a map of the military bases the Sandinistas have con- structed since coming to power. Copies of this map are available by written request. The CIA also included some aerial photos of Nicaraguan military garrisons which show "a strong Cuban-Soviet influence." The photographs were of Nicaraguan garrisons at: Villa Nueva, Juigalpa, Matagalpa, Condega, Cuajachillo and La Quebradita). In addition to construction of new garrisons, existing National Guard facilities have been expanded at Diriamba and Puerto Cabezas. (CIA photos included show a "Soviet-style obstacle course" and "Soviet-style design of barracks facilities," according to the CIA). All of these (military garrisons) house Nicaraguan infantry battalions. (deleted sen- tence). We have also witnessed the receipt of artillery and tanks (more CIA photos follow) A0.4-- a ~?~.e~.,,,..ao... tn? CG!'I IRITAC tuewdetter ? 7hnn cnmerset Lane ? Manassas. Virginia 22111 ? 17031 361-4782 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 NICARAGUAN MILITARY BUILDUP/PAGE TWO Two photos of El Tempisque garrison (under construction) showing driver training, tank battalion barracks, Soviet T-54/55 tanks, and armored personnel carrier.) We know that Nicaragua has received at least 12 152-mm howitzers, 25 T54/55 tanks, and 12 APCs-armored personnel carriers. These give it a distinct firepower advantage over its neighbors. (Honduras has only eight 150 mm howitzers, 16 scorpion light tanks, and no APCs. In addition to this infantry buildup, we know that Nicaragua has pilots training on MiG-21 aircraft in Cuba and Bulgaria. Four airfields in Nicaragua are being improved to handle these aircraft. (photos show airfields at: Sandino, Puerto Cabezas, Bluefields,. Montelimar). (Comment on airfields photos deleted). Once Nicaragua begins to receive these fighter aircraft sometime this year, after the pilot training and airfield expansions are completed, it will have the best air force in Central America. (Honduras has only 15 vintage Super Mysteres bought from Israel and a small number of unflyable F-86s, which belong in a Museum.) (3 paragraphs deleted) The Cuban influence in the Nicaraguan military has been pervasive. We estimate the Cubans have some 1,750 military and security advisors in Nicaragua. These include adviser from the general staff level down to individual companies. (3 lines deleted). The total Cuban contingent is approximately 6,000. They are employed in a variety of areas: 500- medical; 2,100 primary teachers; 300-600 government agencies; 100 secondary teachers; 750 construction/fishing; in addition to the 1,750 military/security advisors. (6 lined paragraph deleted) In summary, we view the continued expansion of the Nicaraguan armed forces and the continued receipt of Soviet-style weaponry with concern. While for the present, the Nicaraguan buildup can be considered in large part defensive, these trends provide Managua with an obvious offensive capability which has alarmed its neighbors and upset the traditional military balance in Central America. Another development of concern is the recent Sandinista repression of the Indians who live in the northeastern part of the country along the Rio Coco, the natural boundary between Honduras and Nicaragua. Since early January, the Nicaraguan government has relocated entire Indian communities away from the Honduran border area. Reports from refugees, Church officials, and other sources indicating that most of the vacated villages have been burned to the ground have been confirmed by aerial photographs. (photos show before and after condition of Indian villages at: San Jeronimo, Wirapahani, San Luis, Leimus, and an unnamed village.) The area of destruction appears widespread and may eventually include all or most villages along a 100-kilometer-wide swath along the border. The Sandinistas probably are attempting to create a cordon-sanitaire that will fa- cilitate counterinsurgency operations along the border and deny the insurgents--many of who are Indians--any support from Indian communities in the area. Ac Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201030008-4 -4782