WHITE HOUSE AID TO NICARAGUAN REBELS REPORTEDLY WORRIED C.I.A.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000200810037-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 20, 2012
• Sequence Number: 37
• Publication Date: August 10, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/20: CIA-RDP90-00965R000200810037-4
U
ON A~_ ___ NEW YORK TIMES
10 August 1985
White House Aid to Nicaraguan Rebels Reports
Worried C.I.A.
By JOEL BRINKLEY with the rebels said they did not believe
Sps .i to 1 Now Yak Tl O it was illegal.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 - The Na- Mr. Djerejian said the involvement
tional Security Council's direct in. with the rebels included "urging them
volvement with the Nicaraguan rebels to take all proper care of civilians and
in the last year caused "some disquiet" prisoners of war, giving advice on
among Central Intelligence Agency of- human rights matters" and ..assuring
ficials who feared the activities might that their conduct of the war must be
be illegal, a senior Administration oft part and Parcel of their policy of estab-
cial said today. lashing a democracy in Nicaragua."
The official, who asked not to be iden. It was reported this week that the
tified, said the Director of Central in. council had Provided direct military
telligence, William J. Casey, "hasn't advice to the rebels and help in raising
wanted to know sane of the things the funds from private sources.
N.S.C. was doing because of the Boland A senior White House official said,
amendment." "We're not in the trenches giving tacti-
He was referring to legislation saga- cal advice to the democratic resist_
nally sponsored by Representative Ed- But in an interview, ward P. Boland, Democrat of Massa- another senior
chusetts, that restricted or prohibited White House official who has intimate
direct American aid to the Nicaraguan knowledge of the National Security
rebels. The legislation expired Thurs. Council activities said the officer in
day. charge of the program had detailed
A White House spokesman, Edward knowledge of how and where the rebels
P
. Djerejian, in a reference to the anti- bought their weapons.
Sandinista rebels, said today that "our Details of Arms Purchases
relationship with the democratic The official said that the rebels
resistan
ls
d
d
ce
con
ucte
entirely within
the letter and the spirit of the law."
Administration officials have ac-
knowledged that in the last year, after
Congress prohibited direct .American
aid to the Nicaraguan rebels, officers
of the National Security Council were
involved in the rebels' operations.
Reagan Defends Arrangement
On Thursday, President Reagan said
the arrangement did not break any
law, and some members of Congress
who oppose the council's involvement
`Some Grumbling' at C.I.A.
An~,intelligence official said there
was some grumbling" at the C.I.A.
about the council's activities. "Some
he said, but he de-
clined people di to dn't like elaborate.
.
In October, the C.I.A. issued a direc-
tive prohibiting agency employees
from contact or involvement with the
Nicaraguan rebels. But as part of his
work with the rebels, the National Se-
curity Council officer was in frequent
contact with the C.I.A., Administration
9fficials said.
The concern over the legality of the
National Security Council program in-
volves the so-called Boland amend,
MOM prohi
Ameri involvement with the rreeb~eb, The fcan
such legislation, sponsored by Mr. Bo.
land, was approved in I99gSubsequent
measures with similar restricum, &I-
though
have con to be knother own by r. go-.
land's name.
The limitation in effect since last
year ended Thursdlav whe
P
n
---?-.d....w',w
el AK-17 automatic rifles made ini ing $27 million in nonmilitary aiF7iVY1a-
d to the
Poland and Bulgaria, at weapons mar-1 rebels. Any agency except the C.I.A.
kets in Belgium, France or West Ger-, and the Defense Department may now
many, and that they have bought be legally involved with the rebels. In-'
Soviet-made SA-7 surface-to-air mis- telligence and Defense Department
sles "by the dozens" in recent months. officers are allowed to offer help, but
The White House official also said the only as consultants to other United
National Security Council knew that States Government officers.
the rebels had taken delivery of thel When it was in effect, the previous)
arms in Honduras and Costa Rica. The law said: "No funds available to the
use of those countries for such deliv- Central Intelligence Agency, the De-
erles " t~adefH eir -Governments partment of Defense or any other
has made
and other l~ocatiioons InCent~rali Acam merr--
ica, the senior Administration official
said, "and he always has his own Gov-
ernment airplane."
"That's very unusual," the official
added, "Unless you area Cabinet secre-
tary?
He said some at the C.I.A. worried
that the National Security Council had
at times "stepped over the line."
volved in intelligence activities m y be
obligated or expended" to support, ?,di.
rectly or indirectly, military or para-
military operations in Nicaragua."
Mr. Djerejian said today that "dur-
ing the period where no resources were
provided by Congress, there was obvi-
ously no disposition of Federal funds.,,
Representative George E. ' Brown
Jr., Democrat of California, a member.
of the House Permanent Select Com-
mittee on Intelligence, said he and
other committee members had dis-
cussed the National Security Council
activities but had concluded they could
do little about them.
Still, he said, "I am kind of steamed
about it because it is avoiding the intent
of Congress."
Adm. Stanfield Turner
Director of
,
Central Intelligence in the Carter Ad.
ministration, called the council's as
tivities "a devious and disingenuous
technique" to skirt the law.
But Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was
national security adviser for President
Carter, said: "The N.S.C. is an instru-
ment for enforcing the President's will.
I don't have any objection to this."
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/20: CIA-RDP90-00965R000200810037-4