HOUSE COMMITTEE, ECHOING SENATE, OPPOSES MINING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000302640024-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 20, 2012
• Sequence Number: 24
• Publication Date: April 12, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/20: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302640024-4
ARTICLE APPEARED
ON PAGE n---/
ROUSE COMMITTEE,
ECHOING SENATE,
OPPOSES MINING
REAGAN IS FACING REVOLT
But Officials Assert Operation
Ended Last Weekend and
Is Unlikely to Resume
By BERNARD GWERTZMAN
Special to The New York Times
WASHINGTON, April 11 ? The
House Foreign Affairs Committee
today approved a resolution opposing
the use of Government funds for the
mining of Nicaraguan harbors as an
impasse appeared to be developing be-
tween Congress and the Administra-
tion over continuation of covert activity
in Nicaragua.
The resolution approved by the com-
mittee, in a vote of 32 to 3 with 2 absten-
tions, was identical to one passed by
the Senate on Tuesday.
At the same time, Administration of-
ficials, suddenly faced with a revolt
even by Republicans over their Central
American policy, said that the latest
phase of the mining of Nicaraguan har-
bors ceased last weekend. This was be-
fore the outcry in Congress against the
mining had raised questions about the
ability of the Administration to obtain
financing for its key Central American
programs. There was no explanation
why this was not made known earlier
Financing Is in Trouble
The officials, who privately acknowl-
edged the mining_was directed by the
Central _Intelligence _Agency,._still re-
fiised publicly_ to confirm that the
agency was involved.
Kenneth W. Darn, Deputy Secretary
of State, suggested that the United
States would be justified in assisting
the mining of Nicaraguan harbors as
an act of collective self-defense. But in
testifying before the House Foreign Af-
fairs Committee, he too declined to ac-
knowledge that the United States was
involved in the mining.
NEW YORK TIMES
12 April 1984
1 In Honduras, the largest anti-Sandin-
ista insurgent group decided at a meet-
ing to continue the mining, a top offi-
cial of the group said. But he denied
that Americans were involved in it.
The Senate voted overwhelmingly
last week to approve =1 million to con-
tinue the covert program in Nicaragua
and $62 million for emergency military
aid to El Salvador. But with Congress
due to begin a 10-day Easter holiday by
the end of the week, the House is un-
likely to vote on either measure, rais-
ing serious questions about their pas-
sage.
Reagan Move Is Hinted
The full House was expected to ap-
prove the resolution passed by the For- '
eign Affairs Committee either later
today or on Thursday. The resolution is
not binding on the President, but an ex-
pression of the sentiment of the Con-
gress.
A State Department spokesman,
John Hughes, hinted strongly that if
Congress recesses without approving
the money for El Salvador, Pt ebident
Reagan might invoke emergency
powers to provide the military aid for
El Salvador on an interim basis. Such
action, however, would be resented by
many members of Congress and could
lead to further confrontation with the
Administration.
There is no legal authority for the
Central Intelligence Agency to use
' other funds if the $21 million for covert
aid is not approved by Congress, C.I.A.
iihin?t
money for the insurgents in Nicaragua
runs out and it could within a matter
of weeks ? the operation there would
have to cease. House Speaker Thomas
P. O'Neill Jr. vowed today that no new
funds would be authorized.
The officials who divulged that the
mining of Nicaraguan waters had
ended-declined to say whether it would
be resumed. A senior, State Depart-
ment official said that given the ad-
verse publicity overseas and the strong.
Congressional opposition, it was "very,
very unlikely" there would be addi-
tional mining financed or supported by
the United States.
They said the ship that carried the
mines and the Americans involved in
directing the mining had left Nicara-
guan
tearsculai.
theButcental waters.
ehsourcaad
es saidsi thoe_pyph,oad not.
ly
been mfiirmed by_Williiria J. Caseth
y,e
r.jrkaor_of _c_eiltrit intelligence. aat
He
met privately with senators on TOT-
Clayand repeatedly refilled to tell_thetp
the status of the mining, senators said
today.
1
Reaction Stuns Administration
The Administration seemed stunned
by the vehemence of the sentiment on
Capitol Hill against the mining. Many
senators, including those on the Intelli-
gence Committee, which is supposed to
be kept informed of all covert actions,
asserted they knew nothing about the
American involvement.
But officials of the Central Intelli-
gence Agency, the State DeLiartment
and-ffe White House all insisted that
the appropriate intelligence commit-
lhad beerririfoi--thQ. a bolitWa7Miri-
iiig.as_well as calaci_clindesiiiii_wem-
tons in Nicaragua last fall and subse-
quently. Last November, Congress ap-
proved $24 million for Nicaraguan
rebel activities.
The officials said President Reagan
fpy approved the mining last
De?ber. C.I.A. officials said they
figid transcripts of testimony before the
intelligence committees to document
that they were informed.
?One State Department official said
he had heard that some officials were
considering seeking private financing
for the Nicaraguan rebels if Congress
does not act, but a senior State Depart-
ment official said that was "off-the-
wall thinking" and was "out of the
question."
Senator Barry Goldwater, chairman
of the Senate Intelligence Committee,
said in a letter Monday to Mr. Casey
that Mr. Reagan had given his consent
to the mining last February, but offi-
cials said this was incorrect. The letter
was made public by Senate sources on
Tuesday.
The officials noted that the Nicara-
guan Democratic Force, the leading
Nicaraguan rebel group, publicly an-
nounced on Jan. 8 that it had mined
Nicaraguan ports and was declaring all
Nicaraguan ports to be "danger
zones."
Reservations by Shultz
"The money Congress approved has
been used to help the contras in many
ways, and the mining is only one aspect
of it," a State Department official said,
using the name by which the Nicara-
guan rebels are commonly known.
Secretary of State George P. Shultz
. was said by his aides today to have had
SOIDe reservations about the mining be-
cause of possible international criti-
cism, but not about the overall harass-
ment campaign against the Nicara-
guan Government. They said that he
did not register formal objections to
the Waite House at the time.
One aide said Mr. Shultz felt that the
C.I.A. had _primary responsibility for
the rebel activity and that the mining
was not regardecra7s a particularly big
_step.
Continued
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The thinking at the time the decision i
was made late last year to go ahead
with the mining was that 10,000 tons of
military materiel had been shipped to
Nicaraguan ports in 1983, with a value
of 1:90 million, mostly from Cuba and
the Soviet Union. The mines were
viewed as a nicans of causing some dis-
ruption to economy of Nicaragua
and, with some luck, at its military
supply line.
said to be manufactured
by .2777.1.-ATI-n a gaqigt,-matbtilidirit
_ .
in
lionouras were I as a vey. e
_ 1. I. _
for stopping trie, flow of munns_tp_EL
Salvador. They.were mea.pitosletoriate_
altinst large cargo ships, not -the
smaller coastal craft used to carry
materiel across the Bay of Fonseca.
The were carried in a Cargo
I ship that stayed outside the 12-mile
Nicaraguan waters and were placed in
speedboats that actually planted them.
Foreign Vessels Damaged
The mining became an issue only
after foreign vessels, including one
from the Soviet Union, reported in re-
cent weeks that they had been dam-
aged as a result of striking mines. Last
lweekend there were press re + arts of,
C.I.A. p?onflbemg mvolved m the
operations. On Sunday, the!
tate D-ipartment announced that it
would not submit to World Court juris- ?
diction for two years on any disputes
concerning Central America.
The department said it was doing so
to block Nicaragua from bringing ac-
tion against the United States over the
mining and other rebel actions. This
announcement, coupled with the_press
reports
on
producedan ouetcryC . If. A.m involvyemeennatz,_
bers of the Congresjat the mining
was an act of war of which they _had
no advance knowledge.
Union and Cuba want to see Commu-
nism spread further in Central Amer-
ica," the statement said. "The question
is: Will the United States support those
countries that want democracy and are '
willing to fight for their own freedom?"
The statement specifically denied
that there was consideration or plans
for American military forces to invade
I Nicaragua or any other Central Ameri-
can country. It also denied there was '
i planning for "a post-election military .
' enterprise" in the region ? a reference
to the elections scheduled for Novem?
ber in Nicaragua.
The Administration insists that it I
wants a region-wide diplomatic solu-
tion in Central America. It says it sup-
ports the efforts of the so-called Conde-
tom group ? Mexico, Venezuela, Co-
lombia and Panama ? to obtain the
agreement of Nicaragua, El Salvador
and other Central American countries
to an accord that would prohibit the ex-
port of subversion, reduce the size of
military forces, and end the presence
of foreign military advisers in those
countries.
The Contadora group is seeking to
present formal language on April 30 for
such an accord, which would imple-
ment 21 broadly worded objectives
agreed to last year by the Central
American nations. But the White House
statement said that "Nicaragua's re-
sponse throughout has been fraudulent
and cynical.
A State Department official said that
Mr. Shultz recommended to Mr. Rea-
gan the decision to inform the World
Court that the United States would not
accept its jurisdiction over a complaint
from Nicaragua. He said that the court
might seek a temporary injunction to
block all activity against Nicaragua,
but if a similar case were brought
against Nicaragua by El Salvador, the
Nicaraguans would insist they had
done nothing and would not abide by an
injunction.
The Administration has expressed
concern over what the White House on
Tuesday called "a shrill and often con-
fusing debate" over its goals, plans and
activities in Central America.
A statement issued Tuesday afte_r-
op_or_Lty the White House, in which Mr?,
Shultz, Mr. Casey, Defense Secretary
Caspar W. Weinberger and Robert ?
McFarlane, the national security ad-
viser, concurred, said "it is critical
That the Amencan peopTe ithderstiffd
Na'hat is at stale in the Central Amen-
can reglQn."
"The real issues are whether we in
the United States want to stand by and
let a Communist Government in Nica-
ragua export violence and terrorism in
. this hemisphere," the statement said,
"and whether we will allow the power
of the ballot box to be overcome by the
power of the gun."
"There is no doubt that the Soviet
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/20: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302640024-4