U.S. AIDES SAY CUBA CUTS ARMS TO SALVADOR LEFT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000302640093-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 20, 2012
• Sequence Number: 93
• Publication Date: March 12, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/20: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302640093-8
steTrerix
OA PAWS
A1aes')ay -
Cu6 a uts Arms
(
To Salvador Left
Rebel Ammunition Stock
5 4
BY? ARD GWERTZMANg'?
? ? -e,
to The New York Times
?
WASHINGTON,. March IL -??-? Adminis-
tration officials said today that recendy
acwjiredLnformation indicates that, the
vinunent insurgents in El Salva-
dor are running low on ammunition be-
cause of an apparent decision by. Nicara-
guaand Cuba to reduce their assistance.
Although the officials said that the in-
telligence information wai -not conclu-
sive, there was a 'growing belief within
the Administration that the flow Of arms
to the left-wing rebels in El Salvador
through Nicaragua had been drastically
reduced in the last several weeks. ? ?" ? tt.!, ?
The officials said also that there his
been less activity and involvement by
Cuba in helping the El Salvador rebels
during the same period.
U.S. Is Proceeding Catitionsly
,
The Reagan Administration h? been
cautious', in handling the intelligence in-
formation:at does not want to undercut
its own justification for increased mili-
tary aid for El Salvador but it is also
tempted to assert that its "tough" posi-
tion exposing Soviet-bloc- assistance to
the insurgents may have been decisive.
Some analystsin the Government trace
the shortage of ammunition to the ."final
offensive" launched by the insurgents in
January,. before the Reagan' Administra-
tion took office.. The offensive failed to
gain much public support,. and was
stopped by Government forces.
Since tie the Reagan idininistration
?
has given considerable publicity to infor-
mation it had gathered,Airgely from,
what were said to be. 'rUptured docu-
ments, that is meant to demonstrate that:
the left-wing insurgentisti the instigit
tion of Cuba, Were given large quantities
of arms and ammunition, from Soviet-
bloc nations at end of Iasi year.::-
_ .
Most of the equipraent;;." the United
States charged; was Aniericznirmide and
was shipped from Vietnam to Cuba and
then to,plicaragua,, Prom-Piicaraguai it
-
was allegedly sent into Ek,Salvador by
land, through Honduras; or.by:Sea and
alr?
. Since the offensive Ig j4R,Lary_441,-.cipil
NEW YORK TINES12 MARCH 1981
as theAdtninistration was publidizingre-
yorts that large shipments of arms were
'reachint the guerrillas, the rebels them-
ielvecitold reporters in El Salvador that
they,were running low on supplies.
Ainerican officials said Nicaragua,
under heavy pressure from- the United
States, which has threatened to cut off
economic assistance, has apparently
stopped or sharply curtailed-using its
territory as a funnel for arms to the insur-
gents..
Officials were reluctant to say whether
the present situation would_be perma-
nent.';4!`;'<
,
? ? ADifficult Logistical Problem
?, ,
- Without " Nicaragua's' cooperation, it
would be logistically difficult for Cuba to
help the insurgents in El Salvador, the of- to the 26th Communist Party Congress or ?
fictals ;said. This may explain the slack- "in his recent letters to President Reagan
ening Of the Cuban involvement, officials and other Western heads of government.
said. Some intelligence analysts believe Mr. Brezhnev has been urging the start
that the failure of the January offensive of an "active dialogue" with the United '
also have persuaded Cuba to avoid States, including a possible summit meet-
er large-scale involvement in El Sal- Ong with Mr. Reagan. This may be a fac-
vacior.4,'
},..tor in the Soviet refusal to be drawn into a
The reported problems for the insur- (public defense of the El Salvador rebels.
gents comes against a major effort by the i!A? , Several Administration officials also
Reagan Administration to increase mili- 'said that the Russians seem much more
concerned at the moment over the contin-
uing crisis in Poland, which could pro-
voke Soviet military intervention, and in
million in military help for the current Afghanistan and are not likely to seek a
'confrontation in another-part of the world.
where the United States is predominant. I
fiscal year and is seeking another $66 mil-
lion in the next fiscal year. The amount of
emergency economic aid to be provided
El Salvador is due to be announced by the
end of the week, and it is expected to be
between $100 million and $200 million. -
Some officials believe that the Soviet
leadership has become wary of major in-
volvement in El Salvador and may have
sent word to its East European, Vietnam-
ese and Cuban allies to avoid further
large-scale assistance to the rebels for
fear of provoking an American military
response against Cuba.
,vcr,
Brezhnev Didn't Mention the Issue .
Administration officials said that Leo-
nid I. Brezhnev, the Soviet leader, did not
mention El Salvador either in his speech,
tary and economic support for the El Sal-
vador Government.
The Administration has authorized $30
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/20: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302640093-8